Breaking: The end of Carl F. Bucherer watches?

[enicar]

According to “BILANZ Watches”, Rolex boss Jean-Frédéric Dufour wants to give up the Carl F. Bucherer watch brand!

[BraveBold]

Love the one CFB watch I have. I think I added it last year…

[WatchGuy1966]

Originally Posted by BraveBold

Love the one CFB watch I have. I think I added it last year…

that is gorgeous

[BraveBold]

Originally Posted by WatchGuy1966

that is gorgeous

Thanks, it is a piece I really enjoy.

[77T]

Yes I can see how such speculation would be offered. The transfer of ownership may have had some lock-up codicillary clauses set to expire.

But Bucherer was to operate as an independent entity in the Rolex Group. So its boss can't unilaterally disgorge the Bucherer brand.

If the watch atelier has failed to keep pace with its own peer group and is unable to maintain working capital independent of the 3 Billion purchase, then it's inevitable that their own leadership would shutter the factory.

Upon what did the story base its facts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gebbeth]

Rolex has decide to shutter the watch brand, focusing only on the retail operations of CFB.

Guess not surprising, but in a way, a bit unnerving.

Is the next step deciding not to sell other brands at CFB?

[Easy E]

Had figure that was coming sooner or later.

[RW16610]

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/bi...arl-f-bucherer

[JPBlackBay]

Too bad. My local AD carries them and I've attending a couple of events. Was hopeful Rolex could have provided a bigger halo for them to have more success.

[Watchflair]

Definitely a brand that struggled with sales. I picked up their world time collaboration with Hodinkee. Really well done - peripheral rotor.

I



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MRBolton]

Originally Posted by Watchflair

Definitely a brand that struggled with sales. I picked up their world time collaboration with Hodinkee. Really well done - peripheral rotor.

I love that watch. I almost picked one up secondhand a few months back. If they came out with more hard hitters like this one, I think they would've made it.

[omar-rye]

I obviously knew Rolex purchased Bucherer but never made the connection to Carl F. Bucherer

I first heard of the brand when Keanu wore it in John Wick, but I don’t know anything else about it.

[WatchGuy1966]

Originally Posted by Gebbeth

Rolex has decide to shutter the watch brand, focusing only on the retail operations of CFB.

Guess not surprising, but in a way, a bit unnerving.

Is the next step deciding not to sell other brands at CFB?

well stated about unsurprising and unnerving.

Do you mean the Swatch group brands?

[georgekart]

I would not be surprised. On the other hand, they might just end up reviving it later, so as long as it becomes better, why not.

[Wingman244]

I liked a couple of their references. I really looked hard at their diver and bi-register chrono... I thought they were priced really well.

[RotorSelfWinding]

They made a tourbilion movement. Clearly Rolex is going to use that.

[BraveBold]

Originally Posted by RotorSelfWinding

They made a tourbilion movement. Clearly Rolex is going to use that.

Several excellent movements, in fact. Very nice quality for the price too.

[NAUI1982]

I wonder if their value will go up or go to zero.

[Easy E]

Originally Posted by NAUI1982

I wonder if their value will go up or go to zero.

I would bet on the not up part.

[ltmgeller]

Sad to hear

[mgsooner]

I was fond of some of their designs but have always felt the logo they slapped on every dial was awful.

[ChronoZach]

John Wick, will not be happy! I have a CFB in my collection that I love, always been a great piece, the quality and finishing are excellent, definitely sad to see this happen.

There’s a green dial manero chronograph that I have been considering?
I like that world timer too.

[ArtNouveau]

It was said at the time of Rolex’s purchase of Bucherer that its real estate and network was the main factor. The Hodinkee article leads off that the watch brand was losing money so not much reason to keep it going.
I still don’t think Rolex wants to be in the retail business so I think the Bucherer/Tourneau stores will continue to be multi brand and some with jewelry.

