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Originally posted by wolfeyes1974
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there're only 4 ways to go for all products (not just watches):
1. play with design
2. play with materials
3. play with movements (for watches)
4. play with history (relaunch "old" products)
as long as they do any of these, new movements or not for watches, consumers have to pay a premium for it..homages will soon follow suit given the technology and know-how..this is a reality!
now that all major watchmakers are going inhouse or use selita movements, will ETA be another lemania in the future? demand for it leading to higher price for the watches using ETAs (last batch or not) because of its rarity?
ETA is a common movement now but it's one of the most reliable around actually... by the way, pam's so called inhouse movement is still an outsource movement and they charge a higher price for it (consolation: most of us buy watches because they sing to us and we admire their history)..read this:
VALFleurier
One obvious question that begs to be answered is: If all of Panerai’s movements are hand assembled in Neuchatel, where do the components for these movements come from? The answer to this question points to an even greater manufacturing depth embodied by Panerai and the Richemont Group.
Fleurier is a small Swiss city at the base of the Jura mountains that, historically, has been an epicenter for the most refined horological crafts.
The Quartz Crisis hit Fleurier particularly hard during the late ’70s and early ’80s; but in the mid-’90s, the region became reborn as a result of the renewed interest in mechanical watchmaking and the establishment of manufactures such as Parmigiani Fleurier and Chopard L.U.C. The latest and perhaps most impressive addition to Fleurier is ValFleurier, a sprawling industrial complex boasting some of the most advanced manufacturing technology in the world. Panerai’s management had determined that it would be pointless to create in-house calibers that were, in turn, reliant on specialist suppliers for plates, bridges or gear wheels. As the Richemont-owned ValFleurier evolved, it has logically begun to produce parts for many of the Group’s other brands, but it is obvious that both the existence of ValFleurier and the massive new facility being built adjacent to it are directly related to Panerai’s rise in status to a true manufacture.
Says Angelo Bonati, “ValFleurier began working just for Panerai, and then the Group saw the benefit to servicing other brands as well. But that is great for us, because the more there is a spirit of innovation there, the more we all benefit. Also, I would humbly say that because we were involved very early in ValFleurier, we communicated a spirit of how we work to the entire manufacture. We work with enthusiasm and passion; otherwise, you cannot realize your dream and you will not be satisfied. The best results can only come from the personal motivation of human beings, and this is innately linked to having pride in what you do.”
What ValFleurier is capable of achieving in terms of specialized parts is simply staggering. A look into the highly specialized movement factory reveals its unique abilities, such as rendering the complex parts for the clutch in the P.2004 or the tourbillon in the P.2005. The implication of the creative freedom that this will provide in Panerai’s future is major. For example, Panerai’s P.2005 tourbillon represents a total revolution in the world of tourbillon wristwatches, yet it would have been totally unachievable without the ability to render many of the specialized parts used within, such as the toothed conical element that replaces the fixed fourth wheel of a normal tourbillon. Says Bonati, “ValFleurier is inextricably linked with the future of Panerai.”
1. play with design
2. play with materials
3. play with movements (for watches)
4. play with history (relaunch "old" products)
as long as they do any of these, new movements or not for watches, consumers have to pay a premium for it..homages will soon follow suit given the technology and know-how..this is a reality!
now that all major watchmakers are going inhouse or use selita movements, will ETA be another lemania in the future? demand for it leading to higher price for the watches using ETAs (last batch or not) because of its rarity?
ETA is a common movement now but it's one of the most reliable around actually... by the way, pam's so called inhouse movement is still an outsource movement and they charge a higher price for it (consolation: most of us buy watches because they sing to us and we admire their history)..read this:
VALFleurier
One obvious question that begs to be answered is: If all of Panerai’s movements are hand assembled in Neuchatel, where do the components for these movements come from? The answer to this question points to an even greater manufacturing depth embodied by Panerai and the Richemont Group.
Fleurier is a small Swiss city at the base of the Jura mountains that, historically, has been an epicenter for the most refined horological crafts.
The Quartz Crisis hit Fleurier particularly hard during the late ’70s and early ’80s; but in the mid-’90s, the region became reborn as a result of the renewed interest in mechanical watchmaking and the establishment of manufactures such as Parmigiani Fleurier and Chopard L.U.C. The latest and perhaps most impressive addition to Fleurier is ValFleurier, a sprawling industrial complex boasting some of the most advanced manufacturing technology in the world. Panerai’s management had determined that it would be pointless to create in-house calibers that were, in turn, reliant on specialist suppliers for plates, bridges or gear wheels. As the Richemont-owned ValFleurier evolved, it has logically begun to produce parts for many of the Group’s other brands, but it is obvious that both the existence of ValFleurier and the massive new facility being built adjacent to it are directly related to Panerai’s rise in status to a true manufacture.
Says Angelo Bonati, “ValFleurier began working just for Panerai, and then the Group saw the benefit to servicing other brands as well. But that is great for us, because the more there is a spirit of innovation there, the more we all benefit. Also, I would humbly say that because we were involved very early in ValFleurier, we communicated a spirit of how we work to the entire manufacture. We work with enthusiasm and passion; otherwise, you cannot realize your dream and you will not be satisfied. The best results can only come from the personal motivation of human beings, and this is innately linked to having pride in what you do.”
What ValFleurier is capable of achieving in terms of specialized parts is simply staggering. A look into the highly specialized movement factory reveals its unique abilities, such as rendering the complex parts for the clutch in the P.2004 or the tourbillon in the P.2005. The implication of the creative freedom that this will provide in Panerai’s future is major. For example, Panerai’s P.2005 tourbillon represents a total revolution in the world of tourbillon wristwatches, yet it would have been totally unachievable without the ability to render many of the specialized parts used within, such as the toothed conical element that replaces the fixed fourth wheel of a normal tourbillon. Says Bonati, “ValFleurier is inextricably linked with the future of Panerai.”
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