The faux luxury quote

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The faux luxury quote

Post by st-rider »

Thought I'd repost this in a new thread so it doesn't get buried in other stuff.

I think this faux luxury quote has caused a bit of angst.
"The new trademark does away with the faux luxury elements of the last one, but in a quiet way, it's more bold and direct too". Jamie Gallagher, creative director, Hello.
I read it was attributed to Jamie Gallagher in CW's Loupe magazine about the re-brand.

However, it's also a quote from Mike France, one of the CW founders, in the May edition of WatchPro magazine (not the luxury report 2016, the other May one) about the re-brand...

Because of the nature of the digital edition I could only get this image...
Image

...problem is (and this is my take on this) that if the logo is faux luxury then that reflects the brand and the products by association are false luxury. Not real quality (as said imo, others may read it differently).

Yet in a February 2016 interview he appears to be proud of creating the world's first luxury online brand....
Image

So not being consistent and (again imo) a Gerald Ratner, we sell crap, moment.

I would welcome any clarification from Christopher Ward (London) Ltd. or Christopher Ward (London ) Holdings Limited.
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by robert75 »

Ok playing devils advocate here perhaps what he meant was it appears pretentious when the brand in fact is not. The goal of CW being to sell quality watches without the hype and guff usually found with mid to high end stuff. The change of direction more a moving forward with a nod back to its origins.

Other than that God knows, that was the best I could think of.
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by hughesyn »

Perhaps some pictures will help explain their thinking.

This is faux luxury:

Image

This is vibrant and direct:

Image

Simples?
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by golfjunky »

I think you need a bit of that hype and guff though. It seems to work for the big boys.
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by downer »

I think it's a hell of a leap from what he actually said...

Image

to a "Ratner" moment. I don't think he's making any comment on the quality of the product - only on his take on the feelings evoked by the Chr logo, and that perhaps it was a little pretentious?

OP, Is there a danger you are getting carried away with all this?
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by robert75 »

downer wrote:I think it's a hell of a leap from what he actually said...

Image

to a "Ratner" moment. I don't think he's making any comment on the quality of the product - only on his take on the feelings evoked by the Chr logo, and that perhaps it was a little pretentious?

OP, Is there a danger you are getting carried away with all this?
You think he is the only one?

Reports are suggesting home base has sold out of pitch forks.
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by robinbarke »

hughesyn wrote:Perhaps some pictures will help explain their thinking.

This is faux luxury:

Image

This is vibrant and direct:

Image

Simples?
Please no more pictures like this!



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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by st-rider »

downer wrote:...OP, Is there a danger you are getting carried away with all this?
Quite possibly. It's just Mike would have signed off on the Chr.Ward to move the brand forward. Would have been easier to say anything else about the change now not being relevant. Instead imo using the term faux luxury is really poor communication and undermines the brand.

It's not that anything I or anyone else on this forum writes will make any difference is it.

<edit>
downer wrote:...I don't think he's making any comment on the quality of the product - only on his take on the feelings evoked by the Chr logo, and that perhaps it was a little pretentious?...
Yet wasn't such misgivings on the Chr.Ward expressed on this forum when it was changed? Please correct me if I've got that wrong.
</edit>
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by Kip »

downer wrote:I think it's a hell of a leap from what he actually said...

Image

to a "Ratner" moment. I don't think he's making any comment on the quality of the product - only on his take on the feelings evoked by the Chr logo, and that perhaps it was a little pretentious?

OP, Is there a danger you are getting carried away with all this?
Thank you Richard for a moment of sanity.
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by matengawhat »

I think he has been misquoted however when they just list major brands throughout their website its just like trying to hang on to their coattails, popular by association!

The new website we have - Jaguar, Aston Martin, Pan Am, Rolex, Raymond Weil, Michael Kors, Formula 1, Ford, Cartier, Airbus, Tag Heuer, Ferrari just trying way to hard - there were a few other references from a design point of view but I let them go.

In terms of famous ppl/characters we have Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, Rhianna, Jane Fonda, Jaques Cousteau, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and James Bond - non of which really fit the new branding / demographic
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by Magnus »

If he is selling a luxury brand (regardless of the price point) how can anything about the logo be faux luxury?

Was 'affordable luxury' not a tag line?
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by Marvin »

Kip wrote:
downer wrote:I think it's a hell of a leap from what he actually said...

to a "Ratner" moment. I don't think he's making any comment on the quality of the product - only on his take on the feelings evoked by the Chr logo, and that perhaps it was a little pretentious?

OP, Is there a danger you are getting carried away with all this?
Thank you Richard for a moment of sanity.
I see your point, however I don't totally agree with your 'sanity' definition...
I totally understand that people are quite annoyed by all this - and rightly so. I know I was when I first saw all these changes.

Grouping people's comments to sane and insane is not very helpful.
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by PaulJS »

Lets face it, the whole thing is just a mess. If I read the demographic correctly amongst most of the more vociferous members here (and I don't mean to exclude anyone lucky enough to still be under 40..or even luckier 30!) we are of a similar age if not a little younger than the head honchos at CW. And we are all confused / bemused at what has occurred.

No surprise then that the old boys at CW have been completely bamboozled by a group of individuals two generations younger than themselves, who were presumably advocated by the young blood they have recently brought into the company.
None of us want to feel we are getting old and 'past it', and it must have been pretty easy for a group of hip and happening young guns to play to these insecurities and sell 'the dream'.

They have clearly been sold an image of what they need to be and where they need to go if they are to avoid watching their market die off ( literally ) as they fail to engage with the 'younger' market.

We can all bemoan the move ( and I certainly have ) through this medium, but ultimately it is the entitlement of those that run the company to make whatever decisions they think are in the best interests of the company and themselves. They will reap the benefits, or pay the ultimate price while we just move on if we don't like it.

It would seem that CW perceived they had reached a watershed whereby they keep on pitching to the same 'traditional' market or make a transformational change and go after a completely different market.

They do, however, seem to have gone the whole hog with a complete rebranding and I am surprised that we haven't had a 'Mission Statement' from them - or am I showing my age with that?

For me, this has proved to be an interesting diversion and injected some much needed fervour into the forum, which had been getting a touch slow of late. But it is clearly a done deal and that's that.

One further thought.....of late that has been a growing trend among many of 'the establishment' on here towards deliberately seeking their one / two / three 'grail' watches and off loading the CWs to help fund these - I am among this number ( although I haven't been around long enough to class myself as part of the establishment!).

Maybe CW have been amazingly astute in spotting this trend and responding accordingly? Just a thought, and one for which I am prepared to be shot down in flames for :D
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by Dancematt »

matengawhat wrote:I think he has been misquoted however when they just list major brands throughout their website its just like trying to hang on to their coattails, popular by association!

The new website we have - Jaguar, Aston Martin, Pan Am, Rolex, Raymond Weil, Michael Kors, Formula 1, Ford, Cartier, Airbus, Tag Heuer, Ferrari just trying way to hard - there were a few other references from a design point of view but I let them go.

In terms of famous ppl/characters we have Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, Rhianna, Jane Fonda, Jaques Cousteau, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and James Bond - non of which really fit the new branding / demographic
So desperate. Just be yourself! Take a leaf out of the Nomos or JS book of marketing. Why even mention RW and MK?? The brand has no links to these celebrity names at all.

Build your own history - don't rely on the history of others. That's just sad. Wannabes. It's a real shame really
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Re: The faux luxury quote

Post by golfjunky »

I was 26 when I found CW so if I did I'm sure others have and will do.
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