Leica ZM1 and ZM2 Urban Green Watches Fail to Inspire.

 

It's an understatement to suggest Leica are known for their lenses, whether on camera's, glasses or optics, their excellence in this puts them only second or equal to Hasselblad dependant upon your preference, meaning either the premier or number two in the world in this specialism.

The problem with being the best at something is it gives you the idea you can be good at everything.  In our view Leica's watch releases are testament to that.  We can't fault the technical excellence of them, but for us they feel like Apple products. Bland and uninspired.

Sadly our view doesn't appear to be widely held.  As companies rarely continue to develop new products unless they have some success. Therefore the new Urban Green edition ZM1 and ZM2 Leica watches appear to demonstrate there is a market for these.

Who knows, maybe Leica is taking a loss-making approach to these, and will give up in a few years.  We hope so.  Too many brands want it all, and while we don't oppose heterodox thinking, nowadays vanilla means having "range's" in the same way every movie is a trilogy.  We say bring back narrow specialism, and profit motive be damned.

In the event you disagree the Leica watches are available from £12,000 now.

Rolex Potentially Destroys Replica Watch Market With Identity Chip and Blockchain Verification.

At a certain point in the history of Rolex watches, the hologram in the image above represented the pinnacle of being able to differentiate genuine Rolex watches from others.  Now it's possible to purchase a hologram for $20.00.  The world has moved on, and Rolex has made numerous changes since then in efforts to make a real watch stand out.  Acid etched crowns in the sapphire crystal, rehaut engraving of the Rolex brand name, however as anyone who has become aware of the modern replica watch world knows, all have been replicated.

The internet has tremendous power to facilitate communication, as is commonly understood.  What human beings do when they communicate is compare notes, and seek to improve what they have.  The application of this to replica watches has created pieces which challenge the originals in every respect.  While Rolex don't mention their view on this, and given their strong sales you would have thought they don't really care, a patent filed in late 2024 suggests they care a great deal, and may be about to introduce the final boss of anti-replica measures.

The patent, registered in August 2024 by Rolex at the Organisation Mandible de la Propriete Intellectuale, proposes the integration of a microchip inside a Rolex, which has a number of functions.  The chip allows the user to register the watch to themselves, to have an app based repair service notification, and chiefly for the purposes of this article, to have in app and blockchain authenticity verification.

This last element is in our view fatal to the replica watch market.  This does present an unusual issue, as referring back to the replica watch market that has exploded, the forums which are inhabited by hundreds of thousands of users get daily enquiries on "how close to gen is it?".  This question is derided by long term users who claim some sort of purity of purpose in respect of replica watch collecting, as if it somehow has a higher calling than wanting to have something that looks like a genuine watch.  This is quite an odd suggestion to make, and has within it an inherent contradiction.  If a person wasn't concerned about whether a replica watch looks identical to a genuine one it copies, why not buy an entirely different watch and why try to ape the output of a luxury watch manufacturer?

The extent to which the conceit these forums suggest is true is set to be put to a real test with this new technology once introduced.  Because if someone can take out their phone and scan your watch and say its not genuine, then no matter how accurate the physical details are, indeed even it the president of Rolex were standing there saying it's genuine, it won't be believed.

We predict one of two outcomes.  One, this technology will be introduced, and it will be the death knell of the replica watch industry for newer models.  Older "pre-chip" models will still be produced, but nothing after that will attract significant investment from replica factories to produce.  Because blockchain's are pretty immovable, so it just won't be worth it to try.  There will be humorous side effects of this, as those aforementioned purists will no doubt humiliate themselves talking about how they are dedicated to the hobby, and don't care.  They however will be laughed at, and ignored.

The second outcome we suggest is Rolex won't introduce the technology.  The fact is they are not having trouble selling watches because of replicas.  Indeed there is a healthy contingent of replica watch buyers that own genuine watches, and buy replicas to wear in dangerous environments.  Not to mention people who buy them the "try them out" and see if they like the feel on their wrist before committing to a real one.  Rolex know this, and so they are likely to be very cautious about introducing a technology which by it's very nature invalidates part of the promise of a mechanical watch, which is the hand crafted, non tech elegance, while also exposing a customers privacy by virtue of a digital tracker chip on their wrist.  

We will wait to see the path Rolex choose.  We hope it's the latter, as the replica watch market is no threat to the luxury watch industry in reality and makes a great many people quite happy, both the self deluded ones and others.

Aviteur Brand Goes From Strength to Strength in Travel Luggage.

 

We like deserved success stories, and in our view, Aviteur fits the bill.  Helmed by Patricia Gucci, of the Gucci family, the company has been producing high quality cabin luggage for the past few years, and in a crowded marketplace, it presents an alternative of sorts.

