As a marketeer and horology enthusiast, I keep a watchful eye on the most notable advertisements in the world of watches. I will share the most striking campaigns and advertisements with you regularly. To stay up to date, follow me.
In this article, I will take you to some of the most remarkable advertisements and campaigns of all time. Watch enthusiasts in particular probably already know them, but for those who are not familiar, I will explain them in detail.
TIMEX KEEPS YOU SERENE | 2022
In a time when everyone is connected, I find this advertisement to strike the right note. It evokes in me an emotion often conjured up by luxury timepieces. Although this is not a mechanical watch – this one also runs on a battery – it makes you realize that we don’t always have to be switched on and be on call.
HUBLOT VIOLENCE | 2010
Hublot is a brand that generates hate and love, but among watch lovers mainly the first one. I will explain why (with my take) in another article, but despite the unpopularity among watch lovers, they remain one of the best-selling brands! This is quite impressive if you don’t have the support of the early adopters.
One of their iconic campaigns by legend Jean-Claude Biver is from 2010. That year, Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was sadly robbed from his Hublot watch. And beaten up in the process.
Marketing genius Biver immediately took the opportunity to ask if he could use the photo for his Hublot campaign with the text: “See what people will do for a Hublot. A great way of capitalizing on recent events, before the age of social media.
OMEGA TO THE MOON | 1969 – PRESENT
It is perhaps the most long-running and most exploited marketing campaign in the world of watchmaking: the first timepiece worn on the moon. I will not elaborate on the marketing campaign itself in this article. This will be covered in another article.
The truth remains that with the moon landing in 1969 an icon was born. While many competitors exaggerate their marketing campaigns (looking at you Rolex), the Omega Speedmaster is still the first watch to have been on the moon. Omega has highlighted it many times and issued countless limited editions in its honor.
The recently launched Omega x Swatch campaign marks the beginning of a new era. Omega is getting more and more creative and bold: I love it!
H. MOSER & CIE SWISS ICONS WATCH | 2018
How do you stand out as an indie/independent watch brand among the Swiss giants? By breaking the rules and causing a stir. Moser & Cie is known for their unusually designed timepieces using extraordinary materials. They don’t make many watches, but the ones they do make are thought-provoking. However, to establish a name for yourself, you need people to talk about you. They did a good job of this with the Swiss Icons design that was presented in 2018.
In the watch world, people regularly imitate each other. Unique elements turn out not to be unique anymore after a period of time. And I’m not talking about replicas. Moser & Cie has pushed this line of thought to the extreme and has combined elements from all the major Swiss brands to create the: Swiss Icons watch.
The result is a watch full of familiarities but not in the right way. Nevertheless, it has stirred up some tempers and caused a commotion. Anyway, only one watch was produced and it was auctioned.
BLANCPAIN NEVER MADE A QUARTZ WATCH | 1989
Could you say that Blancpain is the founder of the luxury watch market? The Quartz crisis caused the demise of many Swiss watch brands. Blancpain was restored to its former glory by Jean-Claude Biver and made famous by the advertisement below.
A brief explanation for the non-watch enthusiasts among us. Due to the emergence of quartz watches in the 70s and a global recession, many Swiss watch brands went bankrupt. They could not compete with the accurate and less expensive watches from Japan. Functionally, they were better and until then watches were not necessarily seen as a luxury product.
This changed in the 80s and 90s when brands like Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe reinvented themselves and repositioned as craftsman and luxury brands. To be fair, no Blancpain is not the founder of the luxury watch industry. But both Patek and Audemars Piguet produce quartz watches.
