Not long ago, in an interview with Chronos and Watchtime.net, Jean-Claude Beaver talked about the management confusion in Zenith in the past two years. All kinds of seemingly small mistakes accumulated and caused The brand not only failed to achieve the expected development goals, but caused considerable losses, forcing him to choose to take charge of Zenith himself.

   ‘Pure numbers are never the most important. Deficits are not important to me, but they are a manifestation of deeper problems. For me, it is important to know the cause of the deficit. Only then can I act accordingly. Mr. Beaver said, ‘The situation today is not caused by a single factor, but there are many small reasons. Is there a problem with the product? Or is it hiring too many employees? Or should marketing be better? Take out a single one , There should be no full responsibility. There are a few mistakes here, a little mistakes there, cumulative accumulation, and eventually the entire company is dead in my eyes. The company is not fast enough to run and develop, and my patience has been exhausted. Force. ‘
   A well-developed manufacturer, such as Zenith, must act immediately when sales are below the level at which it can make a profit. ‘Being a manufacturer is both an advantage and a disadvantage, because you must complete a minimum production volume that is profitable. For a manufacturer with more than 200 employees, the profit threshold is about 25,000 to 30,000 per year. If these numbers are not reached, it is inevitable Yes, the company will lose money. ‘
   When asked about Zenith’s positioning in the LVMH Group (which owns Tag Heuer and Hublot watches), Beaver said: ‘Zenith represents a traditional watch with price affinity, luxury that can be achieved, it More classic than Tag Heuer, the price of the product is between Hublot and Tag Heuer. ‘
   As far as Tag Heuer is concerned, Mr. Beaver’s big strategy is to add greater value to each watch on the basis of the customer’s psychological price. Zenith is better positioned, but the strategy is the same. ‘It depends on the specific product. If a home-made ultra-thin watch is offered at a price of 4,000 euros, then this price is affinity, because the expected cost of a similar watch is about 9,000 euros. For example, it is usually sold for 200,000 euros ‘We are only selling 60,000 euros for a three-question watch, so this price is within reach.’
   So for how the market awareness and brand positioning translate into specific products, Mr. Beaver believes that it is a good time to add a new sports watch series to Zenith. He revealed: ‘People’s lives are becoming more and more casual and sporty. Zenith already has a pilot series, but in my opinion it is not a sports watch. 2019/20, Zenith will add a new and unique Sports watch series. ‘

2016 can be said to be the year of TUDOR’s Black Bay. The entire series not only significantly replaced the homemade movement, but also introduced a number of super-topic styles such as the copper case and All Black models, and even There is a 36mm version with a rotatable bezel. The attention on BASELWORLD is close to my brother, Rolex, and it has become the main indicator of the price of brands in the ’16 year watch exhibition.

Feature one: the main force of Tudor in these years
Black Bay was first launched in 2012. That year, Tudor focused on diving watches. The new products, Black Bay and Pelagos, were divided into two routes. One was a slightly weaker specification, but the classic replica was strong, and the other was a modern design. However, the introduction of titanium case, ceramic bezel and other high-end equipment, can be said to be a strategic thinking configuration. As a result, the player’s interest in Tudor still seems to be concentrated on the classic models. Since the launch of the two models, the discussion and sales are mostly based on Black Bay. Tudor also took the opportunity to launch the blue circle version to be introduced two years later. In 2015, the original replica Black Bay One, which stole the limelight at the Only Watch auction, pushed the brand’s momentum to the top in one breath. From the subsequent launch of the black circle version and the full-scale explosion of 2016, All these were originally a series of plans by Tudor, intertwined and meticulous.

The axe needle (or snowflake needle) has now become the most important identification of the Tudor diving watch, and the modern version is the same; in fact, the benz needle divided the luminous into that way in order to prevent large areas of paint from cracking. From this perspective, the technical content of the axe needle coated on the whole surface is higher.

Feature two: the old version still has meaning to start with
It seems a bit awkward to come back to the Black Bay when the brand has announced a major change at the end of the year, but as a member of the Rolex family, a watch will be given meaning at any stage in the development process. Even if it is a watch, the new version introduces a new type of bracelet. Although this ‘new’ bracelet is a riveted chain from the Tudor 50s and 60s, in the antique Tudor Water Ghost, there are two kinds of straps. Yes, in fact, it does not matter the purity, if someone still prefers the previous version of the chain link, it will be more meaningful.

Black Bay’s bezels are aluminum plated, which is slightly weaker than the Pelagos ceramic bezels of the same period, but it does not hurt its popularity. The 12-point triangle on the red and blue bezels is the same silver and white as the digital scale, but the black circle version has been changed to a red triangle.

Feature 3: Blue has been tamping in recent years
The blue circle version was launched after the red circle version. Compared with the red circle version, in addition to the bezel, there is another difference in the color of the hands, the metal parts of the time scale and the scale. The red circle version is made of gold here. (The black circle version later also), the blue circle version is silver-white, although the gold looks more retro, but if you want to be more versatile, the silver-white may be more practical to wear Wear some. Black Bay chain and belt are divided into two when buying, but both of them have a separate textured belt; the textured belt can be said to be one of the selling points of the Tudor replica style. After watching the officially released video, you will know that Tudor’s textured belt is definitely different from the popular products. The matching belt is aged, and the surface has traces like cracks and abrasion, which is in line with the impression of the engraved style.

Of the three types of Black Bay straps, the chain and belt are equipped with folding buckles, while the textured belt is equipped with pin buckles. The folding buckle shape of the belt uses the shield shape in the Logo, and the polishing is quite delicate, but the Black Bay uses a rose logo. The shield shape is slightly contradictory here.

Black Bay Blue

Stainless steel material / ETA 2824 self-winding movement / hours, minutes, seconds display / sapphire crystal mirror / water resistance 200 meters / table diameter 41mm