The four wheeled luggage is clad in supple leather, and covered in a woven pattern not unlike Bottega, but different enough to make it stand out.  

The touch which really makes these stand out from competitors is the lucite extending handle.  This affords them a feeling they are 'gliding' as they move along, an arresting image, and one which is quite striking.  

We have to leave room for the possibility that Ms Gucci is merely a figurehead, and has no connection to the output, and this I just a clever marketing stunt.  That works only in so far as the products, and here, they pass muster.  

The original cabin luggage that set the ball rolling retails from £6,153.00, and they have recently expanded their range to include small leather goods and other luggage pieces.  We hope they succeed, and aren't purchased by LVMH leading to them being stripped of everything that makes them special. 

 

VIPP Launches Impractical Outdoor Furniture

 

The images presented here seem like they show a range of minimal, Scandinavian type furniture, ready for any sympathetic environment.  However, the truth of matter is that these are intended to be outdoor furniture.  The new range from VIPP, the Danish brand best known for their high concept bins, have debuted this range of interior pieces which according to them are eminently suitable for the outdoors.  The only problem is, no they're not.

Anyone with even the most minimal experience of outdoor furniture will see a glaring and significant issue with these, which for the untrained eye is the upholstery.  These being woven makes them completely impractical for outdoor use.  The fact is, woven fabrics create gaps, which moisture can enter into, this means that ambient moisture in the environment seeps into a product, and saturates and degrades it.  This is why the rare examples of outdoor fabrics are solid flat weave nylons that don't allow water to get through the outer surface.  But it gets worse.

Not only is the woven design impractical, the material theses are made from is not synthetic, it is a natural fibre, in particular, yarn.  This isn't something VIPP appear to want consumers to immediately know, they call the fabric "Dune" and it's necessary to really dig into the website and surrounding material to discover this is yarn.  Even then it's quite Delphic, leaving open ended what it's truly composed of.  However, anyone with a modicum of common sense will know that natural fibres can't be used outdoors, as the elements will utterly destroy them in no time at all.

What this means is that anyone who want's to use these will need to remove all the upholstery and pack it away every time they come to recline in their garden furniture, and set it up every time when they want to use it.  Relaxing early morning sit on the porch watching the sunrise?  Nope, got to get all the cushions set up first.  Chill evening then off to bed after a drink with friends, nope, got to pack up all those cushions, it might rain!  Summer tea with friends in the garden?  Better check the weather report first.

This is sad in out view, VIPP is a brand we love, and strongly support their high quality products.  We love the expansion of their products to incorporate more diverse products.  Also, their furniture is quite stylish.  But this is a swing and a miss.  The prices are at least relatively reasonable, staring at £545 for the basic chairs.

ERL Statement Flip Flops Attract Needless Controversy

 

ERL, the namesake brand of the photographer Eli Russel Linnetz, has been producing the type of decent, high quality casuals that typify LA brands like James Perse and Pasadena Leisure Club.  Their pieces have never been inexpensive, with sweats being in the £400.00 region, but they've been attracting controversy for their Flip Flops.  Which as our title suggest is quite unnecessary.

The Brand has produced three versions, the low, with a 1 inch sole for £205.00, the big, with a 5 inch sole, for £407.00, and the huge, with an 8 inch sole, for £1390.00.

Online media has written a great deal on the fact that ERL are on the face of it selling $1,500 Flip Flops "in this economy", however a child should be able to see this is clearly a marketing move.  The only model 90% of consumers might buy is the 1 inch model, and at £205.00 it's relatively reasonable in the luxury Flip Flop market.  For example, the Hermes Oran sandal is £510.00 and Brunello Cucinelli's rubber Flip Flop is £350.00.  ERL's standard model is therefore, in universe, quite reasonable.

The other models are designed to get tongues wagging.  Which worked.  Because, like it or not, even as meta commentary, we are discussing it. Well done ERL, well played.

LVMH's Loro Piana Faces Legal Challenges over Worker Exploitation.

 

While we enjoy consumption, as demonstrated by hours of blurb, an aspect of the luxury goods industry often ignored is the workers that assemble them.  It is extremely easy as a luxury goods consumer to imagine that all the goods we enjoy are crafted in quaint workshops in small French or Italian villages, with sunshine streaming through the antique critall windows, and workers who have regular breaks, and enjoy a glass of fine wine while considering the beautiful artisanal products they produce.  Or diligent young tailoring apprentices full of hope for the bright future when they start their own brands, sweating away in shop basements in cool centrally located areas, going to meet their young friends at trendy bars when they finally finish that customers garment.  The reality is however far more depressing, and quite dark.

