Luxury watch brands represent the one industry that has fought harder than any other against the Internet wave. Watches today are still made the same way they where hundreds of years ago; machines have not replaced people, and hours upon hours of work have not been reduced. Craftsmanship is still revered, and if you're going to be paying big bucks for a watch, you want to know that nothing about its process has been speeded up.
So really everything that the Internet represents, speed, right-away results, immediate gratification, instantaneous communication goes against the luxury watch business. However, these brands are starting to realize that if they want to stay alive and compete in the global economy, they too must have websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts in order to stay connected, show their new products and communicate with potential buyers.
These days it's way easier to find any kind of watch for sale through an online retailer than it is to find an actual boutique. This is good news for us, the consumers, because it means prices comes down and we can compare many options and prices online before buying the one that best suits our needs. All luxury watches, such as Cartier watches, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, TAG Heuer, Michele watches, in essence become discounted watches once they go online. This is because so much supply online forces prices to come down. So you can still get a brand new, genuine designer watch (with serial number and warranty), but you pay much less than you would if you walked into a brick and mortar retailer. While this may be to the dismay of the brands, it works to our benefit. And, if the brands stop to think about it, this may not be as bad as they would have initially thought; at least they're selling something rather than nothing. Even jewelry watches, ones made from gold and adorned in diamonds and other sparkly stones, can be found for less when looking online.
Other ways that the luxury watch industry has gone "live" so to speak is by launching iPhone applications. Not all companies have done so, but about ten or so have. Some apps are better than others; but the idea is to offer something fun and interactive for watch enthusiasts.
IWC and A. Lange & Sohne, both owned by the Richemont Group, just launched such apps available for download if you have the popular Apple iPhone.
IWC (International Watch Company) has a loyal group of followers; those that know and love IWC watches have elegant, understated taste. On its new app, the entire IWC collection is available and there is an interactive "play area" for fans; where users can simulate trying on an IWC watch.
In A. Lange & Sohne's app, the focus is on its recently released Zeitwerk timepiece, which combines a jumping hours and jumping minutes complication. To explore the complexity of this watch, users can disassemble parts of it, as well as see news and images of other Sohne watches.
Jaeger Le-Coultre also has an iPhone app but is the first of its kind to offer the following: a webcast during the immensely important and popular Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the annual event that takes place in Geneva ("headquarters" to all luxury watch brands) where companies get to showcase their new collections, inventions, etc.
Jaeger LeCoultre has announced that for the first time ever, if you can't be in Geneva to attend this event, you can still be part of it by joining Jaeger's webcast which takes place January 19 at 10:15AM EST. For fans of luxury watches who will not be in Geneva, this is how you can see, in real time, the new watches and collections that Jaeger will be unveiling.
Luxury Watch Companies Going "Live"
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