CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY THROUGH

OWNERSHIP30th November 2016 - 13th December 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION.........................................03

SNAPSHOT OF THE PERIOD

Trending Topics...........................................05

Volume of Conversations......................07

ANALYZING THE SOCIAL BUZZ

Among Influencers...................................10

Beyond Influencers....................................12

THE BACKGROUND...................................13

BEHIND THE TREND.................................16

READ THE TREND.....................................21

THE METHOD...............................................22

THE FOUNDATION’S MISSION...........23

INTRODUCTION

This series of trend reports are a collaboration between London-based agency RE-UP and the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. They will look back over the past two weeks and

discover what’s been ‘trending’ online.

We aim to discover which watches, stories and industrial developments in the world of horology gain the most amount of coverage on the digital sphere - uncovering why these

trends are important.

SNAPSHOTOF THE PERIOD

TRENDING TOPICS AND STORIESBETWEEN NOVEMBER 30 TO DECEMBER 13

Percentage of conversations on luxury watches penetrated by the topic

A. Lange & Sohne will release a new version of its iconic Lange 1 Moon Phase at SIHH with a new movement.

Last week hundreds of Vintage Rolex collectors met up in Bali for the third annual Vintage Rolex Asylum Meetup

IWC are redesigning their emblematic Da Vinci collection this year, starting with a perpetual calendar chronograph

Cartier will be increasing their horology range at SIHH this year with three new additions, including the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon

Montblanc will release a limited edition version of their 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter in Bronze at SIHH.

1.24%

1.18%

1.12%

1.01%

0.95%

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

VOLUME OF CONVERSATIONSON HIGH-END WATCHES

ANALYSING THE SOCIAL BUZZ

OF VINTAGE ROLEX ASYLUMS ANNUAL

MEETUP

Image by: watchesbysjx

Among Influencers

24.05%Penetration of conversations

by Rolex in Swiss watch related conversations

6.96%Decrease of Rolex mentions

against the previous two weeks

12.95%Of mentions o Rolex are in

relation to the Bali

“Still missing Bali a week later, but so glad I got to spend some quality time up close and

personal with the legend feels like a long time since I first saw it in London in 2014”

- Instagram user Nicholasbiebuyck, on his time with the rare Rolex Cosmograph Yacht Master.

Beyond Influencers

122,989All online mentions of Rolex

26.32%Increase of Rolex watch

mentions against the previous two weeks

0.18%Of mentions of Rolex in relation

to Bali

THE BACKGROUND

Last week, a hundred of the most hardcore vintage Rolex collectors on the planet met up in Bali for their third anniversary. The Vintage Rolex Asylum (VRA) is

an invitation only club for collectors of rare and vintage Rolex timepieces.

To attend the event, people flew in from Germany, Italy, Japan, Dubai and even the United States - a 24 hour

plane journey.

@nobleandgraff

The enthusiasts brought with them 250+ watches including: some flawless Submariners, some military-

issued, a decent number of Daytona chronographs with Paul Newman Dials - both in stainless steel and gold, and of course the pièce de résistance; one of three

known Rolex Cosmograph Yachtmasters.

The VRA was founded three years ago in Indonesia and has since become a large group of Rolex enthusiasts.

The group includes the entire ecosystem of Rolex including collectors, dealers and even auction house

specialists from Christie’s and Phillips.

BEHINDTHE TREND

Luxury brands have always built cult following - this is especially true within Fine Watchmaking. The veteran maisons such as Patek Philippe, Zenith and Rolex have super fans that build their own communities around a

common interest in the brand.

These superfans, such as the Vintage Rolex Asylum often arrange meetups, conferences and online

conversations to simply discuss their love for the brand. Patek Philippe have even started their very own

‘owner’s area’ on Patek.com that features exclusive content and ‘a private door into the world of the brand’.

@ manhattanrollie

These owners’ clubs aren’t overly different from the forums that classic car forum enthusiasts use. The difference lies in the money these consumers have

to spend and also the sense of community they feel with other owners and enthusiasts.

During events such the one hosted in Bali lasting friendships between both the brand and the

consumer are created. “Packing up and leaving beautiful Bali. Thanks again to the Indo crew @

vintagerolexasylum and everybody involved for the hospitality and arrangements.” said one user on

Instagram, showing his appreciation for the event and club.

@ silas815

Patek Philippe and Rolex are the stars of the autumn salesRolex and Patek Philippe dominated the Autumn auction

Serious business at Rolex (1)A look at Rolex and their place within the Fine Watchmaking market

READ THE TREND

THE METHOD

We use two key social listening tools to gather the raw data we have analysed for this report.

The first, an in-house bespoke database of 2000+ influencers and online sources within luxury and

watches - with the ability to gather insight into six month’s worth of online buzz.

The second, a social (and media) listening tool that looks at multiple keywords. This allows us to measure

and examine all online conversations over a set period.

THEFOUNDATION’S

MISSION

The mechanical watch is a wonderful instrument and the guardian of craftsmanship, creativity

and of course, time.

Our objective here at the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, is to take our wealth of expertise into

the world through our four missions: to inform, train, recognise and organise.

Since 2005, we have promoted values of excellence and tradition within an organisation that has the support of

many Fine Watchmaking brands.

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