Question about Blancpain

[iwantagmt]

Hi, my question is about where Blancpain fits in the market...


clearly PP, AP, and VC represent the best commercial brands, along with Lange and Breguet. Does Blancpain fit in to this segment? or are they more like JLC and IWC? I don't know much about them, and I'm curious as to where you see them fitting in.

thanks!

[BigHat]

I personally spend a lot of time studying watches and find it very hard to stratify the watch industry as you suggest is possible. For example, JLC makes a few models that are clearly tops in watchmaking and have very high prices that exceed the vast majority of AP and PP models.

The "top three" you mention carry a certain reputation based on history in the business. Lange, for example, is a resurgent brand that is VERY nice but is really post- cold war. That said, in terms of craftsmanship I find them to be an amazing brand. So they an a par with the other three?

Blancpain makes some fine pieces, many with superb complications. Others are very well made classics in the 50 year range like the FF.

I'd really suggest you focus on what pieces you enjoy the most. It's not like anyone is going to go WOOOOW!! upon seeing a PP and only WOW! seeing a BP. Only 1 in 10,000 people even know those are "good" watches.

[iwantagmt]

I realize there is no definitive answer, but breaking it down into segments when possible helps me get a better understanding of the brand. this not for any purchase decision or model-by-model comparison, but rather jut to help myself understand. I am a marketing major so i naturally segment markets i guess.

thanks!

[cody p]

an enlightened answer Matt, but there's still some atavistic part of me that 'just wants to know' where it 'fits' in a general sort of way. somehow i think the Swatch association hurts Breguet and Blancpain in the "ratings game".

[BigHat]

I really have an opinion about BP and all brands, I just think it's an aggregation of personal experience, what we all read from friends, and a healthy dose of advertising hype. I hate to weigh in one way or the other -- all it leads to is someone contradicting you, me and then others to the tune of 100 mind numbing posts based on the same. No one is right, no one is wrong.

[Jedi]

I find some BP pieces to be very attractive, such as the obviously obvious Fifty-Fathoms, and the Aqualung, which was sadly a limited edition piece, but so attractive, with a Frederic Piguet movement and 100 hours power reserve.

They don't ring it for me as a must-have piece, simply because of the SWATCH association and a personality clash issue I have with Jean Claude-Biver who revived this brand from the dead and sold it to SWATCH before heading out to run Hublot, which has also since been sold out (pattern emerging here??)... So the issue here for me is an emotional one, in that I just cannot connect with the brand enough to warrant me purchasing one.

Sure, the marketing aspects are important, and I really enjoy Patek and JLC who have quite subtle marketing tactics, but those are steeped in the brands' own illustrious histories. Consequently, but not exclusively because of the latter arguments, I own examples from both those brands and I enjoy them immensely.

In terms of ranking, I think BP is high up on the list, but it remains to be seen whether they will endure. This is an irrational hobby (watch collecting in general, and Rolex enthusiasm especially so) so if it rocks your boat, fine.

But Brandon, I am unsure of what you mean by 'commercial brands.' All brands are by nature commercial no?... in that they are trying to sell something for profit?

[iwantagmt]

By commercial I meant non-AHCI...so not counting dufour, KV, Romain Gauthier, Roger Smith, etc

[Jedi]

The AHCI is a commercial organisation. They exist to promote the 'independents'...