indignantdenial
348
Here are my replies:
Mar 27, 2024,01:43 AM
First, you can like the watch and brand because you're of course allowed to. My arguments clarify my gripes and attempt to argue back against the hype and marketing which I think don't accurately reflect the facts.
1. That it's real isn't in itself a token in favour of the thing being a good product, it's just a brute fact. It's one thing to have a real product that looks nice; it's another to have one that is real and as incredible as people proclaim it to be.
2. Just as you say he isn't an industry professional and that shouldn't count against him, I think that it does count against him, but not as a reason of privilege. I think the fact that he isn't involved or well-educated in watchmaking and design like many independents are is precisely the factor that counts against him. I do not think one requires formal training and loads of experience to create something wonderful, but it goes a long way in something like the watch space, unless you're some sort of prodigy. But a prodigy is, by definition, a rarity and hence there is cause to pursue formal training and experience when looking to make your own impact on the industry (i.e., Roger Smith, Simon Brette, Keaton Myrick, to name but a few). Even if one wants to cite Mr. Billard as a counter-example, you have to remember he taught himself; it's not clear that Fleming is the professional here, even though he is aided by them, so he himself still lacks relevant experience. If you think it's unfair to compare him to real industry professionals, consider whether that asymmetry is relevant. Fleming is playing the same ballgame as the rest of them, and he's making his way into the space which is occupied by other established makers. One has to compete with those who are already there in an industry where the default is competition, so there's no mercy rule here: as an investor for his own brand, he would know this and has to assume that risk. Clearly he has assumed that risk, and since that is so, it is legitimate to compare him to other players who did the same.
3. He literally chose specifications for a dressed-up Chronode C101, so yes. He went to Centror for the cases. He went to Comblémine Cadrans for the dials. Czapek does a similar thing, like using Métalem for their dials, and Chronode for their SXH series and the result is remarkable. I don't know what kind of distinction you're trying to draw here about this: these are established suppliers and indeed powerhouses. I think they all have incredible capabilities and make beautiful things. Again, I think there is no contradiction in going to all of them and requesting excellent parts and still ending up with a subpar product. Just because you get the nicest parts and put them together does not mean your design isn't flawed or uninspired. That aspect doesn't just come from the quantitative part of manufacturing. There is also the qualitative aspect (not quality but rather the felt quality of inspired design or beauty or what have you) that is much more intangible.