What's your View on Erotic Watches?
Ulysee Nardin was one of the brands I was interested in, particularly its Marine line. I noted that they also make a line called "Classico", which offers adult-themed graphics on the dials. See this link: https://www.ulysse-nardin.com/row_en/watches/classico
I am not a fan of their Classico models, but I could accept, to certain degree, a luxury watchmaker putting adult-themed animation on the dials of their watches, as you may consider the drawing as arts, although this is a bit of stretch.
However, recently I found that Ulysee Nardin also made one or more much more explicit adult-themed watches recently, to a degree that has crossed the line into purely pornography.
I was wondering why a high-end luxury watch maker would do this and thus did some research and found that erotic watches were a piece of history that had disappeared for quite a while until Blancpain revived it in recent years and then Ulysee Nardin even more actively make it into the mainstream offering. Other very high-end brands also did this in a limited manner. The ones with the most explicit themes were sold in more private settings. Interestingly, I found Jenni Elle, a female watch reviewer, made a commentary on this theme. Please google for this review if your are interested. Don't want to include the link here, as the thumbnail of the video is a bit too explicit.
Unlike Jenni, I am not trying to debate the issue from a moral perspective. That is a good topic but is better for a different time and a different forum. Here my question for this poll is more from a marketing and brand positioning perspective.
Pornographic topics won't disappear anytime soon in our society, and somebody would make products with these themes anyway. But the point is this - is it wise for a prestigious brand making products, even if in a limited manner, to meet the needs of this "unique" needs of the market? Is it better to leave that "niche" market to somebody else? This feels to me like, say, BBC, which is very famous in making documentaries about nature and wildlife, also makes XXX-rated adult movies under the same production name! Do you think by doing this, these high-end watch brands are making their brands cheaper?
Because of what I found, I have now removed Ulysee Nardin from the brands I will consider.
What do you think? Please be reminded that the poll is about marketing and brand positioning rather than a question about morality. As noted, a debate of morality is a good topic but not for this forum.
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Vincent
I love watches and have been collecting inexpensive watches for over 20 years. Most are quartz watches but a few are automatic. None cost me more than C$300. Since two years ago, I started collecting...
Canada
Member since
Last active: 8 min ago
7.00” / 17.78 cm
They are made for bored rich people who view the world differently. None of us are the target audience, and I suspect if every person on Watch Crunch never bought another luxury watch, the industry wouldn't notice.
They are made for bored rich people who view the world differently. None of us are the target audience, and I suspect if every person on Watch Crunch never bought another luxury watch, the industry wouldn't notice.
You are definitely right on this!
Erotica is a-okay with me so long as it's between two consenting adult parties. It shouldn't be forced on anyone's feed if they're not in to it, but I've yet to ever see that happen to myself personally.
Agree. That’s why this poll is about brand positioning rather than a discussion of morality.
Feels like something leftover from a time when pornography wasn't the most readily available resource in the world.
This poll is an insult to French Fries.
If you are at the point that you need a watch to get your jollies then maybe a pocket watch is in order.
D. I don't give a $h**
Also, I like French fries.
Completely indifferent
Not every product is aimed at every buyer.
I guess it makes me view a brand as being slightly less serious, but I really don't care. If it was on a model of watch I was actually interested in, as long as they make normal dials too, I don't mind.
It doesn't really matter to me. They are made for a every small demographic, maybe the people who founded some adult entertainment business might buy one.
A watch company is a company and like most, they will try most things to get a profit.
I wouldn't purchase one even if they were at a reasonable price. I find them quite tacky, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.
Interesting, yet not surprising… “Rule34”
Honestly this is how I feel about brands that make “iced” watches that look gaudy as F! Yet, sufficient wealthy buy them so it’s all just business. Well outside my tax bracket say anything lol.
