zigwhentheyzag
29
Vincent Calabrese acquired by the Swatch Group
I have very mixed feelings about this news. On the one hand, it's great
to see this kind of recognition (reverence may be a more hopeful word) for
one of the founding members of the AHCI by a conglomerate like the Swatch Group. While on the other hand it
seems to cast full abandon to the spirit of being an "independent
creator'. I was deeply saddened when I first heard that Greubel Forsey
had been purchased by Richemont, but they seem to be doing just fine
and I can still sense the passion there. Vincent Calabrese has been
under commission on and off by a number of the big brands over the
years. I trust he knows what he's doing. One thing is for certain, he
will have access to a much broader scope of machinery through Blancpain.
I recall Francis Cretin reveling once in passing conversation about the
endless possibilities and avenues of exploration available to you, as a
designer, when you have the strength of an entire company behind
you, that you just don't have as an independent. Again though,
therein lies the paradox of a founding member of an association that encourages the excellence of craft moving on to a (slightly) more
mass-produced existence. Nevertheless, it will be exciting to see what
further developments Mr. Calabrese will bring to the brand.
It is with both grievance and excitement that I see another independent move on. The latest of Frank Muller or F.P. Journe simply don't give me the same chills I get from seeing a Voutilainen or a Dufour. They lack... the story.
* Removed external link per forum-guideline.
This message has been edited by Kong on 2008-06-26 21:55:25
Vincent Calabrese acquired by the Swatch Group
Moving on...
