Thinking of buying an Oris watch this year. I think that what will destroy the watch industry in the long run is when watch companies get to be owned by investment firms that think only about money and don't consider history, heritage and innovation if it's not for an immediate profit.
Late reply, but it's interesting to note, that at one point Oris was owned by the group which would become known as the Swatch Group, and ended up producing watches with quartz movements, however they managed to be bought out by a couple of gentlemen who decided to take the company back to its mechanical roots.
Japanese watches are great. Practicality and engineering prowess is clearly there. Only thibg that you lose out on (in exception of Seiko) is the finishing and polish quality. But hey, I gan live w/that if it saves me thousands of dollars 😂
haha you gues are funny, japanese watches are of course good, but just good and nothing more, own a rolex and then you will know that what your mentioning is bullshit
All just people perceptions and an individual preference, but to my own experiences Japanese (group) made are the best in reality( build quality and affordability) despite of the hype of Rolex, etc.
1:18 LVMH group 2:00 Richemont Group 2:47 Swatch Group 3:44 Seiko Group 4:32 Kering Group 4:53 Citizen Group 5:14 City Champ Group 5:31 Fossil Group 5:57 Movado Group
Good for the industry? It’s kind of a necessary evil. As enthusiasts we’d prefer all of the companies to be independent and return to their former glory... but the reality is that these brands were bankrupt. The conglomerates bailed them out and snatched them from the jaws of death. Let’s look at Omega, for example. Swatch Group’s cash cow. I could use a more vulgar analogy but we’ll keep it clean. Plenty of cons in the way Swatch runs it...but the pro: Omega still exists. It’s that simple. They wouldn’t exist otherwise. They would’ve gone bankrupt by the year 2000. As much as the brand has been bastardized- the Omega factory in Geneva still exists, it’s not exactly like Swatch is stamping Omega on machine made watches from Hong Kong.
cash cow is not a badterm, actually, it is a marketing term.Well I agreed to your proposition that thanks to the conglomerate buying the brands, they are still exist today. Not only that, they also try to be 'true' to the brand and look inspiration from their history.
Christopher Hermawan yeah, I didn’t mean that cash cow was a bad term...I didn’t want to say that they’re pimping the brands. But now I’ve done it 🤦🏻♂️ lol. But yeah, I think they generally do a decent job, all things considered. Also, each brand still has its own factory and a lot of independence from the parent company- at least in terms of watchmaking, but not so much in terms of production numbers, marketing etc.
For that reason, along with quality, I love Raymond Weil. I have a beautiful Tango that is 20 years old and works flawlessly. Still family owned and beautiful, quality watches.
Well, Omega has turned into a cash cow. A company that makes watches (actually the movements) that are that good needn’t be releasing a dozen so called “limited edition watches” every year. It clearly hurts the reputation and marketability of an otherwise fine watch. Swatch really doesn’t care. You can bust on Rolex’s “production/availability” issues all you want, but it remains the most profitable watch company in the world. They produce far fewer watches than Omega, but make far more money. There is a reason for that...
Oris is a very notable watch company that is still privately owned. And while many watch lovers look down their nose at Raymond Weil, it's family owned and still run by a grandson of Raymond Weil. Personally I think the snubbing of RW is unwarranted. While taste in style vary, the watches are very well made with high level fit and finish certainly on par with Omega, Breitling, etc... The Freelancer chronographs are hands down one of the best bang-for-the-buck watches on the market today. Ball Watches are another great buy, if you're looking to really maximize how much you're getting for your money.
I've always admired Raymond Weil watches. I don't understand the hate they receive. To your point the Freelancer is an amazing piece; I will add the black dial, brown strap chrono to my collection one day.
Talking about great Swiss watches for the price, Tissot and Zodiac are wonderful pieces. My daily wearer is a Zodiac Astrographic and I always get compliments on it.
I bought a Longines Hydroconquest which is nice (and super accurate) but I wish I had known about Ball. Even their cheapest, the Fireman Enterprise, is my favourite 'I want one' watch. The second hand even bears my initials. You are so right about Ball, you must be right about Raymond Weil as well.
