Why Are Some Watch Brands Under-appreciated? | Hodinkee Radio

This week, host Tony Traina is joined by Hodinkee Founder Ben Clymer and Client Advisor Rich Fordon. They cover a range of topics, but the main discussion is about under-appreciated, high-end watch brands. Using Laurent Ferrier as something of a case study, the trio discuss why an important watchmaker might not be recognized as such by the market, what went wrong, and what can be done to change the perception of a brand.
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#hodinkee #watches #patekphilippe #audemarspiguet #johnmayer #podcast #rolex #laurentferrier #dufour #rogersmith

[@JoeyJiggles]

I really love how Ben comes on and just lets it rip. Good. Honest. Feedback. Love it.

[@watchnorthlondon]

I think the problem is that a time only watch with limited brand provenance for $50k is indeed just absurd. In fact, it’s absurd at $20k.

[@TheWatchOut]

This was by far the best Hodinkee radio episode in a long time. Loved to hear somewhat of an inside perspective on the performance of these brands.

[@JimmyA32]

Love hearing Ben’s perspectives. I would also mention Chopard is under appreciated

[@bg18871]

Cleaning up the market translates to “buy up all excess inventory on the used market to prop up prices so you can push watches at retail to people who think watches are investments.” The problem is, if you buy a DB27 from the 1916 Co. for $85k and flip it over, you will see it’s not an $85k watch. It’s a 40k watch at best. Now you want to sell it and find out that no one will buy a rare indie at the price you paid and if you offer it to 1916 they give 40 cents on the dollar.

[@user-dr5dx6ip8k]

market manipulation!!

[@jeffdj1975]

The story of Seiko, quartz crisis, and grand seiko.

[@FightingMango]

Would love a full episode on Lange to be honest. Having been around watches for around the same time as Ben I can really connect with his horological roller coaster 😂

[@_iErik]

Why is Ben’s audio worse than my (not professionally producing Podcasts) recorded audio from AirPods?

[@aprilshowersstormtrooper]

"Why are some watch brands under-appreciated?" Shows Laurent Ferrier in the thumbnail. Bro, no one underrates Laurent Ferrier, it's just that it's too exclusive.

[@ticklove1910]

not to mention EXPENSIVE!!

[@user-dr5dx6ip8k]

very exciting content, was great to hear these candid opinions in detail.

[@cameronmartin719]

Fun episode! I'd love to see a movie on Abraham-Louis Breguet.

[@GCPlati85]

Super interesting conversation.

[@HRM.H]

Laurent Ferrier is one of my favorite brands. Such beautiful watches

[@zachschlabach8928]

For a period piece, a story about Breguet could be amazing. For a thriller/drama a sort of Brosnan Thomas Crown Affair vaguely based on the theft of the Marie Antoinette watch from the Islamic Arts museum could be great.

[@Theo-ul8qm]

I love seeing Ben on the show! I really like his honesty, but I feel like he's sometimes so direct that it comes off as patronizing. I don't know if anyone else feels this way. For example - remarks like "Rolex is king - always has been, always will be" - are something you'd say to a kid. In no market of any kind, at any point, has there been one dominant player forever. I don't think Ben believes Rolex will literally be king forever. It comes off like he thinks so lowly of his audience that he just says things like this without really thinking about them, believing that his audience isn't smart enough to notice that what he's just said makes no sense. I don't mean to hate, I love Ben and appreciate his work, but I think sometimes these slip-ups should be pointed out.

[@jeffdj1975]

The Zenith El Primero story!!!!

[@juliorodriguez1721]

Under appreciated is different from unattainable 😂

[@mdv69]

market share... would love to see what their consumer sell out base coverage.

[@Ego_Katana]

Anyone else feel as thought the Speedmaster has been over hyped for the past 5 years? And the Icing is that the Omega X Swatch ($270) is just confusing.... Even their own branding says, it's JUST like the Speedmaster. If anything, it's cheapened the allure. Why mess with an icon?

[@kobirob6864]

The story of Florentine Ariosto Jones the IWC founder.

[@jeffdj1975]

Story of the Cartier brothers.

[@charlesoliverburns]

LF will rocket on the secondary within the next 5 years. Great buy right now!

[@BobbyDazzler888]

I dont think so. They have that boring look to them, worse than moser.

[@charlesoliverburns]

@@BobbyDazzler888 that’s the whole point, simplicity is genius.

[@ap6160]

Because there are a lot of people who just blindly follow Hodinkee-hyped brands?

[@smittysmitty481]

Baume & Mercier are defiantly an underrated brand!

[@atmavictu2995]

Ferrier needs to come up with something refreshing, he is playing too safe right now

[@cameronmartin719]

I'd love to see Laurent Ferrier make a slightly more attainable and modern classic micro-rotor and ramp up production for it. Make one in grade 5 titanium, with 50m of water resistance, Breguet numerals, and shrink the case size down to 37-39mm. This is how they become the modern man's Calatrava.The broader market will never choose a LF Sport Auto over a Royal Oak or Nautilus, but I think there's a good argument to be made that a more accessible LF Classic Micro-Rotor could draw people away from a Calatrava and Saxonia Thin etc.

[@alejandrocaraballo1690]

Lf internal bevels and finishes bar none far exceeds Patek and secondary market is dirt cheep now… buy if you can late 2010s micro rotors for 25-30k crazy deal. I remember when journe watches were cheep on secondary times have changed.

[@jeffdj1975]

The story of Ben Clymer!!!!

[@Ataur835]

nice

[@polariz666]

I dont think you can compare Roger Smith to Laurent Ferrier when the LF movements are made by someone else and then only assembled in house. Too expensive and difficult to buy due to a lack of sales outlets.

[@mohammedal-r471]

LF is nice its over priced

[@MFG1076]

Exactly. Why would you take a steel Classic Micro-Rotor over a steel Cornes de Vache with an extra $15K in your pocket?

[@chia-mingyang5804]

Not everyone wants/needs a chronograph; also the dial proportion of Cornes de Vache is off for me.

[@panoslioulias6231]

Without the date window it would be classic. The date window just throws off the balance.

[@goncadelaloge5399]

The market is calme now, of course its difficult for LF but except FPJ and ROLEX who is selling a lot of Watchers now ?! Lets talk about AP and co ...

[@simondewaele6116]

Hodinkee is losing it’s independence and no longer hides it’s intentions to make as much money for themselves

[@bobford7366]

Nothing wrong with that. Even if they were deceitful about their intentions, it's up to us to use our critical thinking skills to decide what we do with that information. Further, it's just watches at the end of the day. Just entertainment.