If you’ve been keeping up with our coverage lately, you already know that 2020 has begun to signal the death of the physical watch trade show as we know it (most notably with all the woes that Baselworld is facing). With that, brands who depend on the coverage they get from trade shows for their yearly survival have to pivot their outreach strategies. The first of these brands we saw to make this pivot was Breitling, who opted for a fully digital release of their new timepieces.
The new brand to follow in suit (surprisingly enough to me) is Cartier. On April 25th, Cartier will be launching, “Cartier Watchmaking Encounters,” a new digital platform that the brand is using to announce new releases and generate interest.
“This platform is really meant to regroup a certain number of facets of Cartier’s watchmaking style, and going beyond the new products, to show the rich and varied watchmaking ecosystem” explains Arnaud Carrez, Cartier International’s Director of Marketing and Communications. What I love from this mentality is that it’s not only a functional avenue to just get the word out on new release. It’s also the brand exercising control over the actual experience watch enthusiasts have in relation to these releases.
The site/digital platform will share brand new Cartier releases in French, English, and Chinese. Some new releases that have been teased include new takes on the Cartier Pasha, Tank, an LE Santos-Dumont, as well as a new model called Maillon.
From all the information that’s being presented and shared by Cartier, it seems like the “Cartier Watchmaking Encounters” site will feature a substantial amount of information upon initial release. Totally stay tuned for an update to this article on what the initial experience looks like on the site. Needless to say, I’m quite excited to see how a major brand like Cartier handles an entirely digitally focused platform.
Interestingly, as I was initially writing this piece on the announcement of the “Cartier Watchmaking Encounters” digital platform, FIHH announced that Watches & Wonders would be transitioning to a digital event on April 25th. Check out that piece – basically W&W will be making digital environments for each of the roughly 30 brands that are set up to attend the show.
What I find slightly confusing is that Cartier has announced that their own “Cartier Watchmaking Encounters” platform will also be going live on April 25th, but Cartier is still being listed as an attendee of Watches & Wonders. Will there be crossover in terms of releases and digital experiences? Will we get new release information first from Cartier’s own digital property before Watches & Wonders? We’ll share more info as we get it.
Sources:
https://wwd.com/accessories-news/watches/exclusive-cartier-launches-digital-platform-for-new-watch-models-1203562563/
https://www.lainformacion.com/gentleman/cartier-watchmaking-encounters-un-nuevo-punto-de-encuentro-del-lujo/6560452/
Co-Founder and Senior Editor
Kaz has been collecting watches since 2015, but he’s been fascinated by product design, the Collector’s psychology, and brand marketing his whole life. While sharing the same strong fondness for all things horologically-affordable as Mike (his TBWS partner in crime), Kaz’s collection niche is also focused on vintage Soviet watches as well as watches that feature a unique, but well-designed quirk or visual hook.