Unfortunately, the reality is that most of these iconic brands could not exist on their own. They wouldn't have sufficient working capital and cash flow. So from that perspective, it's nice how these large groups are able to preserve such iconic brands and provide consumers with such a diversified product set.
Just because people know about the brand doesn't mean they'll buy more. I'm a fan of mechanical watches from an engineering point of view, but the reality is the technology peaked in the 1700-1800s because it was needed to solve the longitude problem and everything since in mechanical watches (Except the Seiko Spring Drive, which is partially electronic) has just been making shiny expensive jewellery that's mediocre at best at timekeeping. Unless you can teach people about the brand without allowing them to learn why the technology is so obsolete you're unlikely to grow sales that way. That's why the advertising is in the line of 'rich people wear this product - make people think you're rich by giving us all your money'. This means that while I appreciate the effort that goes into making these, which is why I won't say they're overpriced as jewellery, but I'd feel like an idiot paying thousands of dollars for a device that's shit at doing the one thing watches are supposed to be designed to do, namely keep accurate time without constant recalibration/servicing. The main usefulness of high end watches at this point is that it's a lot easier to smuggle a $50 000 watch between countries on your wrist than it is to try moving that much cash without being caught. The very high end watches (The ones well into the 6 and 7 figure territory) are bought as investments rather than to wear, because they're easy to store in a safe, need negligible upkeep while stopped, and can usually be sold at considerable profit if they're rare enough to begin with and are exempt from capital gains taxes in many countries (Similar to exotic sports cars), so this is nothing to do with people who like watches, it's just another investment option.
Depends on the grade of stainless steel and the type of chocolate :-D... The raw material cost isn't where the value is built into the watch though, it's the many processing steps, specialised machinery and skilled workers needed to make it into something, so the price is at least justified by the labour and expertise required to make the product in the case of watches, even if they don't do the job of keeping time very competently. In contrast, sunglasses (Another heavily marketing driven product) are a different story. There is less than €5 of plastic in most of them and they are injection moulded, by mostly unskilled workers running machines that run automatically, so the material cost is the vast majority of the manufacturing cost of these products. Moulds can be very expensive to get good optical surfaces, but the number of parts a mould will make before it degrades is very high, especially for non-glass fibre reinforced plastics as used in most sunglasses. Unlike the watch industry, one company does own almost all the brands of sunglasses on the market, as well as several of the chains that sell them - look up Luxxotica.
Really appreciate the effort and research you put into your videos Teddy. I think the conglomerates are an economic necessity in these times. I also think it’s ok as long as the various companies can retain some independence and not get too homogenized. Midi, Tissot and Hamilton all have their own designs and personality, but benefit from the ETA research and manufacturing expertise.
dw 72 That's actually why he didn't mention it. The whole video is about watch companies owned by bigger corporations. Since Casio is independently owned and don't own any smaller watch companies, they aren't on the list.
@@TeddyBaldassarre Consider doing a video on _privately-owned_ quality European watch brands. And another on non-European quality watch brands that were founded _prior_ to the Quartz Crisis.
This isn't new man. It happened after the quartz crisis. A handful of extremely rich men own the watch world, and also other incredibly priceless things.
Victorinox makes great watches which includes making their own movements. I bought my first one (quartz) in 1997 and it's still going strong. I also bought a Michel Herbelin in 1989 (also quartz) and it still works great. Both these companies 'own themselves'.
Great video and very good summary of the watch industry but you forgot Casio! 😀 I think this consolidation of companies happens in every industry item. It's both positive and negative in my humble opinion
The eye glass industry is even worse. One company owns the entire market, Luxottica, which is why glasses cost insanely so much in the West. In the developing world, the glasses are usually replicas and knocked-off designs at a fraction of the price.