Every watch, when I wear it, is erotic and sexy
What about the ethics for charging over $40k for these haha? If they were $40 I’m down, $100 for a talking point to wear around the boys cool…
But get me some diamonds and gold for $40k 😂
I’m waiting for this can’t wait to show the girlfriend 😁
Not my cup of tea but I have nothing against them. Some can be rather fun.
For instance:
From Frank Muller, and you know they ain't cheap! 😂
Don't be such a prude. Loosen up some. My honest opinion.
BTW, how do you define pornography? Even judges have a tough on with that.
Don't be that guy. My view, is that your poll is being disingenuous when you try to position it is being devoid of any opinion on morality, and purely relates to brand and marketing.
You wouldn't say, "how do you feel about Seiko, purely as a brand, knowing that they make watches with red bands? What about watches with diamonds!? But what about blood diamonds? Ah, see the difference in phrasing. Asking about watches with diamonds doesn't pose the same positioning problem you have just made, but blood diamonds fits, because morality.
You wouldn't be asking purely from a "marketing perspective not morality" if you didn't feel that the topic should pose a moral dilemma or if you had a moral opinion on it in the first place.
My view, erotica, and erotic arts have their place in every art. Ulysse Nardin don't exercise their artistic creativity at the expense of minors, or non consenting adults or models. It is an expression of their artistic form, presented in an amazingly well made automaton (not animation). These are engineered pieces of mechanical art, not pornography.
Also, please don't watch the ninja turtles, they are named after renaissance artists, and your respective deities alone know what they could've produced in the name of "art"! Also, they still haven't clothed David. Don't travel to Europe!
From a moral perspective, I think the art is just art, and there is nothing wrong with sex or the human body, but should it become exploitative or morally incorrect for whatever reason I deem fit, I will remove them from my haute horology brand list.
Nothing new in the industry, 100000% would buy (if I have enough money)
It doesn’t affect my perception of Ulysse Nardin which could be summarized as “when high horology and bad taste had multiple children…“
I think you may have referred to the Classico series that Ulysee Nardin partnered with Milo Manara. Those watches are fine. The watches I was referring to in this poll are much more explicit. That's why I don't feel comfortable to post a link to the source to show the information, because the thumbnail of the video clip also contains very explicit graphic content. But a quick Google search could easily find the information. Those watches, not the Manara's pieces, are what I feel may cause damage to a brand's image.
But again, this poll is not about making moral judgement. It is just about whether you think this may or may not damage a brand's image to some degree. I am just curious about how the majority view this topic.
Yes, I click on your link because I had seen the Manaro series before and really loved them! So looking over the erotica watches, yes, I do have an issue with them. But certainly not the theme. I find them rather tame.
No, my issue is that they are ugly! I find the Manaro series to be beautifully aesthetic. Keep in mind; I'm training to be an artist and currently learning Russian academic constructive technique.
I would never pay so much money for these other quite frankly ugly erotica watches. But does it damage the brand in my eyes? No, quite the opposite!
I'm so tired to same old tired designs with tweaks touted out as innovation. Rolex, I'm looking at you. I admire and respect a brand for pushing into new artistic paths. But I still find them ugly.
I'm only sad that I do not have the fund to purchase a Manaro watch. I would wear that proudly!
Thank you for your thoughtful post.
Don't be such a prude. Loosen up some. My honest opinion.
BTW, how do you define pornography? Even judges have a tough on with that.
I was worrying and didn't provide a link to the timepiece in the poll, fearing that any thumbnail may cause me trouble due to some rules of this forum. But I now understand that without a link to the source, people won't know what I was referring to, and everyone took that the Manara themed series were the ones I was talking about, because I provided a link to that product line, but I am actually okay with the Manara ones. I provided that link just to explain to others what I think is acceptable even when the theme is erotic. Sorry about the confusion. The one I was referring to is actually this one: Meet The $373,000 Erotic Watch: Ulysse Nardin's NSFW Classic Voyeur (forbes.com)
I was worrying and didn't provide a link to the timepiece in the poll, fearing that any thumbnail may cause me trouble due to some rules of this forum. But I now understand that without a link to the source, people won't know what I was referring to, and everyone took that the Manara themed series were the ones I was talking about, because I provided a link to that product line, but I am actually okay with the Manara ones. I provided that link just to explain to others what I think is acceptable even when the theme is erotic. Sorry about the confusion. The one I was referring to is actually this one: Meet The $373,000 Erotic Watch: Ulysse Nardin's NSFW Classic Voyeur (forbes.com)
Incredible watch!
