A Lange & Sohne Odysseus, Fixing The Patek Nautilus & New Year's Resolutions
Watches Tonight with Tim Mosso
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44m
Luxury watch collector and enthusiast Tim Mosso discusses new year's resolutions for watchmakers, watch brands, watch collectors, and major figures in the watch industry. 2020 is over, and 2021 is a week old already; this is our last chance to vow improvements for the new year while the eggnog is still fresh. From Patek Philippe's Nautilus to the Rolex Datejust and A. Lange & Sohne's infamous Odysseus bracelet, nothing is off-limits as Tim selects aspirational targets for the biggest names in watches. This is "Watches Tonight!"
Of course, Rolex discussion in mandatory in any review of 2021 improvements. Rolex's brand is world-class, its order book is full, and Rolex watches are the most recognized product in the industry. But with orders for the new Rolex Submariner, the Rolex GMT, and the Rolex Daytona booked for months or years, tact is at a premium. Rolex needs to better train authorized dealers to have polite and clear discussions with watch buyers who demand immediate delivery.
To that end, Rolex also would be well-advised to consider reviving or refreshing a number of second-string classics. From the aging Rolex Milgauss to the discontinued Rolex Datejust Turn-o-Graph, there are models that Geneva-based Rolex can spotlight and redesign in the interest of relieving pressure on GMT, Submariner, and Daytona waiting lists. Rolex should also consider launching new variations on existing products such as a first-ever rose gold Rolex Submariner or a never-before-seen Datejust 41 Turn-o-Graph.
The name, "Patek Philippe Nautilus" evokes exorbitant preowned prices, years-long dealer waiting lists, and social media saturation. But almost nobody associates the Patek Nautilus with best-in-class bracelet construction. Since 2012, Patek Philippe has used pins and sleeves to assemble the bracelets of all models thusly equipped. In contrast, even the $3,500 Oris Aquis includes a bracelet with removable links fixed in place by screws. Moreover, both the Vacheron Constantin Overseas and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak include screw-fixed removable links.
But Patek Philippe should be encouraged to do more than the bare minimum. At over $30,000 retail, the Nautilus 5711/1A deserves a bracelet with quick-releases for easy removal from the case. And the quick releases MUST be in the bracelet, not the case, in order to permit an upgrade for existing Nautilus owners. For good measure, Patek should match Lange and Vacheron, both of which offer a clasp with a micro-adjustment system. And if Cartier can offer removable links that can be inserted and extracted without a tool, so can Patek Philippe.
A. Lange & Sohne probably needs to focus first and foremost on selling its existing model line at list price, without discounts, and without bundled-watch inducements. But it is obvious that the bracelet-lug interface is the weakest design detail of Lange's most exciting watch of the year. The A. Lange & Sohne Odysseus is a handsome sports watch with a balanced dial, a killer movement, and a fairly ugly bracelet design. But the white gold Odysseus proved the potential of the model when equipped with a rubber strap. Lange's brand managers should permit the firm to offer the stainless steel Odysseus on a rubber strap. This would improve the pricing appeal to a broader range of buyers while offering a major purchasable style upgrade for current and future owners of the steel Odysseus.
Omega watches are too thick; on this point, Tim has been consistent for years. Unfortunately, so has Omega. The current state of affairs leaves Omega with technically excellent watches that many clients decline to buy solely because they're too chunky on the wrist. Like many watch collectors, Omega's New Year's resolution needs to focus on shrinking its waistline.
Additional New Year's Resolutions are offered for Baselworld, Vacheron Constantin, "all luxury watch brans," and "Watch Collectors" as a whole! All of that, and a full slate of watch collector wrist shots are on hand for "Watches Tonight!"
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