REVOLUTION_INTERNATIONAL_VOL 58

sequence. And the effect is exhilarating because at a
time when we need it the most, The Mandalorian once
again had us all believing that good will triumph over
evil. Favreau and Filoni did this all without having
to kill off characters, which ultimately made fans
reject series like The Walking Dead, and they did it
without having to inject the smirking cynicism that
ultimately derailed Game of Thrones. They did it with
a sense of unabashed and undiluted idealism. And I,
for one, love it — because it gave the people exactly
what they wanted.
So what does this all have to do with watches?
To me, watches exist for the same reason great
entertainment exists. That is: to uplift, inspire, edify
and sooth the souls of collectors the world over.
And throughout last year, there were some amazing
watches that did just that.
There were five watches that I consider perfect
examples of this. The first is Stepan Sarpaneva’s
Moomin, which depicts the beloved Finnish comic
character amid a technicolor landscape. The second
is Stefan Kudoke’s K2, a watch with a beautiful and
unique design language and a charmingly poetic
day/night indicator. The third is the Rolex Oyster
Perpetual watches with the vibrant-color dials that pay
homage to the Stella Day-Dates. The fourth is Tudor’s
phenomenal Black Bay 58 Navy. And the last is Omega’s
Speedmaster Silver Snoopy 50th Anniversary watch. At
no time have we needed a balm to the existential malaise
created by the last year, more than now.
I would therefore like to calmly point out that
brands need to consider that the uplifting effect of
their watches can be undermined by one issue that
still persists, and that relates to supply: specifically,
when watches are not available through traditional
retail channels to the public, yet are readily available
through secondary resellers at a markup. Because
that suggests that existing supply is being redirected
to profiteers at the expense of watch lovers and
collectors around the world. That is a big problem
that you need to fix.
The other thing to consider: that for as many great
watches there are out there, there is an equal number
of truly mediocre watches. I feel there is a strong
analogy for this with the Star Wars franchise which
has been helmed by producer Kathleen Kennedy
since Lucasfilm was sold to Disney. Kennedy began
producing films that she thought were the embodiment
of the franchise, at the expense of the opinion of
Star Wars fans. This is similar to what we have in the
watch industry today. There are a great number of
brands being helmed by truly dynamic individuals
who love what they do, and as a result, are creating
great watches and leading their brands to ever greater
heights. But there are also just as many brands with
leaders at the opposite end of the spectrum. You
wonder if they even like watches at all because each
time they show you their latest products, they resonate
with a soullessness that has me ultimately wondering
“Who would buy that?”
For a while now, the prevailing direction is to
expand the audience for watches by reaching out to
a lifestyle demographic. Actually, I think this is the
right thing to do. However, it still does not address
the simple fact that if you make an uninspired watch,
it will not be inspiring to anyone, whether they are
a watch expert or a lifestyle dude. As an illustration
of this, after all of the exultation related to The
Mandalorian’s season finale, a Lucasfilm employee
named Pablo Hidalgo tweeted that “emotions are
not for sharing,” apparently slamming fans and in
particular a YouTuber named Star Wars Theory
for weeping profusely with joy while watching “The
Rescue.” The backstory is that Hidalgo is in charge of
continuity at Lucasfilm, and he helped out on all the
projects that fans rejected and had little or nothing to
do with The Mandalorian. This petty act of sour grapes
on his part is the equivalent of a watch brand getting
angry at you because you like another watch and are
unabashed about expressing your love.
But the solution in both scenarios is ultimately
to listen to what people want, rather than simply
imposing your vision. Though, of course, your vision
and what we want can also be one and the same… but
only if you are a fan to begin with.
May the Force be with you.
Wei Koh, Founder
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