The document summarizes trends in conversations about luxury watches from November 30th to December 13th. It found that a meetup of vintage Rolex collectors in Bali generated the most discussion. The event brought together over 100 collectors who shared rare watches. These groups help cultivate communities around brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe among superfans. The document also outlines the methods used to analyze social media conversations and the mission of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie to promote excellence in watchmaking.

1. CREATING A SENSE OF
COMMUNITY THROUGH
OWNERSHIP
30th November 2016 - 13th December 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 30 TO DECEMBER 13
Percentage of conversations on luxury watches penetrated by the topic
A. Lange & Sohne will release a new
version of its iconic Lange 1 Moon Phase
at SIHH with a new movement.
Last week hundreds of Vintage Rolex collectors
met up in Bali for the third annual Vintage Rolex
Asylum Meetup
IWC are redesigning their emblematic
Da Vinci collection this year, starting
with a perpetual calendar chronograph
Cartier will be increasing their horology range
at SIHH this year with three new additions,
including the Rotonde de Cartier Minute
Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon
Montblanc will release a limited edition version
of their 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter in
Bronze at SIHH.
1.24%
1.18%
1.12%
1.01%
0.95%

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

7. VOLUME OF CONVERSATIONS
ON HIGH-END WATCHES

8. ANALYSING
THE SOCIAL BUZZ
OF VINTAGE ROLEX
ASYLUMS ANNUAL
MEETUP

9. Image by: watchesbysjx

10. Among Influencers
24.05%
Penetration of conversations
by Rolex in Swiss watch
related conversations
6.96%
Decrease of Rolex mentions
against the previous two
weeks
12.95%
Of mentions o Rolex are in
relation to the Bali

11. “Still missing Bali a week later, but so glad I
got to spend some quality time up close and
personal with the legend feels like a long time
since I first saw it in London in 2014”
- Instagram user Nicholasbiebuyck,
on his time with the rare Rolex Cosmograph Yacht Master.

12. Beyond Influencers
122,989
All online mentions of Rolex
26.32%
Increase of Rolex watch
mentions against the previous
two weeks
0.18%
Of mentions of Rolex in relation
to Bali

13. THE BACKGROUND
Last week, a hundred of the most hardcore vintage
Rolex collectors on the planet met up in Bali for their
third anniversary. The Vintage Rolex Asylum (VRA) is
an invitation only club for collectors of rare and vintage
Rolex timepieces.
To attend the event, people flew in from Germany, Italy,
Japan, Dubai and even the United States - a 24 hour
plane journey.

14. @nobleandgraff

15. The enthusiasts brought with them 250+ watches
including: some flawless Submariners, some military-
issued, a decent number of Daytona chronographs with
Paul Newman Dials - both in stainless steel and gold,
and of course the pièce de résistance; one of three
known Rolex Cosmograph Yachtmasters.
The VRA was founded three years ago in Indonesia and
has since become a large group of Rolex enthusiasts.
The group includes the entire ecosystem of Rolex
including collectors, dealers and even auction house
specialists from Christie’s and Phillips.

16. BEHIND
THE TREND

17. Luxury brands have always built cult following - this is
especially true within Fine Watchmaking. The veteran
maisons such as Patek Philippe, Zenith and Rolex have
super fans that build their own communities around a
common interest in the brand.
These superfans, such as the Vintage Rolex Asylum
often arrange meetups, conferences and online
conversations to simply discuss their love for the
brand. Patek Philippe have even started their very own
‘owner’s area’ on Patek.com that features exclusive
content and ‘a private door into the world of the brand’.

18. @ manhattanrollie

19. These owners’ clubs aren’t overly different from the
forums that classic car forum enthusiasts use. The
difference lies in the money these consumers have
to spend and also the sense of community they feel
with other owners and enthusiasts.
During events such the one hosted in Bali lasting
friendships between both the brand and the
consumer are created. “Packing up and leaving
beautiful Bali. Thanks again to the Indo crew @
vintagerolexasylum and everybody involved for the
hospitality and arrangements.” said one user on
Instagram, showing his appreciation for the event
and club.

20. @ silas815

21. Patek Philippe and Rolex are
the stars of the autumn sales
Rolex and Patek Philippe
dominated the Autumn auction
Serious business at Rolex (1)
A look at Rolex and their place
within the Fine Watchmaking
market
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.

25. Follow us on: