Today, however, the watch industry recognized the need to .
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Watches TAG Heuer Monako Bamford Personalization hours has a long history.
Strictly speaking, she was always available.
Especially for those who are willing to spend a considerable amount of time and hours to order.
Even at the dawn of horology, watchmakers have found demand among its customers on the dial with personal details, ranging from engraving dates to thin enamel miniatures, portraits, images of the estate or the owner of the dog.
Customers are also often ordered certain watch functions and complexity of the mechanism.
Today, however, thanks to the generation of “millenialov” whose interest in personalized things far superior to the interests of the older generation, the watch industry, like many others, recognized the need to make the customization available for a wider range of consumers.
“People want to see in their individuality.
They want to have something that no other – explains Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH watch trends – and this trend will not fail, then it will only grow.
” The modern desire for individuality has raised customer expectations even in a non-exclusive segment of the market, and watch brands willing to fill this niche, finding new ways to add personal features to their creations.
Classic personalization The classic example is a company offering clients an engraving, guilloche patterns and selection of enamel miniature.
This – the company that throughout the 20th century maintained contacts with artists and preserve traditional arts hour finishes when they have lost popularity and were on the verge of extinction.
Bovet 1822 Secret Beauty created for Only Watch auction Over «Blancpain» modern history of working with emalistami, engravers and other masters of the art, and decorated with many of its models.
She even has a masters who continue the tradition of Swiss erotic hours.
Customers can order the photo engraved in gold, not necessarily erotic, – one of the clients, for example, I chose the game of golf – and diversify the traditional design of the dial with the help of two Japanese engraving techniques.
Another company, «Bovet», thanks to its collaboration with the artist on lacquer, Andre Martinez and emalistom Ilgiz Fazulzyanovym, is the first stop for those who want to have a portrait on his watch.
The set of dials and cases in the collection of the brand perfectly suited to different forms of art.
«Jaeger Lecoultre», since the creation of «Reverso» in 1930, offers personalized engraving on the reverse side of these hours, making them a symbol of the personalization of the 20th century.
Now, with the program «Atelier Reverso», employees flagship brand boutiques acquaint customers with a choice of dials and straps options, as well as offering a number of special options.
Jaeger Lecoultre Reverso Large Duoface to dial from a meteorite Men who chose «Reverso Classic Large Duoface» dual dial, can enjoy the deep blue or red lacquered dial with guilloche «clous de Paris» or dial from a natural stone: brown obsidian, a meteorite or blue aventurine.
Reversing the usual «Reverso Classic Large» You can also decorate a wide selection of engravings: monograms, dates or motives as a family coat of arms by the desire to add to the engraving lacquer or diamonds.
Configuration of finished parts The last few years we have seen how all the new watch companies offer advanced features to their customers.
Rather than starting from scratch design, which would require significant knowledge of the customer, brands operate independently of the hard work, offering a range of choices from which the customer can choose a favorite.
design options Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon Hyperspace One recently joined the trend was the watch house «Ulysse Nardin».
In 2018 the company introduced a skeletonized tourbillon «Executive Skeleton Tourbillon Hyperspace» with a choice of colors for each clock.
Customers have received carte blanche in the selection of colors, which will be painted components hours, so if you want the clock to fit the color of the car or any other favorite color combinations, team «Ulysse Nardin» will be glad to help.
Cost of Custom version of «Skeleton Tourbillon Hyperspace» is 46 000 dollars, and 7000 more than the standard model.
Since May, customers can order the watches through authorized retailers company.
In 2017 «Armin Strom» launched an online configurator that allows you to choose not only the color gamut of hours, but the shape of the body, covering bridges, base plate, drum and wheel design.
For modifications are 7 models covering all the company’s collections.
But the best in this proposal, that the clock is ordered through the configurator, are the same as the serial clock and «Armin Strom».
Online configurator hours of «Armin Strom» Also in March this year the company «IWC» announced that it offers an online service to customize the new model «Ingenieur Chronograph», albeit only for US customers.
The company makes it possible to choose the material of the body, the design of the dial, hands and strap and evaluate the results in 3D-format.
In parallel, using the “IWC Style Visualizer”, customers are invited to see how they will be combined with the creation of different costumes.
Delivery time – 12 weeks.