Watches are just jewelry at this point in time. Pun intended. How do you get people to pay obscene amounts of money for an item that is rooted in 1700's technology, doesn't keep very good time, needs expensive servicing and has been rendered obsolete by modern technology? Tell them they are special thru the marketing that features the rich and famous. Does a thousand dollar watch make your life better than a one hundred dollar watch ? Of course not. Actually it makes your life worse: bad investment, worry of theft or robbery, no money for something you really need. On top of that Apple sells more smart watches in a year than all production of watches in Switzerland in a year. Talk about a bad business model !
Great video Teddy. I don't think this hurts the industry - it actually seems to have saved many watch companies during the quartz crisis. I think with the advent of kickstarter and similar platforms there are micro-brands popping up and introducing new ideas and energy into the market (not to mention storied brands that continue to innovate).
Titan Industries & HMT are Indian watch brands. Titan company commenced operations in 1984 under the name Titan Watches Limited. In 1994, Titan diversified into jewellery with Tanishq and subsequently into eyewear with Titan Eyeplus. In 2005, it launched its youth fashion accessories brand Fastrack. HMT Limited, The watch making division, HMT Watches, opened in 1961. During the 1970s and 1980s HMT was the largest supplier of wrist watches in India, with popular styles including Janata and Pilot.
What amazes me is how each brand has their own nitch in the market place. Each brand has their own following and are known for something specific. I think it would be very unrealistic to think many of these brands who sell lower priced watches, not necessarily lower value watches, but more affordable watches could survive and have the impact they do without the protective covering of their parent companies. Watches are like any consumer product on the market today. If you start drinking wine you will start with something that is affordable and to your liking i.e. a Robert Mondavi White Zinfandel. Most people will "mature" into more complex wines. Same with watches. Start them with a Timex they like and allow them to mature into nicer watches. The industry needs the "introduction watches". They have their place. That is one reason I never put down the fashion watchers. They are introducing an entire generation to watches. A generation who uses their cell phones for time keeping. Some people are content with driving a Mitsubishi Mirage while others want and are willing to spend the money on a Corvette. It's all good. As long as people are buying watches it's good for all of us.
Perhaps a necessary evil. Quartz devastated the industry in the 80s and bankrupted many of the companies. Today we have the emergence of smart watches disrupting the industry again just 30yrs later. Or worse still many in the younger generation, millenials as they're called don't wear watches at all, they use their phones. I work in finance and during boring meetings I used to enjoy spotting the good watches worn by bankers and such types. Lately I've noticed the quality of watches worn have really fallen down the scales. Thats the impact of 10yrs+ recession in banking I guess.
I'm 18, and have recently gotten into mechanical watch collecting and appreciaton. I find it's still more convenient to simply look at your wristwatch, not to mention more elegant, than looking for your phone. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. :)
Teddy, your channel is slowly becoming my favourite among the all of the ones on youtube. Great content, very-very mildly snob and speaks to all generations. Keep it up.
MVMNT kind of proved that the only thing that matters in the fashion watch business is brand recognition. They have marketed so much that most people online can recognize the brand even if they are not a typical watch wearer. I hope they can actually produce some nice pieces now that they are owned by legit watch makers.
It's same with Luxury Sun Shade brands every Sun Shade or Specs you know is owned by Luxxotica be it Ray Ban, Gucci, Prada everything literally everything.
The thing with the watch industry is (as often happens in oligopolies) that it has become increasingly easy for watchmakers to inflate prices. This, coupled with the attempts watchmakers have made to eliminate the backwards market has caused watch prices (especially in the luxury and super-luxury sectors) to skyrocket towards prices that are utterly unattainable for the majority of the people who would have previously been able to afford one. However, for the good of horology as a whole, it is safe to say that an oligopoly is necessary, otherwise brands like Orient, Zodiac, or Frederique Constant would cease to exist, to be soon followed by more recognised watchmakers.
The lower end market is still very competitive and generally priced according to its quality...albeit there are exceptions. But the $2000+ market is simply getting out of control. The production process is almost entirely automated with minimal "hands on" time nowadays.
