Your Watchmaker Might Be a Bad Person
Doug's Watches
4,035 views
Some of the most coveted watches in the world carry a person's name on the dial. So what happens when that person turns out to be someone you'd rather not endorse — and does it change what you're wearing?
This is a video about cancel culture, told through watches. From the reported allegations surrounding F.P. Journe, to Jacob Arabo's guilty plea and prison sentence, to the bitter public split that left Franck Muller's name on watches he no longer makes, I look at what it really means to wear someone's name on your wrist. Along the way: Roland Barthes and the death of the author, why watchmaking might be different from film or music, and the chapters of their own history that some of the biggest brands would rather you didn't read.
I won't hand you a rule, because there isn't one. But there are better and worse ways to think about it, and a resale market that has already made up its own mind.
00:00 Cancel culture
00:23 Whose name is on your dial?
01:50 F.P. Journe and the dinner
03:08 The death of the author
03:50 Why watchmaking is different
04:25 What watch brands don't tell you
05:58 Jacob & Co: the jeweller who went to prison
07:53 Franck Muller: the name without the man
09:48 So what do we do?
F.P. Journe, Jacob & Co, Franck Muller, IWC, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre and TAG Heuer all feature in this essay on the ethics of luxury watch collecting — separating the art from the artist, whether a watchmaker's reputation should affect your watch, and how controversy moves prices on the secondary market for pieces like the F.P. Journe Élégante and Jacob & Co Astronomia.
#Watches #FPJourne #CancelCulture #WatchCollecting
20 Comments
While Thierry Stern runs the ship at Patek, I will never own one.
I understand my choices not to support certain brands are unlikely to make any significant impact; I am content to know that I am at least standing by my own principles.
I am not interested in cancelling anyone but will make choices and speak with my wallet
A big part of the watch “community”’ is very militaristic, constantly glorifying that part of watch bands’ “heritage.” That they give a pass to IWC for not only their past, but also for monetizing that past by producing products directly derived from is one is a great example.
The Swiss brands carry on a long tradition of Swiss “neutrality” that really means they are willing to take money from anyone regardless of how it was attained. No wonder some Swiss watches are actively used to launder money just like Swiss banks are used that way.
For an alternative approach and a very clear politic, see NOMOS and its longstanding and vocal opposition to AfD. People might not agree with NOMOS‘s politics, but at least they aren't pretending not to have a stance.
[edited for typos]
UNDONE did something similar too at one point
Your Watchmaker Might Be a Bad Person
Doug's Watches
4,035 views
Some of the most coveted watches in the world carry a person's name on the dial. So what happens when that person turns out to be someone you'd rather not endorse — and does it change what you're wearing?
This is a video about cancel culture, told through watches. From the reported allegations surrounding F.P. Journe, to Jacob Arabo's guilty plea and prison sentence, to the bitter public split that left Franck Muller's name on watches he no longer makes, I look at what it really means to wear someone's name on your wrist. Along the way: Roland Barthes and the death of the author, why watchmaking might be different from film or music, and the chapters of their own history that some of the biggest brands would rather you didn't read.
I won't hand you a rule, because there isn't one. But there are better and worse ways to think about it, and a resale market that has already made up its own mind.
00:00 Cancel culture
00:23 Whose name is on your dial?
01:50 F.P. Journe and the dinner
03:08 The death of the author
03:50 Why watchmaking is different
04:25 What watch brands don't tell you
05:58 Jacob & Co: the jeweller who went to prison
07:53 Franck Muller: the name without the man
09:48 So what do we do?
F.P. Journe, Jacob & Co, Franck Muller, IWC, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre and TAG Heuer all feature in this essay on the ethics of luxury watch collecting — separating the art from the artist, whether a watchmaker's reputation should affect your watch, and how controversy moves prices on the secondary market for pieces like the F.P. Journe Élégante and Jacob & Co Astronomia.
#Watches #FPJourne #CancelCulture #WatchCollecting
On a side note: I really like this channel because it gives food for thought. Merci infiniment :)