Such a wonderful, thoughtful essay, Jack, thanks! And, natch, I have a few thoughts, plus one truly silly observation.
Starting with the silliness, I'm amazed that no one (at least that I've read) has pointed out that "Cubitus" sounds awfully like the first word in "decubitus ulcer," aka bedsores. And, at least for me, I can't unhear it. And it does lend a certain, um, unpleasant overtone to the matter, regardless of the merits of the watch itself. Moving on....
"No one wants to pay for content." True enough, but but but: back 40 or 50 years ago, when we all willingly paid for our daily NYTimes, in newsprint, or our weekly/monthly Newsweek or Life or Time or Atlantic magazines, printed on actual paper, no one thought of those things as "content." We thought of them as "news" or "journalism." Words can be powerful things, and I suspect that whoever permitted the online versions of journalism to be considered mere "content" is probably kicking themselves.
And your observation about Patek's seemingly un-hyped pre-eminence is fascinating. I have noted, among the most deeply horology-involved commenters online, some movement "beyond" Patek and into the truly esoteric realms embodied by Journe, Greubel Forsey, Voutilainen, et al, as the ne plus ultra of watchmaking. That said, though, your observation seems entirely on target to me among pretty much everyone other than the mega-connoisseurs--and honestly, if someone has to reach into the realm of Voutilainen to top PP, well, they've pretty much proven the point you're making, Jack. One perhaps interesting point regarding celebrity endorsement, though: Patek may not use "ambassadors," but I do recall, back 30 or 40 years ago, seeing what I'm 99% certain was a Patek ad prominently noting that no less an eminence than Albert Einstein owned one. And if that ain't begging for greatness by association, I don't know what is!
One other thing, if it's not a gross violation of online etiquette to leave two comments for one article....
I've been thinking about the "no hype" thing, since it's very intriguing. It occurs to me that somehow, there's a sense of "it's just something everyone knows," isn't there? Examples: ask most people "what's the best sports car?" and you'll almost always hear Ferrari; ask "what's the best luxury car" and you'll usually hear Rolls Royce. Ask "what's the best college in the US?" and you'll usually get Harvard in reply. And yet none of those organizations advertise much, if at all, at least not directly--yes, Ferrari participates in F1, and Harvard, well, just kinda permeates everywhere you look (CEO offices, Supreme Court justices, etc etc).
The surprise with PP, I think, is that Watchworld isn't anywhere near as commonly known as cars or universities, and yet PP has managed to put itself in the same conversations as the leaders in much more popular categories.
Hi Jack, This is a wonderful read. How could I expect anything less? I did just read that LVMH has bought iconic Paris restaurant "Chez L’Ami Louis" - the worst restaurant in the world. And I think it is well known that LVMH would love to buy Patek. The parallel is delicious.
Such a wonderful, thoughtful essay, Jack, thanks! And, natch, I have a few thoughts, plus one truly silly observation.
Starting with the silliness, I'm amazed that no one (at least that I've read) has pointed out that "Cubitus" sounds awfully like the first word in "decubitus ulcer," aka bedsores. And, at least for me, I can't unhear it. And it does lend a certain, um, unpleasant overtone to the matter, regardless of the merits of the watch itself. Moving on....
"No one wants to pay for content." True enough, but but but: back 40 or 50 years ago, when we all willingly paid for our daily NYTimes, in newsprint, or our weekly/monthly Newsweek or Life or Time or Atlantic magazines, printed on actual paper, no one thought of those things as "content." We thought of them as "news" or "journalism." Words can be powerful things, and I suspect that whoever permitted the online versions of journalism to be considered mere "content" is probably kicking themselves.
And your observation about Patek's seemingly un-hyped pre-eminence is fascinating. I have noted, among the most deeply horology-involved commenters online, some movement "beyond" Patek and into the truly esoteric realms embodied by Journe, Greubel Forsey, Voutilainen, et al, as the ne plus ultra of watchmaking. That said, though, your observation seems entirely on target to me among pretty much everyone other than the mega-connoisseurs--and honestly, if someone has to reach into the realm of Voutilainen to top PP, well, they've pretty much proven the point you're making, Jack. One perhaps interesting point regarding celebrity endorsement, though: Patek may not use "ambassadors," but I do recall, back 30 or 40 years ago, seeing what I'm 99% certain was a Patek ad prominently noting that no less an eminence than Albert Einstein owned one. And if that ain't begging for greatness by association, I don't know what is!
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Jack. Also, thanks for the link to the epic L’Ami Louis review.
One other thing, if it's not a gross violation of online etiquette to leave two comments for one article....
I've been thinking about the "no hype" thing, since it's very intriguing. It occurs to me that somehow, there's a sense of "it's just something everyone knows," isn't there? Examples: ask most people "what's the best sports car?" and you'll almost always hear Ferrari; ask "what's the best luxury car" and you'll usually hear Rolls Royce. Ask "what's the best college in the US?" and you'll usually get Harvard in reply. And yet none of those organizations advertise much, if at all, at least not directly--yes, Ferrari participates in F1, and Harvard, well, just kinda permeates everywhere you look (CEO offices, Supreme Court justices, etc etc).
The surprise with PP, I think, is that Watchworld isn't anywhere near as commonly known as cars or universities, and yet PP has managed to put itself in the same conversations as the leaders in much more popular categories.
Hi Jack, This is a wonderful read. How could I expect anything less? I did just read that LVMH has bought iconic Paris restaurant "Chez L’Ami Louis" - the worst restaurant in the world. And I think it is well known that LVMH would love to buy Patek. The parallel is delicious.
Thank you for sharing your (always) interesting perspective. Luxury brands have indeed evolved into strange beasts!