Fantastic video! Great to see all of the different brands and who owns what. It also really helps a person appreciate brands like Nomos, Fortis, and Oris being independently owned. Thanks again for the video.
I used to be a Swiss watch fanatic until I got introduced to Seiko and Orientstar. The last watch I bought was Seiko Urushi SARW013 from Seiya. I swore never to buy any swiss brand because of hegemony and lack of innovation in the swatch group. I obviously cannot afford a Patek or A.Lange & Sohne. The only glasshutte however , I can think of buying is Muhle Glasshutte. It is primarily because it is privately owned.
I purchased a relic automatic from a fossil outlet and while I agree they make fashion watches but for a 15 dollar automatic it's lasted 7years without an issue. I recommend it a lot
I can tell you that most movements from the Swatch Group are made by ETA SA, but some of their higher end movements are made inhouse by Breguet and so on.
You can start your research with the following Wikipedia key words: « Category: Watch movement manufacturers ». With the Season beginning more or less today, you could almost become an expert on this topic by, let’s say, January 6...? There are also numerous lists online of manufacturers who use inhouse movements - you want to know who they are. If you stil have some time left, you can look into « cabinotiers » to complete. Once your Excel spreadsheet is to your satisfaction, please consider sharing it!
Quartz crisis is an origin myth. There was no quartz crisis. Japan simply out competed Europe with mechanical ebauche using a different business process/model (economies of scale) and a different markup structure. Instead of a 2 or 3 key markup they only did around a 33% markup resulting in pricing competitiveness. Additionally the Swiss were making low end cheap watches back then. Their industry was already failing and made quartz into a boogeyman and scapegoat for their failures. A good 70% of their movements used cheap pin pallet escapements, so called "dollar watches". In 1975 "Swiss Made" meant "Cheaply Made". When the Swiss first got into the watchmaking industry they were hated because they primarily produced cheap knockoffs of other European watches. They were the original China of watchmaking. Japan had a similar reputation when they first got started as well. The irony here is that some of the best price:value ratios can currently be found in Asia. Japan, China, and Russia are now producing proprietary movements and watches that can out compete Swiss and German watches. The price action has been interesting, though. There is an increasing parity as people are willing to pay more for these watches. The law of supply and demand is hitting full tilt and the price of Chinese, Japanese, and Russian premium watches have been steadily rising for the past decade as they continue to refine their processes, introducing automation and more comprehensive quality controls. In a way the watchmaking industry seems to be shifting out of the veblen goods space. I wouldn't be surprised if there was another European watchmaker crisis in the near future. Will they be able to get another bailout and survive? They are already about as consolidated as possible as is.
Excellent presentation. Fortunately for us as consumers, there is a healthy level of competition in the watch industry -- there is no dominant monopoly that can single-handedly determine prices. As a result, whether you buy a Timex or Casio -- or pay 100x more for an IWC or Rolex -- you're still getting a quality watch from a heritage brand. I can't think of another industry that offers such a wide range of great choices for the consumer.
I'm wondering why it's so hard to find Seiko watches in a store. I see mostly Citizen watches where I live. Lots and lots of Citizen watches. And none of them automatics.
It's similar to how the automotive industry operates. The Volkswagen group owns Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bently, Bugatti, and others. Fiat owns Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, etc.
@@pentachronic I heard somewhere that Seagull (China) sells about 25% of the world's mechanical movements. Not sure that's true. It's kinda hard to verify these numbers in the watchmaking world. But yeah, between Seagull and Seiko I'd go Seiko.
Hi, I am a watch fan and doing a market research for a school product aboud the watches market! Do you have any tips and recommendations? Do you know where to find a marketing report about the watch market? Tnx
Great video, Teddy! It's actually good to have these big companies, without them we would not have any mechanical watch companies alive after the quartz crisis, also now the smartwatch crisis has arrived thanks to a non-watch company Apple
Who owns Oris? I know I could go look it up fairly quick and probably will. Just the first thing I thought of is all. I like how he singled out Zodiac from the Fossil group. Fossil on a whole has shown fairly respectable reserve in keeping production low with quality and demand high.
