Hello and welcome to the Fourth Wheel’s weekly news bulletin. This week’s podcast is a day late: my apologies. I’d like to say I was holding it back to break a sensational story, but no… this bulletin is brought to you from the little-discussed media playbook of “having an injured toddler at home and working all night to keep every plate spinning.”
Thankfully it was a slightly quieter news week. The biggest story isn’t a confirmed news item at all but a tantalisingly exciting prospect: as reported by Miss Tweed, the idea that talks are ongoing that could see Jaeger-LeCoultre exit Richemont as part of a management buyout. That would be huge. When I spoke to CEO Jerome Lambert last year he spoke eloquently about his desire to recapture the dynamism that the brand showed under his first leadership stint (2002-2013). Maybe this is how he gets that done. But maybe not! As yet there is no comment from Richemont and no corroboration from other outlets either.
Breitling’s partnership with Aston Martin is newsworthy yet fundamentally very simple: however, it has helped crystallise a thought that has been forming over the last couple of years, and I’ll be devoting Friday’s newsletter to some analysis of what exactly the pilot’s watch is for in today’s world.
Meanwhile, a few words on Studio Underd0g’s takeover of its former assembly partner Horologium - now rebranded, of course, as The D0ghouse.
Naturally there were plenty of new launches, but the two I think are worthy of your time and attention are both space-themed bracelet watches from indie brands, Ming and Sarpaneva. And finally, our independent brand launch of the week is Niton, which has landed right in the centre of the bullseye in terms of hitting the jump-hour trend - with a watch that’s more than it first appears.
Thanks for listening. I’ll see you back here next week for more.
Chris
