Bang Olufsen Beo Grace Fail to Impress Prior to Reviews

 

Bang & Olufsen has continually failed to impress in one area of their product ranges, that being their in ear headphones.  They haven't managed to capture the market since the days of their A8 headphones, and with their latest wireless earbuds they appear to be harkening directly back to those Halcyon days.  Yet forums and tech journalism is not persuaded.

Those who consume design led magazines and newspapers might be fooled, as several of the higher end publications have written in the most glowing terms about these.  Waxing lyrical on the high design, and stunning feature set.  Yet a glance towards outlets that regularly write about technology, along with forums for B&O, show a far more circumspect view, which firmly seems to have declined to drink the marketing Kool Aid.

Amongst these more realistic groups the 4.5 hour battery life has been derided as beyond disappointing.  While the claims of battery replaceability having been simply laughed at.  The major reason for this is the price, which is £1,000, or $1,500.  This makes them at the same level as IEM's, yet while IEM's can offer world class sound, these seem to lack high resolution codec, only supporting AAC, SBC and LC3.

It's difficult to discern what the marketing team at Bang Olufsen are thinking here with the pricing.  The H100's are pricey, but they offer an entirely different value proposition.  Over ear headphones can last for many, many years.  In ear headphones won't.  No amount of marketing guff will change that.  We can't help feeling that using these is more likely to get you laughed at than admired, as they are simply overpriced at their release.

Brunello Cucinelli Eyewear Demonstrate's Dominance of Jacque's Marie Mage

 

It's difficult to conceive the absolutely seismic impact that Jacque's Marie Mage has had on the luxury eyewear industry.  The brand has encapsulated the idea of storytelling, the mythologising of very specific artisanal manufacturing, specifically heavy Japanese acetate, and the concept of "limited editions.  It has weaponised these and created a brand which produces products that are both overwhelmingly in demand, selling out consistently, while also being astronomically priced, for example the starting price for frames is $900.00, going up to several thousand dollars.

The idea of pricey glasses isn't new.  Cartier make frames that are excessively priced as routine.  However the manufactured image JMM has fostered allows them to dominate the marketplace.  Whether you know it or not you have seen your favourite celebrity wearing this stealth wealth yet loud brand. With an example of how extraordinary their popularity is being the period movie, Babylon, starring Brad Pitt, set in 1920's Hollywood, where Pitt insisted on using his JMM Zepherin glasses, despite the brand only having launched in 2014 nearly 100 years after the period the film is supposed to be set within.

It's often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but more often than not in consumer goods, it reflects a desire to capture a market that has moved in a given direction.  And unquestionably luxury glasses manufacturers are copying JMM in hopes they can grab some of that halo of success.  One overwhelming example is the Brunello Cucinelli "Mr Brunello" sunglasses, and their remarkable similarity to JMM glasses.

From the bold design, to the description which heavily references "bilayer acetate", to the packaging which even replicates JMM's red colouring, as the images on this article show, with JMM on the left, and Cucinelli on the right, anyone failing to see the parallels is clearly fooling themselves.  

In our view, JMM does it better. There's little to say here.  JMM had a vision, they followed it, and continue to produce products in line with it.  We don't find them without fault.  Their constant claim of limited numbered editions, while constantly producing the same frame with the minutest difference is annoying.  But they are still stunningly well made glasses that redefined luxury glasses.  Until something else comes along they continue to lead the way, and imitators beware, lest ye be called out by irrelevant commentators like us.

Hermes Rare Swing and a Miss With Connected and Terre Speakers, and Headphones plus more Audio Plans.

 

Just yesterday we ridiculed the Loewe x Jacob headphones as risible (here), yet we turn around and immediately find another luxury audio technology release bordering on the ridiculous, and this time from out favourite luxury merchant, Hermes.  

First we have the connected speaker, in leather, for £24,000 per speaker, next the Odyssey Terre which has a detachable "mini" speaker for $27,000, then the wireless headphones on limited release for $15,000, and a £250,000 statement jukebox not worth mentioning as it isn't on general release.

The speakers, and limited release headphones, give no information about the specifications, no updates on the technology inside, and nothing speaking to what they do, just the price tag and the vaguest of information on the fact they are audio equipment.  According to the most Delphic press statement imaginable from Axel de Beaufort, Ateliers Horizons' creative director, “We need to understand the engineering of things. It doesn’t mean that we do the engineering, but we need to understand and we need to be able to push boundaries." Whatever that means.

As the headline states, in out view this is a miss for Hermes, and smacks of the same slightly sad desperation seen in the Loewe Jacob release.  The luxury market is contracting, so they are flailing desperately and trying to do something, anything, to draw clientele back to spend money.  But this isn't it.  We're not saying luxury technology isn't desirable, Bang Olufsen regularly show that with £100,000 plus speakers.  But this isn't luxury technology, because technology by its nature should move with the times.  This is obviously very low end tech which is likely already obsolete, covered in Hermes leather, with vague press releases promising commitment to more tech, identical to the Jacob Loewe set of headphones.  Which is a sad indictment of how Hermes must be doing. 

We only hope they don't do poorly enough to consider allowing themselves to be acquired by LVMH, and therefore loosing everything that makes them special.  That, not the sad outdated old hifi kit they attempting to rip clients off with, will be the true tragedy.

Loewe Jacob $135,000 Headphones Desperately Flail in a Failing Luxury Market.

 

On its face, these pairs of headphones which are a collaboration between Loewe technology and Jacob the jeweller are yawn inducing.  They follow the staid and predicable trend of attempting to grab attention with eye-watering prices.  The silver pair being white god and diamond costing $135,000, and the fancy coloured black set costing $120,000 with multi hued sapphires and yellow gold. 

We've frankly seen it all before.  With excessively vulgar brands such as Gresso pumping out diamond studded iPhone's, and special limited edition premium versions of everyday items, such as the $2 million diamond shoes also from Jacob the Jeweller (here).

Yet, there was a whimsical, playful, and genuine sense that those other items were fun.  The Loewe Jacob headphones smack of desperation in the current dire luxury market's climate.  Launched at an event in Monaco which appeared to have been attended by a cast of super villains, a Forbes article waxed lyrical about how these are redefining what luxury means (here).  If they mean producing pointless tasteless products no-one wants and nobody will buy, as even the super wealthy would make fun of anyone buying these, then yes, they most certainly are "redefining luxury". 

Aime Leon Dore North Face Collaboration.

 Brands seeking a steer in respect of how to properly effect a collaboration need look no further than in the direction of this micro capsule between Aime Leon Dore and North Face.  Collaborations often fail to address a key question, which is "why?"  If the only thing the collaboration produces is a different colour, it's pointless.  The true answer to the question is "to bring together to two companies and produce something that synthesises their specialisms".  Which this collection does in spades.

First, it's short and sweet, six pieces, no more, no less.  Second. it's North Face items, the Nuptse jacket, Denali Jaket, North face hat and backpack, and one original shell jacket.  Third it applies Aime Leon Dore's notable ability to source high quality producers, by main the Nuptse in Casentino wool fleece.  

The result is a targeted, intentional, and sharp collection of choice pieces ranging in price from £130 to £700.  Available now on Aime Leon Dore's website.

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.