Is a vintage Movado considered a prominent watch persons watch? In this video you said that it was a "fashion watch brand", but it seems that you were probably referring to new movado's. I just bought a 1962 Movado Tempomatic and I just wanted to know, because the movement is amazing and the look is very nice and of quality.
I love my Hamilton swiss automatic but I think I will stick to my 2 Seiko watches. One day I will get a Grand Seiko . What a beautiful watch . The Japanese are the best.
I think a lot of mechanical watches, specially the divers and minimalist dress watches, look quite similar to each other. By the way, you don't need to mention every watch companies out there, but it's egregious of you not to mention Casio. They rule the street fashion AND from the reply to my comment in your CEO video, the G-Shock pretty much own the tool watch market.
To add to what a lot of people are saying about it being a necessary evil: you’ve listed about 6-7 fairly large groups all in competition for market share. American holdings to Japanese to Chinese. That’s a pretty decent market that will continually compete and innovate. Compare that with nestle and the snack foods industry or something and you’ll see that relatively speaking it’s not bad
Does not matter who owns what. What matters more and what was NOT stated in this video is that ALL and EVERY moving and non-moving part from your Swiss match was MADE in China. Be it a 500-hundred dollar job or a five- thousand - made in China, assembled in Switzerland. One of the greatest mysteries of mankind is why people don't like to speak about, state, publicize or hear the truth.
Unfortunately, the standard for being "Swiss made" is astonishingly lower than "US made." I seriously doubt that the percentage you rattled off was actually that low.
Well, it’s greatly appreciated. I look forward to every one of your videos because I learn so much. It’s become a part of my weekly rituals! Btw, the production of your show is outstanding. Always clear, crisp, warm lighting and perfect sound and music. You do this by yourself or with a team? Either way, great GREAT work.
Where is China on your list. 40 percent of mechanical watch movements in the world supplied by Sea-gull. Sea-gull make the St19 1963 column wheel chronograph. They bought the rights to manufacture this movement legitimately from the Swiss. No mention of this USA looks to have a mental block with China, replacing Russia on its top hate list. Talking of Russia, no mention of Vostok?, or Vostok-Europe.
Neil Im interested in a Vostoc but i keep holding back. Are they really good watches ? Which Vostoc is the best. Im such a Seiko guy you know. Appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks.
Nice summary Teddy thanks. In addition to those pointed out below I think you also left off Hamilton. When I’m looking at brands I like to note where they’re doing the manufacturing and assembly so that might be something to add if and when you update this one.
6 лет назад
Timex is not independent. They are owned by Fred Olsen Group a shipping company from Norway.
I'm just sad, that Lemania as swallowed up by Breguet, doesn't exist as a brand anymore. One can see why they ganged up, when the pre quartz music stopped. Alas the chairs where too few. Some didn't make it.
To be honest, it stands to reason that this would be the case. As things are today, how many factories do people really believe there are that supply the materials that these watches use? The point of any business is create as a big a return as possible for its shareholders, and consumers would do well to remember that. The notion "History and heritage" is marketing, plain and simple, and incredibly effective in the watch industry. Because watches (like many material things) have become a symbol of a persons status, consumers of these products become self-policing brand ambassadors, and in turn it allows these brands to steadily hike the prices. The people at the top of those groups could care less about heritage (other than ensuring it matters to consumers). Their goal is to have buyers part with their money. All that said, I genuinely do love watches, but that's just the truth of it. People save for years to line shareholders pockets, and in exchange they receive a stainless steel watch and a big ol' dollop of heritage
I agree. I feel after this video, I don't have that sense of pride of ownership in my collection. I feel like a moron for owning a Patek, or Cartier. The value is what these companies make it. Gone are the days when you longed to get that Longines, or that Rolex. Now it's just high price crap. Like owning a Mercedes that's really a Honda Civic under the skin. Quality is not there anymore in anything. Now that a cheaper known company owns the rights to say, Cartier for example, what's to stop them from putting a cheap quartz movement in their case and charging a crazy price because it says Cartier on it? Where's the value? So now only vintage watches are worth something?
