The "Brief Compendium ofMovement Evaluation" PDF is officially available as a free lesson! I’ve distilled complex biomechanical and rocket science evaluations into a simple, actionable guide that you can download and use immediately to examine your mechanical wrist friends. How to get it: 1. Click the Classroom tab. 2. Find the [Insert Module Name] section. 3. Open the lesson and download your PDF. That’s it! No strings attached—just pure value for the community. Go grab it now and level up your evaluating game! 🚀 Once you've downloaded it, let me know: which movement do you find hardest to assess? Let's chat!

After 20 years in the distribution trenches in design and luxury products, I’ve seen the "behind the curtains" reality of how brands maintain their grip on the market. If you think the "Official Service" tag is a guarantee of superior quality, you might want to look closer at the math. The reality? The official service chain is often a strategic "lock-in" rather than a service-first model. 1. The "Official" Markup Just like high-end cars, once you slap an "Official" label on a service, the price tag doubles—at the very least. This isn't just about labor; it's a calculated move to support the brick-and-mortar retail chain. As traditional sales face pressure from online competition and the grey market, service revenue has become the lifeblood that keeps retailers hooked to the brands. 2. The Spare Parts Monopoly If you buy a modern watch with a proprietary new movement, you are effectively entering a closed ecosystem. - The Gatekeeping: Brands often restrict spare parts from independent master watchmakers. - The Consequence: You lose the freedom to choose your technician. You are forced into the official network, paying a premium for the "privilege." 3. Skill vs. Status Don't mistake the brand name for the person actually touching your watch. The hard truth: An "official" tag doesn't prevent a "green" watchmaker from mishandling your timepiece. Conversely, an independent master might have the skills of a god but be rendered powerless because he can't source a single specific screw. The "Second-Wrist" Solution This is why I often advocate for vintage or second-hand watches. While they might lack the "hyper-tech" specs of a 2026 release: - They exist in an open ecosystem. - There is a massive inventory of spares available to everyone on the market. - You choose your watchmaker based on trust and reputation, not just a logo on a shop window. My Rule of Thumb: - New Watches: Stick to the official centers while under warranty—you've already paid for it. - Vintage/Legacy: Build a relationship with a trusted independent master. Trust the man, not the brand.

Take a look at this chart from The Economist. It’s the scientific proof of what I’ve been witnessing in the ultra-luxury market for a while now: it’s 2026, and the paradigm has officially shifted. The divergence between Goods and Experiences is now a massive abyss. Here’s the breakdown: - Material Goods (Pink Line): Pure "ownership" is in crisis. After the 2023 peak, physical goods prices are undergoing a correction. The market is saturated with objects that simply don't say anything. - Experiences (Red Line): This is where the liquidity has moved. Exclusive events, bespoke travel, and unrepeatable moments have seen prices skyrocket, soaring past the 240 mark compared to 2015. What does this mean for us as watch lovers? With over 30 years of experience in the sector, I’ve learned that if you sell only "matter"—whether it’s a high-end timepiece or a piece of bespoke furniture—you are destined to follow that sinking pink line. To hook into the red line of growth, you must transform the physical product into an experience: - Bespoke & Tailor-made: The client doesn't just want to buy; they want to participate in the act of creation. - Value-Driven Storytelling: Don't sell the "what," sell the "who" and the "why." The narrative is at least 50% of the perceived value. - Access vs. Ownership: Offer entry into an exclusive club, where the object is merely the "pass" to get in. The bottom line: Luxury today is no longer about what you lock away in a safe; it’s about the story you can’t wait to tell. And one of the true experiences in buying a watch is the journey, not the destination. This means that vintage watch collecting - and the relevant values - will be up, because there is both "true" (that is, not induced by the brands) scarcity and need to acquire an experience. I’m curious to hear from you: In your current watch buying, how are you "experientializing" your need? Let’s talk in the comments! 👇

The luxury horological landscape witnessed a seismic shift in early 2026 as the Swiss conglomerate Richemont announced the sale of its historic Maison, Baume & Mercier, to the Italy-based, family-owned Damiani Group. This transaction, expected to finalize in the summer of 2026, marks the end of a nearly 40-year tenure under the Richemont umbrella and signals a bold new direction for one of Switzerland’s oldest continuously operating watchmakers. A Strategic Uncoupling For years, Baume & Mercier occupied a challenging position within Richemont’s "Specialist Watchmakers" division. While the group dominates the high-end "Hard Luxury" sector with titans like Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Cartier, Baume & Mercier struggled to find its footing in the "accessible luxury" segment—a price bracket increasingly polarized between entry-level enthusiasts and collectors moving upmarket. Industry analysts suggest that Richemont’s decision to divest is part of a broader "rationalization" strategy. By offloading a brand that relies heavily on wholesale distribution and lower price points, Richemont can refocus its immense resources on its "high-jewelry" and "haute horlogerie" maisons, where margins are thicker and brand equity is more insulated from economic volatility. The Damiani Advantage: A Natural Fit? If Richemont was a vast, corporate sea where Baume & Mercier felt adrift, the Damiani Group offers a more specialized harbor. Founded in Valenza in 1924, the Damiani Group is a powerhouse in the Italian luxury market, owning high-end jewelry brands like Salvini, Bliss, and Calderoni, as well as the Murano glassmaker Venini. Critically, Damiani also owns Rocca, Italy’s premier luxury watch and jewelry retail chain. This vertical integration is likely the "secret sauce" behind the acquisition. - Distribution Power: Through the Rocca network, Damiani already possesses an established, high-traffic retail infrastructure that understands the Italian consumer—Baume & Mercier’s strongest demographic. - Wholesale Expertise: Unlike Richemont’s recent pivot toward mono-brand boutiques and direct-to-consumer sales, Damiani excels in the multi-brand wholesale model that has historically been Baume & Mercier’s lifeblood. - Family Governance: As a family-run enterprise led by the third-generation siblings Guido, Silvia, and Giorgio Damiani, the group may offer the brand a level of creative agility and long-term patience that is difficult to sustain in a publicly traded conglomerate.

This is the first step into a new journey that is going to take The Watch Manual and its followers into a new era in which we will enjoy a space for building knowledge and understanding in our main area of interest: horology! So, please get in, comment and let's grow this community together!