Innovation to order Unlike many watch houses, which are limited to a modification of the external parts, «Vacheron Constantin» masters have the ability to create new mechanisms and complications.
Over the last 3 years time the majority of the main achievements of the «Vacheron Constantin», including the most complicated watch ever to have been made thanks to the personal service orders «Les Cabinotiers».
During this time, the program, led by Dominique Bernaz increased from three watchmakers and designers up to 30 employees working simultaneously on 50 different projects to create unique watches manufactory for customers.
Yet Bernaz surprised by the number of non-standard hours, who bought customers.
“We have a lot of orders for pocket watches with unusual complications and sizes, including” grande sonnerie “with Westminster chimes and special calendars” – he says.
But such calls only further push the company.
“Fifty objects in the work – it’s 50 unique projects.
This is – a huge field for creativity “, – he says.
Model Vacheron Constantin Armillary Tourbillon from Atelier Cabinotiers «Atelier Cabinotiers» division watchmakers do most of the work manually, using methods used in the watch industry to mass production era.
To meet the preferences of a wider range of customers, the program also includes a number of hours, which can be added only aesthetic nuances.
In this case, they will be produced as the individual watch, but without the delays and costs associated with more complicated orders.
Another company that saw an opportunity for innovation in individual work with clients – is «De Bethune».
After many years of commercial production, is now a manufactory has decided to focus primarily on the creation of custom models.
The move seems to have opened for us a lot of creative perspectives – from the dials of the meteorite to the miniatures on enamel and mechanical combinations that may never see the light of the conditions of standard production.
Design options o’clock De Bethune Maxichrono DB28 Recently «De Bethune» opened this program to everyone, offering two options: order new personalized clock or if the owners want to modify their hours, they can send them to the «De Bethune» and order the change of the dial, engraving, etc.
The creation of new.
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hours customized takes about six months.
It is interesting to note that «De Bethune» makes all time components within the company, including the case and dial, as well as the price does not differentiate pm hull material other than platinum, saying that the value of their hours are not defined by the housing and mechanism.
After Sales Modding However, the fashion trend of recent years was the customization of hours not because of, but rather in spite of well-known manufactures.
And the new rules of the established trend of outsiders.
Design Rolex Milagrus from Mad Paris Modification of luxury watches with the help of third-party companies began in the days when changing creations iconic brands was considered almost sacrilege.
Own brands, as well as purists of collectors, clearly did not approve of this practice.
“For a long time these companies were lousy sheep watch market”, – says James Lamdins, founder of the store for the sale of vintage watches «Analog / Shift».
However, customization was very attractive for high-end buyers, especially the representatives of creative professions.
Star ordered jewelers rework their watches for decades – for example, Elvis Presley wore a diamond-encrusted «Omega» in the 60-ies, and hip-hop artists have long been covered his watch jewels.
However, a new trend emerged in the mid-2000s, when George Bamford of «Bamford Watch Department» and companies like «Pro Hunter», «Project X», «Mad Paris» and «Titan Black» began promoting a particular style of “black on black “- mainly for new« Rolex », – which was established by applying to the DLC- hours (diamond-like carbon) or PVD-coated (physical vapor deposition).
Black watch, quite restrained, so they can be put on in the office and at the same time exuding quiet “steepness” subdued Jennifer Aniston, Robert Downey Jr.
, Mark Wahlberg, Daniel Craig, as well as Michael Linton, President of the parent company ” Snapchat ».
“We indulge their whims,” - says Ben Waite, Director, “the Titan Black”, who notes that now the amateur modifications especially popular hand-painted camouflage.
Design Rolex Datejust from La Californienne DJ Alex Pall of the duo «Chainsmokers» also was seen in one of the «La Californienne», restored and “reinvents” “Rolex” and “of Cartier,” such companies using manual dials and colored striped leather straps.
Leszek Garvatskii founded with his wife, Courtney Ormond, a former stylist, after she asked him to redo vintage «Cartier Tank», which he had given her on their wedding anniversary.
“It’s a beautiful watch but I wanted something else.
I wanted them to be unique and fun, – she recalls.
Before that Garvatskii, a former financial adviser for many years restored vintage watches as a hobby.
He believed that there was something wrong with that kind of religious change hours, so that his first reaction was – “no.