This reality has had a light shone into it over the past year, with the workshops of LVMH owned Dior, the Valentino Group, and Armani Group, all being placed under administration by Italian courts for poor treatment of workers.  Another of LVMH's brands, Loro Piana, has now also received this sanction as of May 20 2025.

According to publicly available information form the Court transcripts, Chinese immigrant workers in the factory outside of Milan, 5 of whom were not documented as having entered the country, were kept in unsanitary conditions, forced to work 90-hour work weeks, beaten, and faced wages being withheld.  These wages incidentally, were €4 per hour, meaning a $5,000 cashmere jacket would cost around €118 in labour.

There's very little to add to this.  It's a harrowing tale, which exposes that LVMH, a brand we have repeatedly criticised for it's sanitising and deadening effect on the luxury goods market, is in fact allowing practices which can only be described as despicable to be carried out in their factories.  The counterargument is of course they are not directly involved, as the abuses are perpetrated by contractors they instruct.  But that's a pretty pathetic argument, as when the labour for your garment costs you probably €150 maximum, what did you think is happening to those workers?  It is amusing however that while these brands have such sterile aesthetics, under the surface they are mired in filth.

Vollebak SpaceShop for Bang Olufsen Anodised Aluminium Beosound 2 Vollebak Edition and Vollebak Anodised Jacket

 

 

We've written about Vollebak before, which is unsurprising as we discuss luxury goods and Vollebak price points put it firmly into the luxury goods category.  However, Vollebak, started by two English brothers in 2016, creates unusual pieces.  For example a Graphene jacket we wrote about.  It's pretty reasonable to observe therefore that either due to an understanding of marketing, or desire to stand out, their projects and products are not pedestrian.  The latest set of releases from them tends to suggest they enjoy both spectacle, and are excellent at marketing.

The project is in fact quite difficult to understand conventionally.  What the brand has done is engaged Saga Space Architects, a company which designs products used in the International Space Station, and Bang & Olufsen, which needs no introduction, and created a pop up shop designed like a space ship.

It's quite easy to dismiss this as merely a marketing gimmick to sell two new products, a speaker and a jacket.  Which principally is right, but that would entirely fail in our view to appreciate the level of creativity and craftsmanship that went into this.  We often write about tired cliches of brands collaborating to produce nothing other than an existing product in a new colour, and repeatedly level criticism at the profound lack of creativity in the obvious attention grabbing creations designed for attention only of brands such as Louis Vuitton.  Yet to fail to be even slightly impressed by the SpaceShop suggests a person lacks heart.  Just look at the way they positioned the Beosound 2's, they're like little laser guns on the front of this space fighter jet.

As for the products, the Vollebak jacket is made from the same type of anodised aluminium which NASA makes it's astronaut garments out of, and which are given to participants in race's to insulate, and costs £2,995.  While the speaker is an unusual design.  We don't mean to sound effusive in our praise here, but we often criticise Bang & Olufsen as precisely one of the brands that lacks creativity, by committing the sin of releasing a different colour and charging more.  However with this they have created something quite unusual.  The finish looks different enough to justify the premium, and it's priced at £4,450.

After its debut in Copenhagen the SpaceShop will tour the world.  It's a matter for you whether you're enthused by the jacket and speaker.  But we feel whatever you think of the products, it behooves you to be impressed at the presentation, and of the SpaceShop.

Sotherby's Hermes Bag Sale demonstrates collectable market remains lucrative

F Scott Fitzgerald never said "the Rich are different from us", and Ernest Hemingway didn't reply, "yes they have more money".   This often referenced fictional exchange is best exemplified in no other market than art and collectibles.  Things of no other value than what those are willing to pay for them.

For some time now second hand fashion items have comprised part of the collectibles market, and this met it's final boss so to speak at auction in Sotherby's New York on 10 July 2025 for $10 million.

There's little to say on this.  Item's like this selling in this manner transcend concepts of value, and clearly represent something other than supply or demand.  Another example being the Leonardo Da Vinci Salvatore Mundi painting which was bought by the leader of Saudi Arabia for $450 million, who then gave it as a gift to the leader of the United Arab Emirates.  All while the provenance of the work remains in question.  

These sales and purchases, they transmit power, dominance, and ownership. They display wealth, and move money around in ways that aren't possible by other vehicles.  Or allow for tax write offs.  In the case of this handbag, it was purchased by Valuance Japan, a luxury goods reseller.  The purpose here is therefore quite clear.  A signal of Valuance's importance, free advertising drawing consumers to them, while simultaneously increasing the overall value of the second hand handbag market.