I think as long as the big companies like seiko and swatch continue to make their movements available at relatively affordable prices in bulk sales then there will always be microbrands that will provide quality and affordable pieces. That will force at least some of the lesser known brands within these groups to keep their prices in check.
Along the same subject as this video, I'd like to see a video that compares two different branded watches that have the same exact movement, with a drastic difference in price... Thanks.
The company I work for calls me a “watchmaker” but I think the term “watch technician” is probably more accurate. (My grandfather and G grandfather we’re watchmakers). Everyday I work on watches from the majority of these brand names and I’ll tell ya, guys, almost all of it is absolute fecal matter slapped together in China to please some department store pen pushing idiot or the poor uninformed boob that thinks he’s getting a fine time piece when he spends a few hundred dollars on a watch. My advice is to find a really cool old pre 1970 mechanical watch that you like and take it to someone like myself and ask them to restore it. Or buy a Patek Philippe!
@@jesse6029 He's full of shit. "Swiss made" regulations are quite strict and the label requires a good portion of it to be made in Switzerland. That being said, yes, parts of a lot of the watches are made in China and other countries. Also Rolex makes everything in Switzerland.
Great video. I think for companies using mechanical movements it's a good thing to group up. It's adds more of a cushion when the market fluctuates. When the market falls, less people are going to be buying more expensive mech. movements. However, if there are multiple companies sharing a diversified income it's less likely that the whole group would go under.
Also, forgot to mention that production costs usually are lowered when companies like the Swatch group are manufacturing watches. One company could be using the same parts as another company. You will see this happening all the time in the automotive industry. Mitsubishi brakes on a Plymouth. Ford engine in a Mazda. All this is done to lower production costs. So to sum up, the lower cost is usually passed down to the customer.
In my opinion, it shows you how overpriced some brands are. Take the Omega Seamaster for example, is it really worth $2000 more than the Certina DS Action Diver? Nope, you're just paying extra for the name. Sure there is some extra finishing, but definitely not $2000 worth.
This applies to everything, though. Does the Core i7-9900K really have +60% the performance over the Ryzen 7 2700X that the price difference indicates? Or does the $999 iPhone XS really have +500% more performance than a $200 Xiaomi? I'd say, no. But people still buy them. If you're from the US, there's a 45% chance you are using an iPhone instead of that Xiaomi or other budget brands.
I like the video, and please continue making them. I wish you had covered all of the watch groups in the world as there are only about twenty. If I'm wrong... make another video. Very interesting and anything that may encourage people to buy a watch can't be bad.
It's called capitalism; it is great for those who own stock in an expanding company! Personally, I like the independent guys: Atlantic, Junghans, Oris, Vulcain, West End Watch, Zeno Watch Basel ( 28 employees ), to name a few.
It's called CORPORATISM and ETATISM. Please read some Books. Communism was created by Germans only to destroy Russia during the First World War. They send Agent Lenin (who lived in Munich at that time) to Russia with money and some other Jewish Agents xD Capitalism is the flow of Money WITHOUT big restrictions like Taxes, and Barter is ofc Allowed - NOT IN EUROPE, SO WE DON'T HAVE CAPITALISM. Free Market is not the Same as Capitalism, it means only freedom to exchange.
I wonder how the business model works when a group owns a subdivision of a brand which again contains other goods with its label. Like the Fossil Group owning Michael Kors watches, which then are sold in the MK stores along other MK branded items that are not made by the Fossil Group. Globalized economics are complicated 🙇♂️
I think it speaks volumes that an effective marketing department (Rolex) can maintain sales dominance. I do think that these holding companies provide upsides but individual watch brands inside get diluted. Longines used to be a top brand, producing their own calibers and competing with Rolex for Chronometer certifications. Now apart of the Swatch group, they operate with standard, effective ETA movements. So now many brands focus on design and heritage as opposed to their movements. And design is only half the equation for a watch. As someone who adores manual wound movements, this is sad state of affairs.
