Bulgari

Below is a video of Mr. Francesco Trapani, CEO of Bulgari Group, announcing a major step for Bulgari's watchmaking strategy.

Cheers,
Anthony

 

 

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-01-15 06:35:07 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-01-17 09:01:11

Press Release




This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-01-15 06:17:50

...does this mean that the existing Bulgari collections (Diagono, Assioma,...etc), will be discontinued?

 

My read is the current Bulgari collection will remain as is, and then they will add the DR & GG watches as another part of the Bulgari line.

Cheers,
Anthony

indeed a giant step for Bulgari, wish them the best and looking forward to the new models

a glimpsed of the "bulgaried" GG in the video, quite a charmer!

somehow i feel this merge can be temporary as a mean to raise awareness to all 3 brands, after all, they could always parted later on.

Exciting nevertheless,
Ed~
 
This message has been edited by lien on 2010-01-15 15:04:43

I really can't imagine as to how these 3 brands could "merge" as each and everyone of them has very strong identity.  Let's wait and see.

Thanks for the transcript, Kong.

Regards

Ling

I have never seen any eye pleasing products coming from the Bvlgari ateliers.
besides their stunning Chinaware.



Italian design is something that I highly admire, but their watches with logo's on the dial
and two logo's on the bezel, are far from what I consider as good looking.
It is of course all a matter of taste.
For now I hold my breath what Bvlgari will do with GG and DR,
hopefully they will bring back some DNA from the past, but I doubt that.
GEO

As I read it, they are essentially rebranding as "Gerald Genta by Bulgari", rather than just mushing all the DR and GG products into the Bulgari line....

A

if the pre-Bvlgari gentas and roth watches will start to appreciate in value, just like pre-post Panerais.

Why does it matter what the market price direction of cherished watches is?

The value of my pre- and post- merger GG / DR watches is the same to me.....they are still worth MTF 1.00 Units each after the merger.

But remember, GG and DR were already merged into Bulgari Group as companies.  Now, they are just adding the product lines into the company brochure. 

When they merged Glaxo-Wellcome with SmithKline Beecham, people continued to use products from Glaxo, Wellcome, Smith, Kline & French, Stiefel Labs, and Beecham Pharmaceuticals; all labelled 'GSK'.  We still got better and the toothpast tastes the same (Aquafresh and Sensodyne).  My Gaviscon, Panadol, Nicorette/Niquitin, Lucozade, Ribena and Horlicks still work.

I don't have a job but that's a personal thing that does not affect the consumer! 

Regards,

MTF

Quite depressing actually - don't fancy a "by Bulgari" Gefica...

Curious to see what comes out but this could be text book brand killing.

I was expecting a "so long and thanks for all the fish" type of message, something like "this is the end of the DR and GG models, we will be taking all their developments and releasing them as Bulgari watches in the next years". The news isn't good for either brand, but I could have seen if being much worse

A

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For at least two reasons, this strikes me as more than minor-league bad news.

 FIRST, I cannot recall a time when the air was so thick with chatter about "brand equity" and "brand DNA". Those are always important things, but in a bad economy they are critical. This sort of activity unavoidably messes with both of them: multiple names wil presumably appear on the marketing materials if not on the logos themselves and, in the way of things corporate, some dilution, however slight and however well-intentioned, of the Founders' visions can fairly be expected.

SECOND, both brands have already been subjected in recent years to an unusually large overlay of NOS discounts by a group that includes some of the most reputable (IMHO) of the internet retailers. Things like name changes promote this activity. Will the Roth and Genta (or Bulgari/Roth and Bulgari/Genta) AD network be up for another round of selling against an NOS overlay?

These men have done work of distinction. It would be a shame if their brands leave the playing field this way. 

an Octa with Bvlgari as the logo? with that signature digital jump-hour and retrograde minute and dates?

Instead of Gerald Genta's DNA in a Bvlgari watch, this looks more like a "Bvlgari edition" of the famous GG watch...

Why can't Bvlgari do something more innovative, instead of simply slapping an instantly recognizable GG movement in a different case?

Looks confusing for both Genta and Bvlgari fans alike...

What's the business rationale behind all this?

I hope only time will prove me wrong, for I have strong affection for both brands...

Jon (Z3)

continue using their designs and technical achievements. A bit like Montblanc and Minerva?

on the face of the watches!  Bulgari, GG, all on one little face.  It's overkill.

Why don't they just put all three on one face!  The more the better it seems like for this strategy.

Unsure about it.  I don't think its about 'overcrowding' the face so much, but rather the lack of solidity in one respective brand.

It's like Cartier wanting to put another richemont logo on the faces.  I'm not sure if Jaeger, for example, would like that. 

If the partnership ensures DR/ GG  and their innovations' survival then let it be a positive and promising move. 

I'll be curious to see the timepieces that spring forth from this new brand alignment.  Sometimes change is electrifying, and pushes all parties involved to innovate.

Cheers,

Daos

... what might this mean for the PPro DR and GG Fora?  Do we now get a new Bvlgari Forum? Will the DR and GG Fora be rolled into this, or will they be locked as the HW and J*D Fora were?

Andrew

but I will tell you that J*D and HW were "closed" or "locked" for multiple reasons.

For J*D the main reason was that the brand became stale.

As the past moderator/cheerleader/brand advocate it is a difficult thing for me to say but it is the truth.

The Grande Seconde design was so eye catching when it was first introduced but this is really the only model which J*D is known for. 

The move towards more "fashion" than "watchmaking" was heartbreaking.

The Timewriter, though cool, was an absolute waste of resources and time (since it took almost 6 years to design and manufacture) IMHO.  I understand the attempt to build a historical link back to Pierre Jaquet Droz but a $250,000 automaton which wrote out the time "digitally" and not in a very smooth manner is a pale achievement compared to the original automatons with Pierre Jaquet Droz built in the 1700s.

I wished they would have kept the momentum strong by focusing on their new in house microrotor movement and released this a year or two ago.

I loved Manuel as the CEO for his passion and keen awareness for design.  I respect him for his decisions...they were tough ones to make.  In the end I think he has left J*D in a strong position for the next decade but the price paid was quite heavy over the past 3 years.

I'm interested to see what Mr. Hayek SR. (now the interim CEO for J*D) will do.

If he can bring back the raw emotions which J*D stirred in me over 8 years ago then I hope the J*D forum will return stronger than ever...with the old timers and new fresh passionate fans.

Happy New Years Andrew,

Mike

Thanks Mike,

Companies often have low points. They either go under (which is a greater possibility in the current world financial position) or they emerge with renewed focus and vigor. Let's hope that is the case for companies like J*D and Zenith.

Andrew

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Companies with multiple brands can take different approaches to their product lines.    Most posters on the forum may not be old enough to remember when the General Motors brands were very distinct, aimed at different audiences and with very different strengths.      I still get weak in the knees in the presence of a 55 Chevy, and have only appreciation, not passion, for classic Cadillacs.      However, as time went on GM decided to eliminate the individual brand identities, design and engineering staff,  and turned the core brands into price points for a single manufacture with different trim and markups, leaving just a few special cars such as the Corvette.       With the exception of  Cadillac, which was consciously revived (a bit) and repositioned, the others brands lost identity.

In the watch industry I think one can find the same issues.     Bulgari's choice makes a lot of  sense, since GG and DR do not hearken back to the 18th century but are eponymous brands whose namesakes are no longer affiliated.     Better to be honest about it than to let them wither.

The lovers of the brands in the Swatch and Richemont stables can only hope that the corporate umbrella allows for continued independent growth.  

Ginger 

It seems to suggest that Bvlgari has planned for the demise of GG and DR as an individual brand.

Regards

Ling

IMO, this consolidation was probably planned many years ago as a corporate/board level decision and long term goal of Bvlgari to diversify itself and expand it's product range.  They acquired Cadras Design (for dials) and Prestige d'Or (for bracelets) in 2005, then Finger (case maker) in 2007.  And of course acquired Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth in 2000 most likely for their movements and complication background.

And this might be a good thing for GG and DR as they could benefit from Bvlgari's already established brand recognition.  Otherwise I think the only other option in this slow economic environment would have have been simply to drop both completely.

This is all interesting, not just for the watch field but many other industries (as MTF has already pointed out).  Let's see what happens in a few years. 

Regards,
ED-209

I love Genta and Roth products. I "assume" that the brands will all carry the Bvlgari logo in the future.

I wonder what will happen to the Roth Endurer Chronosprint. Not sure if any were even delivered so if they do eventually release it, will it carry the Bvlgari logo and be renamed? This was a watch I really wanted.

I wish Bvlgari good luck.

 . . . and I wish them well during this transition time.  With any luck everyone will keep their jobs and continue to enjoy their passion!

Best regards,

Jeff