FROM THE EDITORS Letters + Events
THEN AND NOW
1980s & 1990s An industry decimated by the thinnest wafer of silicon dioxide showed sparks of life . A leader charged with divestiture chose a different path . Defunct brands written off for dead were being revived . A luxury brand dared to put an aromatic rubber strap on a luxury watch for the first time . A man chose to build a brand that completely eschewed the electric charms of the circuit board . Few consumers knew the difference between a quartz and a mechanical wristwatch . You could tell a fake simply because the seconds hand jumped in one-second increments . A newly minted brand matched gel , steel & diamonds in an expression of horological chic . Watchmaking was described as a dead-end career . A Swiss / Italian watchmaker set up a one-building atelier overlooking Lake Geneva . You didn ’ t need to take out a second mortgage to take a hotel room in Switzerland for a week to review the new crop of watches .
2020s Gears , pinions , and springs have reclaimed their place of prominence in the horologiverse . Massive conglomerates vie to add successful brands to their stables . New brands at all price points spring forth at an implausible pace . Luxury watches with rubber , silicone and even NATO straps are ubiquitous . A woman is leading the American arm one of the most renowned Swiss marques in the industry . Fewer consumers think their watch is broken when it stops running after a couple of days on the shelf . Faux watches are being made that can fool even authorized retailers . Colors and creativity are boundless with watches of all types garbed in colors and materials previously shunned . Wanted – 65,000 trained watchmakers . A small atelier grows into mecca of watchmaking with five separate manufacturing buildings overlooking Lake Geneva on 20-plus acres . Unbridled exhibition fees , local surcharges , and the astonishing arrogance of an exhibition ’ s leadership ends the decades-long run of an industry event that was seemingly too big to fail .
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Gary George Girdvainis Publisher | Gary @ isochronmedia . com
4 | INTERNATIONAL WRISTWATCH | SPRING 2023