Sounds interesting...some customization can be done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robert...free-oceans-sustainable-watches/#522f68b74637

Some options available if you run through the configuration pages...

https://www.baumewatches.com/ca/home

Most are Miyota or Ronda quartz, and the only automatic I see is also Miyota. Have to see how this strategy plays out long term.

 

Wonder how Baume et Mercier feel about this?

 

Did you read the article?

 

Like everything else from Richemont, these too will be over priced.

 

Overpriced and geared towards those interested in "ethical capitalism"

 

If you visit the site, they are competitively priced with other watches of a similar style.

If you are saying everything from Richemont is overpriced, then every watch made by anyone is overpriced.

 

Yes, and to my mind it would be very much undermining the Baume et Mercier name. Rolex has Tudor etc. To my mind it would be akin to Porsche introducing a low end brand named Porsh. Bad form. I think Richemont desperately needs to rethink their marketing strategy here. Dragging a good name down, is not as preferential as building a new name or even resurrecting something out of the past. Swatch, Lexus, the list goes on of success using new names.

 

Well this was your question...

Here is what's in the article...

"According to Chassot, the Baume project breathed its first life under the umbrella of Baume & Mercier. In fact, she gives credit to Alain Zimmermann, former CEO of Baume & Mercier (who has taken a position as head of the new E-commerce division of the Richemont Group), for championing the idea."

So what do they think of it? I'm guessing they must be okay with it, since it came from them originally.

Now regarding this...

I guess that's open to debate, and why I said we'll have to see how this strategy plays out long term...

 

Zimmerman came from L’Oréal. He is not a watch guy. He is a businessman.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Zimmermann

And here in the states Coach is a perfect example of why you don’t want to drag your brand name down. It becomes nearly impossible to quit discounting and start making profits again, because discounting becomes what everybody expects from your brand.

 

When I mean watch guy I mean a person who is brought up building watches.

 

News flash - all "watch guys" who are running brands are business men. Very few people who were "brought up building watches" go on to run major brands in large conglomerates. trust me the skills needed to assemble watches are very different than those needed to manage a multi-million dollar brand.

Seriously, people need to stop thinking that being in the watch business is so much different than any other business. It's simply not the case, unless you are the guy actually putting them together. The marketing departments are not full of watch guys, the accounting departments are not full of watch guys, and management is not full of watch guys.

To me, this is an attempt to capture some of the space currently held by brands like Daniel Wellington, Shinola, etc. while keeping the name sufficiently different to not dilute the B&M brand, but using some of it's credibility at the same time. Most of the buyers for these watches probably know nothing of the B&M brand's heritage, but may become more interested after getting one of these.

Gateway drug, if you will...

But we can agree to disagree certainly.

 

Good! Craftsmen usually lack the business acumen to keep their business afloat.

Just because you can cook doesn't mean you'll have a successful restaurant. You have to understand accounting, personnel management, time management, customer service..... or hire people who do.

 

For the automatic, I'm surprised that they are going with a Miyota (Citizen Group) as opposed to keeping it Swiss with a Soprod (Again, owned by Citizen) or Sellita. Sure it keeps cost down and a closed caseback means they don't need to spend money on the finishing....so this is a way for them to battle the cheaper fashion brands with an environmentally friendly spin.

How is the Miyota 82D7? Any experience or feedback?

 

But Baume is/was a vintage brand and a distant predecessor of B&M!

 

No, bad. Putting somebody in charge of a company who maximizes short term profits ala Zimmerman and Baume, may suit the American style of business, but will do long-term damage to the brand name. And that’s all any of these watch companies really have anyways is a name. Somebody with a vested interest in watches, not profits will take a longer-term outlook. I am not saying these watch companies shouldn’t make money, or have businessman in charge, but somebody with a vested interest in the long term of success of the company should be paramount. I don’t think Zimmerman has a vested interest in Baume et Mercier. I do not think he has a watch guy. I think he would be just as happy selling chocolate as watches. All this of course is my opinion.

 

I think this goes for anyone running one of the big brands. You seem stuck on this notion that you need a good watch guy at the helm of a watch company - that is simply not reality.

 

I’m not stuck on that notion at all I am referring specifically to Zimmerman and Baume. I think it’s a terrible idea.

 

If you don't make short term profit, you won't last long term.

 

Is there something in particular you have against this Zimmerman guy, other than he used to work for L’Oréal? He clearly has luxury brand experience (a valuable asset in this business), as well as some time in the watch industry with IWC.

As I said in my first post, we'll have to see how this works out. You clearly think it will be a disaster, but I would argue there are plenty of brands already that are mere shadows of what they used to be in terms of the quality they are making now (I would put B&M among those actually, along with Bulova, Longines, Hamilton, etc.) who are doing just fine from a business and sales perspective. The big conglomerates always have a strategy of positioning brands at different levels - Swatch does the same thing, as does LVMH, and they are all quite good at it.

Keep in mind that the sole purpose of any corporation is to make returns for shareholders. It's their legal obligation, so with any corporation that happens to make watches, this has to be kept in mind. Without profits and return to shareholders, then you would be talking about a much bigger disaster than using Baume for a bunch of entry level watches.

 

I recently sold an Explorer homage that carried a Miyota 8215 (the basic version that the 82D7 is based off of). I had no complaints about the watch's performance, it kept time well and didn't suffer from a stutter. The rotor could be a little noisy, but only when I really flicked my wrist.

I imagine they went with that movement because it was the cheapest to modify the supply chain to meet their "sustainability objectives" compared to other movements on the market.