I would be sacked straight away if I wear this at work, being myself a primary teacher! 🤣
Don't be that guy. My view, is that your poll is being disingenuous when you try to position it is being devoid of any opinion on morality, and purely relates to brand and marketing.
You wouldn't say, "how do you feel about Seiko, purely as a brand, knowing that they make watches with red bands? What about watches with diamonds!? But what about blood diamonds? Ah, see the difference in phrasing. Asking about watches with diamonds doesn't pose the same positioning problem you have just made, but blood diamonds fits, because morality.
You wouldn't be asking purely from a "marketing perspective not morality" if you didn't feel that the topic should pose a moral dilemma or if you had a moral opinion on it in the first place.
My view, erotica, and erotic arts have their place in every art. Ulysse Nardin don't exercise their artistic creativity at the expense of minors, or non consenting adults or models. It is an expression of their artistic form, presented in an amazingly well made automaton (not animation). These are engineered pieces of mechanical art, not pornography.
Also, please don't watch the ninja turtles, they are named after renaissance artists, and your respective deities alone know what they could've produced in the name of "art"! Also, they still haven't clothed David. Don't travel to Europe!
From a moral perspective, I think the art is just art, and there is nothing wrong with sex or the human body, but should it become exploitative or morally incorrect for whatever reason I deem fit, I will remove them from my haute horology brand list.
Thanks for your honest feedback.
I do have an opinion on the morality of this issue, but I do not feel this forum is the right place to discuss. Afterall, this forum is just about watches, not philosophy.
I also have thoughts about whether certain business decisions other brands made may cause damage to their brand's image and prestige. One example I also saw others discussing is the VC's introduction of the FIfty Six with a lower price tag than its other entry models. Some think that may cheapen their brand because luxury is partly determined by exclusivity, not affordability. But again, you may be right. Even in that case, there may still be a moral issue there, i.e., whether it is morally right to create status by exclusivity, although this would apply to almost all luxury items inevitably.
When a company is making a decision about something that it consider may be controversial, the company usually would do some market research and find out how the market is likely to respond. Same here, I am interested in getting a sense of whether brands made a wise decision on this based on what people think of these watches.
Despite the fact that there is indeed some moral consideration involved in erotic watches, here I do not want to engage others in discussing this side of the issue. What I think is that, moral or not, these watches are just bad taste and cheap (in terms of taste, not monetary). But at the end of the day, taste is a very personal thing. That's why I am interested in hearing what others think of this. Everyone has a line to draw between what they consider acceptable and not. For example, I am okay with the Manara timepieces but I found the one I linked below too much and too explicit. But again, that's just me.
I do believe most people do or have done pornography. This is just part of human nature. I don't have anything against this per se. But that does not mean that I, at the same time, also want this theme on my super luxury watch, simply because I may feel that makes the watch less classy.
To avoid further confusion, this is the watch I was referring to: Meet The $373,000 Erotic Watch: Ulysse Nardin's NSFW Classic Voyeur (forbes.com)
I was worrying that any link to this watch may create a thumbnail that may cause me trouble due to the rules of this forum. But I found the above one that does not result in any thumbnail. So, it is good to go!
Again, thank you for your honest feedback.🤝
Yes, I click on your link because I had seen the Manaro series before and really loved them! So looking over the erotica watches, yes, I do have an issue with them. But certainly not the theme. I find them rather tame.
No, my issue is that they are ugly! I find the Manaro series to be beautifully aesthetic. Keep in mind; I'm training to be an artist and currently learning Russian academic constructive technique.
