Twenty Twenty, the greatest global pandemic we’ve collectively experienced in our lifetimes has, in the words of Cartier’s CEO Cyrille Vigneron, been “the great revelator” — a seismic event that has separated the wheat from the chaff. Strong brands whose trajectories were already meteoric only got stronger, in particular as they had already embraced social media in all its myriad forms from Instagram to Clubhouse. But what was crucial was that the brands were making pure, unadulterated and focused expressions of what they do best. Vigneron explains, “Some brands that have been true to themselves and that have focused on iconic designs have done well. Others that have strayed too far away from who they are have done less well.” It also means that the brands that succeeded listened to the buying public and made precisely those types of watches they wanted. Because in moments of crisis, we instinctively gravitate to objects that are familiar, that have timeless appeal and perennial value, and that are, as Vigneron says, “durable”.
Clearly, this lesson was not lost on the vast majority of the watch world because for the first time in years, almost all the brands are absolutely killing it. The one huge lesson from 2020 was: you either get your brand right or you perish. What is wonderful to see is that on a global level, the resulting digital Watches & Wonders 2021 has yielded some of the best collective new launches I’ve witnessed in many years. Gone are the overabundance of mediocre watches that had many of us scratching our heads in befuddlement, replaced by a far more streamlined and highly focused approach.
Basically, it seems that every watch CEO is highly aware that if you don’t think your watch is going to smash it, then for the love of God, please don’t launch it. Accordingly, it seems like each and every brand is trying to knock it out of the park with a few perfectly designed models that are extremely pure expressions of who they are. This is now combined by a sense of energy, vitality and, in the context of conservative Switzerland, even a chromatic daringness that clearly understands that the post-COVID world is looking for edification in the form of uplifting colours and engaging design.
