The past few years of Fine Watchmaking has been dominated by the hype of blue watches in almost every element. However, there is a new colour on the block and this year many brands have begun experimenting with the look of green accents, dials and detailing.

1. 50 SHADES
OF… GREEN
16 November 2016 - 29 November 2016

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION.........................................03
SNAPSHOT OF THE PERIOD
TrendingTopics...........................................05
Volume of Conversations......................07
ANALYZING THE SOCIAL BUZZ
Among Influencers...................................10
Beyond Influencers....................................12
THE BACKGROUND...................................13
BEHIND THE TREND.................................16
READ THE TREND.....................................21
THE METHOD...............................................22
THE FOUNDATION’S MISSION...........23

3. INTRODUCTION
This series of trend reports are a collaboration
between London-based agency RE-UP and
the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. They
will look back over the past two weeks and
discover what’s been ‘trending’ online.
We aim to discover which watches, stories
and industrial developments in the world of
horology gain the most amount of coverage
on the digital sphere - uncovering why these
trends are important.

4. SNAPSHOT
OF THE PERIOD

5. TRENDING TOPICS AND STORIES
BETWEEN NOVEMBER 16 TO NOVEMBER 29
Percentage of conversations on luxury watches penetrated by the topic
Hublot have released the limited edition
Big Bang Ferrari 45mm
Christie’s Auction House last week sold
the most expensive wristwatch ever
Last week was the second annual
Dubai Watch Week
Rolex Submariner 116610LV with a ceramic
green bezel is being talked about
Topper’s Fine Jewellers have collaborated
with Omega with a shop-in-shop
1.40%
0.95%
0.72%
0.61%
0.42%

6. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

7. VOLUME OF CONVERSATIONS
ON HIGH-END WATCHES

8. ANALYSING
THE SOCIAL BUZZ
OF THE ROLEX
SUBMARINER 116610LV

10. Among Influencers
27.41%
Penetration of conversations
by Rolex in Swiss watch
related conversations
15.58%
Increase of Rolex mentions
against the previous two
weeks
12.95%
Of mentions o Rolex are in
relation to the Green

11. “This is the green money Rolex”
- Robert Downey Jr.

12. Beyond Influencers
97,364
All online mentions of Rolex
46.03%
Increase of Rolex watch
mentions against the previous
two weeks
1.11%
Of mentions of Rolex in relation
to Green

13. THE BACKGROUND
The Rolex Submariner Date reference 116610LV aka “The
Hulk” is exactly the same as the Rolex Submariner we
have all grown fond of, except it’s green.
With a green ceramic bezel and green dial, the 116610LV
joins a subculture of green dial Rolex watches that have
usually been released as unofficial anniversary pieces.
The Rolex Submariner 116610LV may not be a limited
edition, however it won’t be one that Rolex will make
forever. Its popularity has kept it in production.

14. @danieltanw

15. Green is an important colour for Rolex, given it’s the
brand’s primary trademark logo colour. This means that
many watches, from Daytonas to Presidents, have been
produced in different shades of green.
With a green bezel, this watch does something very
difficult within Fine Watchmaking. Ceramic dials in
colours are much harder to craft than say, black or
white. This is because colours such as green tend to be
far less consistent in the baking process. It’s a good job
that Rolex are the kings of ‘colourful’ ceramic bezels.

16. BEHIND
THE TREND

17. The past few years of Fine Watchmaking has been
dominated by the hype of blue watches in almost
every element. However, there is a new colour on
the block and this year many brands have begun
experimenting with the look of green accents, dials and
detailing.
Since Baselworld 2016, a number of luxury watch
manufacturers have displayed new models in various
shades of green; most notably Hublot releasing a green
camo version of its Big Bang Unico Italia Independent.

18. @ andy5353

19. Why is this happening? Well a wider look into
the fashion world might explain. One of the most
prominent colours of SS16 fashion shows was ‘green
flash’. The Pantone Colour Report placed it as the
third biggest. The blue, that watchmakers have come
to know and love is seen all the way down
at number 10.
The popularity of this according to the report, ‘is
representative of nature’s persistent influence even in
urban environments’. In a year which global warming
and our love for the environment around us has
come back into prominence, it’s no surprise that
green is a ‘budding’ trend.

20. @tewatches

21. Russell Crowe, man of action
Russell Crowe was wearing his
Rolex Submariner during our
interview with him.
H. Moser & Cie – Cosmic
green
H. Moser & Cie recently released
the Endeavour Centre Seconds
Concept Cosmic Green.
READ THE TREND

22. THE METHOD
We use two key social listening tools to gather the raw
data we have analysed for this report.
The first, an in-house bespoke database of 2000+
influencers and online sources within luxury and
watches - with the ability to gather insight into six
month’s worth of online buzz.
The second, a social (and media) listening tool that
looks at multiple keywords. This allows us to measure
and examine all online conversations over a set period.

23. THE
FOUNDATION’S
MISSION

24. The mechanical watch is a wonderful instrument and
the guardian of craftsmanship, creativity
and of course, time.
Our objective here at the Fondation de la Haute
Horlogerie, is to take our wealth of expertise into
the world through our four missions: to inform, train,
recognise and organise.
Since 2005, we have promoted values of excellence and
tradition within an organisation that has the support of
many Fine Watchmaking brands.

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