I would never pay so much money for these other quite frankly ugly erotica watches. But does it damage the brand in my eyes? No, quite the opposite!
I'm so tired to same old tired designs with tweaks touted out as innovation. Rolex, I'm looking at you. I admire and respect a brand for pushing into new artistic paths. But I still find them ugly.
I'm only sad that I do not have the fund to purchase a Manaro watch. I would wear that proudly!
Thank you for your thoughtful post.
No problem at all! And also thank you for your honest comment.
I also found the Manaro series quite okay. But like you, I found the more explicit one simply ugly. I did not receive any training in arts, but I love arts too. I do pencil sketch from time to time, although not very good. Glad to meet someone in this forum who is trained on this! Hope you'll enjoy your training!
It is unfortunate that I did not provide a link to the timepiece I am asking others to opinion on. Was fearing of any possible breach of this forum's rules because I think any pictures may be too graphic for this forum's rules. But the link to Manara's series in the poll caused a lot of confusion about what is what... It is a very stupid thing I did when I posted the link to the watches that I am okay with but did not provide a link to the one I was asking people to comment on! The poll question is now no longer editable.. So can't insert the right link to the poll now... 🥺
Incredible watch!
I would be sacked straight away if I wear this at work, being myself a primary teacher! 🤣
Haha.. thank you for your honest feedback! 😂
Thank you all folks for voting and sharing your views here. This is a very interesting but also controversial topic to discuss. It is just natural to see many different comments here. I may not be able to individually respond to and thank every single one who leaves comments here. So, just want to say a big thank you to all of you together!
The findings so far from this poll is that, if this poll is reflective of the larger watch community's opinion, then the majority do not have any negative feeling about explicit erotic watches. So, while these watches may offend or push off some potential customers, some others see this as a positive sign that the brand has the courage and is willing to explore into areas that is traditionally a taboo. Market reaction and impacts from these two groups may just offset each other, and given the majority has an indifferent opinion on this, making these watches may not necessary damage a brand's image as I initially thought.
As a final note, the timepiece I was referring to in this poll is this: Meet The $373,000 Erotic Watch: Ulysse Nardin's NSFW Classic Voyeur (forbes.com), not the Manara themed Classico series which I linked in the poll. The Manara series were discussed first in the poll is to show to others what I think is okay before asking others to comment on the above one that I think may be a bit too much. But I did not provide a link to the above watch in my original poll, because I worried that any thumbnail resulted from the link may breach the rules of this forum because of its explicit graphic content. But I later found that the above link does not result in any thumbnail. So, it is safe to use.
By the way, if you wonder why I am interested in learning how the watch community reacts to these watches, the answer is that I am very interested in marketing research and survey, and it is the subject I love the most when I was in university.
Thank you all again!
I’m waiting for this can’t wait to show the girlfriend 😁
Her: What time is it, honey?
Him: Smiles deviously
Her: What time is it, honey?
Him: Smiles deviously
🤣 💯
I was worrying and didn't provide a link to the timepiece in the poll, fearing that any thumbnail may cause me trouble due to some rules of this forum. But I now understand that without a link to the source, people won't know what I was referring to, and everyone took that the Manara themed series were the ones I was talking about, because I provided a link to that product line, but I am actually okay with the Manara ones. I provided that link just to explain to others what I think is acceptable even when the theme is erotic. Sorry about the confusion. The one I was referring to is actually this one: Meet The $373,000 Erotic Watch: Ulysse Nardin's NSFW Classic Voyeur (forbes.com)
I can see your point. That one does push boundaries.
But to each their own. To paraphrase a famous ruling by a judge, I can’t accurately describe pornography but I know it when I see it.
This is definitely a bit further than suggestion, like the rabbits on the Frank Mullet, but falls short of pornography, imho.
And why hasn’t anybody mentioned Corums erotic bubble watch series? 😉
PS: Love the diamond bezel of the UL. 😂