Omega do their own movements , even if they are part or swatch, in fact they are the only company in the industry that has adopted the revolutionary coaxial escapment. Piaget also does all in house movements, check them out. JLC too goes full inhouse
Since both Longines and ETA are owned by the Swatch Group, isn't it technically in-house lol? I kid, I kid. It's a marketing decision by Swatch Group to saturate all market segments. They needed a recognizable brand to fit the entry-level luxury segment. And Longines was the one chosen to "step-down". Now they have a brand for every segment. Mass Market/Basic Range (Swatch/Flik Flak). Entry-Level/Middle Range (Tissot, Hamilton, Mido, Certina, Balmain, Calvin Klein). Entry-level Luxury/High Range (Longines, Rado, Union Glashuette). Luxury/Prestige Range (Blancpain, Breguet, Harry Winston, Glashuette Original, Leon Hatot, Jaquet Droz, Omega).
Rolex does have a phenomenal marketing department. But that is what I find justifying the ever increasing prices of high end brands...that just re-case ETA movements.
I don't think marketing alone explains Rolex's enduring presence in the luxury timepiece market. A market which can be described as mature or even in the declining phase of product life. Other companies like Breitling, Longines, and Omega also place high glossy ads in magazines, or sponsor high profile sporting events, but cannot come close to the presence of Rolex. Rolex has the advantage of being iconic and having high brand (top of mind) awareness even among people who know nothing about luxury wrist watches. Most horologists know that there are many other watch brands that have a higher level of workmanship than a comparable Rolex but none of them can touch Rolex's iconic status because it has a mystique and established image that no amount of glossy print ads, or promotions can buy.
Orient is not in the Seiko Holdings branch, Seiko watches are produced by Seiko Watch Corporation which is a subsidiary of Seiko Holdings. Orient is produced by Orient Watch Co. LTD Which is a subsidiary of Seiko Epson Corporation. So you could say Seiko Group parent company is both Seiko and Orient "common ancestor" but both work mostly independently from each other.
They are two separate corporations, listed separately on the stock market and therefore have different ownership and competing against each other. Just like Rolls Royce cars and aerospace are separately owned, as is Motorola and Hyundai brands, or in the past Time Warner and Time Warner Cable and Warner Music Group. You can be completely separate companies but share a name if it's sold off or spun out.
In India, there is only one company that owns all the watch brands Indian ppl wear. Like Titan, Sonata, Fastrack, etc. All these brands are owned by one company, TATA Group.
The name on the dial doesn't matter... It is more about how the watch looks, performs, lasts, comfort level and punch per buck... After all that, the name on the dial matters to most people.
@@syndicatedsatellite7288 That is a lie. Of course the name on the dial matter. On every level of purchase, in every market, not just watches. Because the 'name' indicates a certain level of quality (performance, lasts) and heritage associated with it. And you even said how the watch "looks". The brand (or "name") is a part of that.
@@elzafir When a company starts to make a substandard product to what they previously made, the name doesn't matter much... Look what happened to Cadillac for example. The name brand doesn't hold as much clout.
Well the automotive industry is similar really...e.g. Fiat who own Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo. Is it a bad thing? I think not. The companies are able to leverage talented minds across a couple of continents and the consolidation means a more reliable product overall through the standardisation. I think there are parallels with the watch world there. I can't count the number of times I've heard "Well don't worry about servicing, it's an ETA 2824 so any competent watch maker should be able to do it." While in-house movements may make you feel warm and fuzzy, it's like with a car engine; you've got to think of the cost of upkeep. So provided they have individual styles and teams working on new ideas, I'm ok with the main components being something easy to maintain and standardised.
Hi Teddy, old video, I know. Very relevant for a newcomer to the watch scene. I would prefer to support small independent companies than mega corporations (or so I think). This sheds some awesome light on the business side of things. Thanks man!
