The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Just saw that and a little bit shocked frankly. Really didn't expect Comco to clamp down as heavily as it has but I guess the reality that there weren't sufficient suppliers to fill a larger void is forcing their hand.

Hopefully the market will now step up and develop the capability to produce parts without relying on Swatch.

this could potentially be a great thing for the watch industry? meaning "all" inhouse movt's from all of the manufacturers. could drive the price premium for in house down across the board if that becomes the norm and isnt an "upgrade" like now.

not easy to recoup investments at the current level, I'm afraid
and the ruling actually reduces the pressure for relevant innovation in component manufacturing

Yeah, Swatch's whole argument was that if they were allowed to reduce supply it would drive innovation, and that's what has been behind the race to in house in the last decade. The problem is that there are still substantial gaps (hairsprings in particular) between demand and non Swatch supply.

Sounds like I need to start a Hairspring co....

What bugs me about Hayek's attitude is he tries to make it sound like Swatch developed all these movements. Ok, they bought ETA. Fine. But they bought a a movement and component company that supplied the majority of the Swiss watch industry. That supply of tried and true movement helped the industry to emerge from near collapse and then thrive. Swatch buys out the movement suppliers and then cries foul that the industry is relying on the same movements. What a bunch of crap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
SHARKMAN

Good luck with that... Perhaps in an open and free market you could, but in the watch industry?

You'd make a little money as the new guy and that would run afoul "of the family" which might well reverse the whole market thereafter... Just to get rid of you, they'd harm you just enough for you to sell to one of them... And if you didnt... Well youd be Chineese-owned quite quickly. The watch industry looks like a rather artificial market to me, and artificial things unlike natural ones have a tendency to be steerable by others whose intentions may or may not be the friendliest.

_________________
Cheers from Switzerland,

Fred

yeah i hear ya.. lol. if i was a mad scientist that could invent some new form of unobtanium to make the springs from it would be worth a shot... unfortunately im not. lmao

As I recall, eta was originally part of Eterna. Ariel Adams reported a few months ago that Eterna had developed a new movement. May need to take a second look at the company and its products.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

_________________
Scott

AP Royal Oak 15400, silver
Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Classic Cars
Vintage gold Corum
Rolex DJ 36 TT, oyster dial, oyster/smooth
Baume & Mercier Riviera 200m, silver dial/aquamarine bezel
Breitling Superocean 57, rose/stainless

Well, not to build up on my former comment... but that's Chineese owned now...

_________________
Cheers from Switzerland,

Fred

ETA is originally based on the name Eterna, but it is owned by Swatch group and has had no affiliation with Eterna for some time. The problem with any company developing a new movement is that they don't have the ability to scale to the mass market. Look at Breitling, they spent 10 years developing their in house movement and still have essentially just one serial production movement and the ability to produce just 50,000 units per year.

These developments are a similar story to most of our local industries here in Australia, going back over the past 15 years. We are small in the world and perhaps it has not been noted elsewhere, but challenging times and a lot of wishful thinking has not paid that many dividends.

So, none of this is a real surprise to me. We hope for the best but plan for the worst.

If the excuses stop and we all get serious……………………….

_________________
Jim

"You have Control".

thats what happens when they are all run by criminals.... lol

literally.. (fun poke at family tree)

Ahhh, I get it!

That’s hilarious. I never would have thought of that.

Pity it is an antipodean outpost of a Swiss watch maker.

I was born in the UK, to English parents, so I can't really comment on the convict bit.

_________________
Jim

"You have Control".