” “I told her that the clock should not be fun, and that she should see in them the classics” – says Garvatskii.
In the end, he gave up and repainted the face of the clock in the shade of “aqua”.
Pro Hunter Milgauss Inkadelic MK III Over the past two years after sales modifications hours (or modding) got a new twist thanks to the Hollywood director of the first echelon, Spike Lee and musician Lenny Kravitz, who decided to collaborate with the Swiss company «Artisans de Geneve» limited to a joint release edition custom hours «Rolex».
Design Spike Lee «Rolex Daytona» in the original colors of New York, with orange and blue elements, called «Cool Hand Brooklyn» and debuted in November of last year (US $ 39 800, a limited edition of 40 copies.
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Rolex Daytona Cool Hand Brooklyn from Artisans de Geneve and Spike Lee There are also companies that use quite ambiguous approach.
For example, «Tempus Machina» buys new «Rolex» and recreates them from the most popular retro model.
If you are looking for deliberateness, two of the most popular companies that watch encrusted with precious stones, is «Avianne & Co.
» and «Ice Box», each of which names among its customers Migos, Metro Boomin and Young Thug.
Diamond-encrusted watches Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in a stainless steel housing of the Ice Box Nevertheless, it was a big surprise when the «Bamford Watch Department», the most famous among the tranquility of offending companies, last year began a formal partnership with the «LVMH» as an approved partner for personalization hours of multiple brands as «Bulgari», «Zenith »and« TAG Heuer ».
“People want more individuality.
Such a large company, we are more organized for Standardization.
Therefore, working with Bamford, we have the best of both worlds “- said the head of the time direction« LVMH », Jean-Claude Biver.
Deal with Bamford means that fans of, say, hours «Bulgari Serpenti», can choose at will cover housing, dials and buttons, arrows, colors and logo, and even add their initials on the dial.
“With our company, you can bring your personality to the product”, – says Joji Bamford.
A Lamdins adds: “The fact that it is personalized, there is an extra-extra-extra exclusivity.
” Custom TAG Heuer watch from the Bamford Watch Department In March 2018 in the Swiss watch exhibition «Baselworld» «TAG Heuer» and «Bamford» debuted with his first official project of «Monaco», in the carbon-fiber body and with light blue dial ($ 8100, a limited edition of 500 copies.
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And in early May, another company, «Corum», does not belong to «LVMH», jointly with «Bamford» presented the clock «Admiral Legend 42 Bamford».
This evolution is similar to the story of the automobile companies, which, in the end, made the development part of the modifications the automotive industry, and «Mercedes» went so far as to buy «AMG».
Rolex Daytona Chronolight design Titan Black for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan As Lamdins believes aftersales modification has come a long way since the simple cover of the watch case.
“Now they aspire to artistic”, – he says.
In «Titan Black», four-emalista artist working in the studio design dials.
But sometimes the company goes beyond decoration.
For example, she created a special «Rolex Daytona» to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the UAE President.
Model called «Chronolight», placed under dial backlight that turns on the button chronograph.
“We are of the artists have become true watchmakers”, – says the founder Luke Waite.
Two more accessories brand, «MadeWorn» and «Huckleberry», offer «Rolex», with impeccable hand-engraved on the case and bracelet with pictures of palm or apple motif, or even cannabis leaf.
Most of these businesses are inspired by their love of «Rolex».
“For me it is the best company in the world, – said John Isaac, CEO« Artisans de Geneve », – If you modify” the Rolex “, you have to be at his level.
” Rolex Submariner in stainless steel with an engraving of Huckleberry Some companies are willing to customize the hours that you already own, while others – only work with new items.
lead time usually takes two to three months.
A good sign that the company is a modifier has a good reputation, – ( “Some things can be done in someone’s garage,” – warns Lamdins) – is a private company guarantee that the duration is not less than the original manufactory, which will expire at change hours.
“Traditionally, the modification of hours – it’s a sure way to reduce their costs in the secondary market, sometimes even to zero”, – says Lamdins.
Nevertheless, absolutely unique personalized watches are always in demand by collectors.
“I’ve seen used,” Bamford “sold for good money.
This is a relatively new kind of industry in the watch world “, – says Lamdins.
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