Is Hermes like the Rolex of purses?

#46
OK - I've let this run long enough...

There is no "production" watch firm that can compare to Hermes.

If any, maybe the independant FP Journe - they only make one ladies watch so, I am not sure many will know this brand here.

Patek, Vacheron and Audemars are all the top three watch brands....Breguet is not far behind.

Rolex is the equivelant to Louis Vutton - extremely well made and can take the abuse and toll from daily wear and tear.

Patek is very much like Chanel, exclusive and refined

Vacheron and Audemars are similar to SOME styles of Chanel, LV, Dior....Vacheron is more of a "flowery" and "french" watch brand and Audemars is pure classicism...especially with the Royal Oak like the Lady Dior bag or LV Noe.

Hermes is more special, produced in limited quantities and exclusive where not everyone knows what they are, and not everyone can obtain one. This is FP Journe. My DH has traveled long and far to obtain a special limited edition Journe. My DH is an avid watch collector and he just told me to write that...."Hermes only makes a few thousand bags per year....Journe makes 700-1000 watches...Patek makes over 30,000 pieces a year, the majority of which are ladies quartz 24 models."

Hermes is NOT like a quartz watch no matter what brand name is on the dial!

Rolex is a fantastic watch, which is designed for pure functionality and servicability for years and years. Please, even though I am a die hard ROlex fan, to use the comparison in the same breath as Hermes is not giving the H its due. ROlex makes and sells over 700,000 watches a year. Very common.....they might be a symbol of sucess or status, but common nonetheless.

My DH says H is like a custom watch made by gentlemen like Roger Smith www.rwsmithwatches.com or Kari Voutilainen www.voutilainen.ch. Goods that are handmade by the experts in their field are worth their weight in gold...or platnium...or palladium :smile:....no pun intended :smile:
 
#47
I just wanted to clarify something for Hello2703. It appears to me that most Hermes enthusiasts choose the Kelly or the Birkin bags. They are commonly chosen by those who purchase Hermes purses. In my opinion and research, these are the staple purses of Hermes. I want a handbag that is different.
 
#48
So interesting HL07. I'll have fun checking out your husbands fave. VC, the oldest watchmaker in Switzerland, might be shocked by your description of them as french and flowery! No- one ever suggested H was like a quartz. We are talking the best of mechanical movements here. (Although if H keeps opening stores at the rate it has recently, and hiring leather workers as it has, production must inevitably increase and its air of exclusivity may evaporate somewhat......)
 
#49
CynthiaNYC said:
I've been watching to see if anyone is going to mention my husband's favorite watch, Gerard Perrigaux...um, did I spell that correctly? :P
He's sort of a nut over that watch and claims it has all this history behind it, but I haven't ever looked it up. You all seem to know a lot about watches!
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Girard Perragaux is a good comparison too for several reasons, including illustrious history: (1) its the oldest watchmaker in continuous existance. Actually it was two families and then a marriage, one of which was the older, I think it was Girard. (2) GP makes it own mechanical movements, as opposed to most other Swiss lines that use movements made by ETA. (3) GP made the first automatic movement, the Gyromax in, I believe, around 1960, which was in turn used by Patek and others.

Forgive my babbling, but when you mentioned your husband liked GP...I couldnt help myself.
Not only am I a "space sci fi" fan, I am also what the guys call a "WIS" (watch idiot savant).
 
#50
jedimaster said:
(2) GP makes it own mechanical movements, as opposed to most other Swiss lines that use movements made by ETA.


Jedimaster - I think even PP uses movements made by ETA. Do watchmakers such as PP and VC only use ETA movements in their quartz watches? Surely their mechanical movements are handmade by PP and VC themselves?

HL07 - I see where your husband is coming from. How would he rate Franck Muller? He seems to be shaking up the elder lemons.

I think it's clear to all at this stage that H bears no comparison to Rolex...not yet anyway....
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#51
PS - On reflection, Blancpain may be the best comparison to Hermes, although close call with Lange, Breguet, Patek, or Girard Perragaux. Blancpain is the most similar from a production standpoint - each piece made by one craftsman, mechanical movement, quality, history, etc. I would distinguish your husbands watches hermeslover07, in that hermes is not a bespoke line the same way Roger Smith or FP Journe, or Roger Dubois is with watches - the latter are much more individualized, whereas Hermes bags by comparison are far more standardized and production numbers much much higher.
Just my opinion - I understand this is subjective and others can disagree.
 
#52
Ah Jedimaster, H is bespoke to the chosen few. Talk with Hermesgroupie. She knows....

I have heard about the one craftsman working on a Blancpain. Will you tell me what you know of the VC/PP mechanical movement/complications production in this regard?

As a matter of interest, what watch(or which of your watches)of yours do you prize most/
 
#53
j'adore Paris! said:
jedimaster said:
(2) GP makes it own mechanical movements, as opposed to most other Swiss lines that use movements made by ETA.


Jedimaster - I think even PP uses movements made by ETA. Do watchmakers such as PP and VC only use ETA movements in their quartz watches? Surely their mechanical movements are handmade by PP and VC themselves?

[
Click to expand...

You are right, I believe much of the Patek line uses in house movements, or, ironically, Girard Perragaux movements. VC, I am not as familiar with, but I believe they use in house movements also. When I said a lot of lines use ETA, I was refering not to quartz but to mechanical (hand wind) or automatic (mechanical with rotor) movements, in most of the other lines such as Omega, IWC, Cartier, and a host of others. (Of course, most of the quartz is ETA, but I dont even consider quartz in this equation)

I am sure you are familiar with this debate as to whether the fact that a movement is "inhouse" means its superior, or whether an ETA movement which is modified in house, is just as good. I wont jump into the fray on this one as, its outside of my pay grade, as they say.

Now I really know I have put everybody to sleep now.
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#57
j'adore Paris! said:
Ah Jedimaster, H is bespoke to the chosen few. Talk with Hermesgroupie. She knows....

Will you tell me what you know of the VC/PP mechanical movement/complications production in this regard?

As a matter of interest, what watch(or which of your watches)of yours do you prize most/
Click to expand...

Well, as for production numbers, watch companies dont disclose them, but enthusiasts try to extrapolate the numbers from statistics country by country. Here's some urban legands in that regard (estimated annual production numbers)(no warranty of accuracy here, just reporting what is commonly believed):

Rolex - 1,000,000
Patek 55-60,000 (of which 1/3 is quartz)
IWC 50,000+
Frank Muller 70,000 (for all brands)
VC Less than 20,000
Parmigianni 4000
Journe 2000-3000

This is getting way off topic, but I will stop now before I manage to bore the heck out of everybody.
 
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