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Will Birkin bags become the Birkin bags of the 21st century?
This is going to be fun; it's always great to see "1 of __" on a post from Bernard.
It's not clear to me that the Birkin bag will hold its status for decades, let alone a century. I suspect that certain very early examples may always be highly collectible, but the winds of fashion will blow in many directions before the century ends. An item that is widely known to be desirable but that still can be acquired simply by paying a lot of money and waiting for a while is not necessarily a top candidate for "iconic" status. Of course, it's a highly-effective status symbol as it is highly recognizable and everyone knows what it costs, but that is not the same thing as saying it has a future as a symbol of something more enduring.
Without making a specific prediction, I think we can define the conditions required for an object to take on such a great cultural value. Of course we have to look for items that will be highly desirable in the future. However, that is not enough: they will have to be items that originally could not be obtained by merely paying large amounts of money. I think that means one of two conditions will have to exist: either they could be purchased only on the basis of a relationship or they were not known to be desirable and therefore were acquired only by individuals of unusual vision. As an example of the first condition, I would propose the Ferrari Enzo: many people want and could pay for them, but my understanding is that the company has to know and like you before they will put you on "the list." For the second condition, consider the Rolex Daytona at the time (still within the memories of some of us) when nearly nobody wanted them.
Watches that will become the Birkin Bags of 21st century (1 of 12)
Birkins and Bussers Rolex and Pateks ...many already ARE Birkins..so are some APs and RMs. BUT...for my series: Carrying one says 'I have enough money to spent on one of these and I actually managed to get one'. It has status and screams wealth, however c...
I used to laugh at Birkins and poke fun at my friends...but
I recently bought not 1 but 3 Birkins, one was new...a facebook challenge with good results. Two were almost vintage, from the early circle stamp and no stamp days, HAC type. I learnt that aftercare service was IMPECCABLE and customer was king, not brand....
In fact, I agree with my wife that Birkin bag is beautiful.
The Hermes Birkin bag made its public debut in 1984 - 27 years testimony. Let's wait for another 5 years and give MB&F a chance to prove itself. I think MB&F watches are at least not boring and in fact quite interesting. But, it will not qualify a...
As a preface to further discussion
Bernard, Thanks for the start of discussion thread. As a preface you wrote: Were paintings superfluous items of luxury back in the "day"? Yes...... Maybe paintings were not all superfluous as they served the same purpose as cameras and video recorders tod...
But MTF is more right than you are :-D ....
Seriously, the role of paintings underwent changes, as did the role of timepieces - watches and clocks. For the longer time they were treated as pieces of propagandy, writing history and heritage, and only from the late renaissance on, better: the baroque...
highly volatile..
Remembered Nubeos, Wylers, Gentas were once on the it-list but they are long gone. It seems the common key factor is the "longevity" of the company to etch out classics, because people are confident they can be serviced after handing them down, and can se...
Our words and thoughts will be a story for our children
Psalm 90:9 We live our lives as a tale to be told. And when Tim said "luxury" was a possible substitute for charity...I disagree. I can. Because I am charity..I live t. I practice it. I don't nurture showoffs and dispalys of toys...but I encourage all to ...
Yes Bernard..
there's only 1 you around - unique, polarizing, and always respectable. Catch u at the next event for a chat. I was rushing off to work at the Louis Moinet event, and had u come EARLIER, we'd be talking all right! Looking forward to parts 2-12/12. It's al...
Will Birkin bags become the Birkin bags of the 21st century?
This is going to be fun; it's always great to see "1 of __" on a post from Bernard. It's not clear to me that the Birkin bag will hold its status for decades, let alone a century. I suspect that certain very early examples may always be highly collectible...
I am the LEAST LIKELYGUY TO BE FASHION FORWRD (what does that even mean???)..or homosexua.
I am unkempt, egoistic, insensitive, never owned a comb, never been to a spa 9without a lady), always looking for porn... I can be placed into an episode of "Law and Order SUV", man...I thought the cops were the bad guys! But...I bought and plan to use th...
Great topic Bernard!
While the Birkin is THE iconic bag in the fashion world, it's hard to find a perfect parallel in the watch world. Right now I see Birkin as a combination of Rolex and Patek. Some similarity I'll outline below: Rolex: symbol of wealth, well known, everybod...
I paln not to dissapoint, but to share and entertain....and
if anyone has faced down cancer and heart disease...you KNOW what I am talking about.
Iconic?
>> The Birkin has beaten the wristwatch to become the first commercial item to cross the wide gap of art and iconic object of post 20th century industrialism. Surely this honour belongs to the iPhone and all the other iThingumies? The design of these prod...
Fully agree ...
I admit I had to google for Birkin bags; never had heard about them before. Marcus
You beat me to it, nickd. But there's
..another issue. I have zero knowledge of Birkens, but I would have thought it's the very non-industrial nature of the Birken (handmade, non-mass production, ye olde materials) that makes it stand out. Handbags? Icons? What about Glomesh clutches (my GF s...
I think in this case....
Birkin and watches share more commons than the Iphones. If I'm not wrong, when Bernard uses Birkin as an example, he takes into consideration of the superlative handmade craft this bag requires. It is made to last and age with grace, just like a good watc...
Must a "Classic" always be expensive and unaffordable to the common people?
I feel that what is lacking in the watch industry today are companies that innovate and bring incredible inventions to the common people. In fact the opposite is occurring, watch company will find any excuse to hype up a feature like a tourbillon, a small...
Yes and no
Hi Bernard, "Let's have some respect for the timeless and classic design..." sure! But the HM1 is not IMVHO a classic and timeless design. It is an interesting watch, although not my choice among Max Busser's children. Timeless, perhaps, not sure, classic...
I once not only misunderstood the MBF, not saying that you are...but
I went as far as to SELL IT!!! Only to buy it back for $50k more!!! Now, I hated it...and then I loved it. Now I like RM tourbillons from the 2003 generation...old style. I collect them. Inside me, I am an RM tourbillon person...and a Freak person. On my ...
will this timepiece become too..
..modern, sophisticated, agressive, avant-garde for the liking, 30 years down the road? 30 years because as it is today, its about the same timeline taken for the first Birkin to be conceptualized...
Wait till I get to De Grisogono!!!
I have a lot of GOOD things to say..after my last comments way back 2 years ago!
Having "no taste", I would say wait a few decades and..
then see if any HMX watch is consider a classic or even remembered more than dimly.
for me, Birkin bags and their like are a godsend
A desirable thing that I can buy my wife and that she truly enjoys, so I can then continue to splurge on watches with a clean(ish) conscience, ideally in the same street (Rue Faubourg St Honore, anyone?). The watch analogue of Birkins in my view must be P...
Kelly vs.Birkin- food for thought
Hi Bernard, you likened some Pateks and Rolex to Birkins. Given the longer history of the Kelly Bag ( the late princess Grace Kelly was famously photographed and published on the cover of life magazine in 1956 hiding her pregnancy ) , the elegance and gra...
"It's not a bag, it's a Birkin" -- Samantha "Sex in the City"
OK, I know what a Birkin is. And by sight, I can name most of the LVs. Maybe the Birkin is the ultimate for a woman of class and taste. Even though I'm not a Patek collector, I would guess that a 5016 or a 5208 might fit that bill as the ultimate. And tha...