[GGGMT]

Meh 🫤


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[1William]

Ok, not a loss to me and just another microbrand that once it is gone is just a footnote.

[WatchTimes]

Originally Posted by 1William

Ok, not a loss to me and just another microbrand that once it is gone is just a footnote.

Microbrand? It's the oldest brand continuously owned by the founding family. They've been around since 1888. While I don't own one or have a desire to own one I don't think you can call them a micro brand.

[ChronoZach]

One of the oldest brands out there and they make a high quality product, IMO. Does not take a NASA engineer to figure out they were losing big money. I always saw the same pieces in the case and everything available for purchase. Some PM pieces over $25K beautiful craftsmanship they just never sold, just sat there in the case.

This did not matter while Carl F. Bucherer was alive because of all of the profits from his stores world wide. He was one of the richest guys around and he had no heirs. So his family brand was his child. Bucherer sold for a 4 billion? to Rolex.

Now there is a new sheriff in town and although Rolex is a foundation, they are a foundation for profit not loss, so this move makes sense for them. Stop the bleeding and this is the result.

So much history and a quality product. There are some pieces I would like to have still if the price is right.

[BraveBold]

Originally Posted by ChronoZach

One of the oldest brands out there and they make a high quality product, IMO. Does not take a NASA engineer to figure out they were losing big money. I always saw the same pieces in the case and everything available for purchase. Some PM pieces over $25K beautiful craftsmanship they just never sold, just sat there in the case.

This did not matter while Carl F. Bucherer was alive because of all of the profits from his stores world wide. He was one of the richest guys around and he had no heirs. So his family brand was his child. Bucherer sold for a 4 billion? to Rolex.

Now there is a new sheriff in town and although Rolex is a foundation, they are a foundation for profit not loss, so this move makes sense for them. Stop the bleeding and this is the result.

So much history and a quality product. There are some pieces I would like to have still if the price is right.

You hit the nail on the head. While I only have one piece the quality overall stacks up well to watches 2x the price. Poorly marketed, no real cachet, and likely thin contribution margins. Means overall, loss making and likely more a “pride” operation over anything reasonably expected to make money.

As for value, I guess I am biased but hoping prices decline so that I can pick up a couple more of their complications pieces…

[SS Oyster]

Rolex could learn a few things from Carl Bucherer, starting with the elegant peripheral rotor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[77T]

Carl has been dead for decades.

It was Jörg, who took over the management of Bucherer in 1977, that sold to Rolex.

He died in 2023 some months after the sale.

I still ask if there are facts or just some guy speculating?

So I went to the source article at:
https://www.handelszeitung.ch/bilanz...stecker-793434

And let Google translate it. So that's why you'll see some butchered English.

It appears to me that a single staffer at the atelier said all Bucherer stores are converting to Rolex/Tudor exclusively as well.

Rolex pulls the plug at Carl F. Bucherer

"The watch brand Carl F. Bucherer was a hobby of the late Bucherer patron Jörg Bucherer. An expensive hobby. Rolex is now ending it.

Better an end with horror than a horror without an end. This may have been the guiding principle for the decision of Rolex boss Jean-Frédéric Dufour to brand Carl F. Hire booker.

This morning the employees were informed about the end, soon the roller shutters at the remaining boutiques will go down, soon the points of sale in the branches of Bucherer will be cleared for other brands.

Neither Rolex nor Bucherer wanted to comment on the end of CFB. Rolex referred to Bucherer, Bucherer in turn dismissed the information of "BILANZ Watches" as mere "rumors".

According to information from «BILANZ Watches» it has the brand Carl F. Despite partly considerable sales, Bucherer never managed to write in the black. In total, Bucherer should have sunk around 250 million francs with CFB. In good years, CFB generated sales of between 80 and 100 million francs. There have even been years, as you can hear, in which the brand was the second strongest brand behind Rolex within the Bucherer stores. But even in these years, CFB has written losses. There was not a single year with black numbers."




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk