Absolute Madness!
The purpose of this posting is to get your opinions and to vent my fury on what I have found from other watch forum.
So what I have read was that:
this guy has interviewed/asked this employee of anonymous Swiss watch manufacturer to rank the swiss watch brands. Well, I assume this Swiss watch maker employee probably had tried to make it sound all professional/objective or whatever. So this employee guy ends up ranking most of the brands in to 5 different levels. (Here, I am not going to mention all since my point is on the way he has evaluated Chopard!)
So after all, Choprd is ranked in the third-tier out of the group of 5. (Okay, I can live with this since there are different ways to classify/categorize.)
Chopard is behind Zenith & Chronoswiss, which were both ranked in the second-tier group.
And Frederique Constant is ranked in the third-tier next to Chopard along with other brands, which I care not to mention.
Is Chopard in the same league as Frederique Constant? (This is what made me so furious.)
Do you believe this s**t? This employee of anonymous watch manufacturer must be a dopehead or brainwashed.
I didn't mean to attack owners/fans of the aformentioned watch brands other than Chopard.
(Chopard Moderator, if this is inappropriate, I am sorry for the trouble.)
Hold your horses..
I so happen to know a little (very little) more than the average Joe about watches and hence my ranking of Chopard will be different. Ranking is so subjective, it is based upon the knowledge of the person on the subject, thrown in a few of his own likes and dislikes. There is no univeral "correct" ranking of watch brands. Some would swear by PP while others are sold 100% by Lange. Chopard is a relatively new in the high end watch game. Chopard has a longer and perhaps wider reputation as a jeweller. The LUC range is about a decade old. So there is not that many who would know about the stuff they have produced lately. The other (earlier) Chopard watches are more high jewelry than haute horology. So this employee of this anonymous watch manufacturer is perhaps not too verse or up to date with the watch scene or simply does not like what Chopard does for it watches. Nothing to get worked up for. Regards
W72
This message has been edited by Watch72 on 2009-01-22 19:14:27
I agree with W72...
just want to add something. The person might have different watches in mind when he was doing the comparison.
Chopard has non-LUC pieces with standard ebauches while I have seen a Frederich Constant with a tourbillion. I am not comparing these watches, just stating a fact.
IMO. the general public has a better impression of Chopard and less critically accept them being in the 'high-end watches segment ' because IMO of their established jewerly market, sales point, etc. Good to maximize your advantage provided you really do your homework, in this case Chopard has shown to do in the last ten years of LUC.
Chopard (esp. LUC) has a high position in my list.
Pat
Different Point of View or Perception ...
W72 and Pat have made some valid points.
Not sure what were compared and what criterias were used. Secondly, who is this person and what credential?
And likes & dislikes as W72 mentioned also a huge factor.
As in real life, how many verify a piece of information heard before accepting it as a fact?
The saying " how thin it slices, there are always 2 sides" .... but a post like the one below "Chopard No More" may have cause some negative perception for Chopard.
However, there is one more party inside the equation between the consumer and the brand, ie. the AD.
What happen if the AD messed up? Is it still Chopard's fault? I am afraid it is the case for some consumers.
They may not understand the nature of channel structure and complexity involved and, ultimately the brand image would be tainted. How many people think and question or read in between the lines?
I will not lose sleep over it, as everyone is entitled to his/her opinions.
However, I need to convince myself.
A little reflection and several simple critical questions.
So, Chopard does not belong to that ranking! Why?
Are we sure?
If after thinking through and convinced, its enough.
I may be wrong in the future but I made the decision based on my research.
It is better than being led by 'Judas cows/gurus '.
L.U.C knows it needs to increase brand equity. The first phase of L.U.C, building the foundation and capabilities to conceptualise, create and manufacture was on schedule with 5 families of movements developed. The next decade should be focusing on branding.
However, this challenging economic climate will test all the brands.
And we shall see who are the true players remain.
Kong
Kong, the fact speaks for itself
He is merely an employee of a brand. His self-approved ranking is insignificant as it is inevitably subjected to numerous ambiguities.
Chopard should not be worried of its ranking among the brands. Their genuine hard work will certainly pay off.
Actually, it is a joke.
Regards
Ling