Not long ago, OMEGA held a new product launch celebration in Milan, the fashion capital, inviting friends from all over the world to enjoy the new Speedmaster 38mm watch. A total of 8 new models are presented, including diamond-set precious metals and classic stainless steel. The brand also gave more color options to the watch, and at the scene, Mr. Anderson Anderson, President and CEO of Omega, also answered the most important questions about the new Speedmaster 38mm series.
Q1: The Speedmaster has a sporty appearance, but in recent years the Speedmaster has ceased to be reserved for male consumers, so what do you think the new Speedmaster 38mm model will appeal to?
Mr. Anderson: The Speedmaster 38mm has always been a very popular watch for OMEGA. This modest size is starting to gain traction in the watch industry. And the Speedmaster isn't just for men. The days when men's and women's watches were distinct from each other is over. The Speedmaster 38mm is a gender-neutral watch, making it a perfect fit for most consumers. The watches worn by the OMEGA Ambassadors at today's event are not gender-restricted, but have different styles.
The Speedmaster 38 mm is not a small version of the Speedmaster. We've kept the iconic style of the Speedmaster and designed some of the details. For example, for the first time, we have introduced elegant oval subdials to give this chronograph a sophisticated touch. In order to meet more wearing needs, we have also added diamonds. In fact, when the diamond-encrusted Speedmaster was released back in 2017, it received a lot of positive feedback, and we hope that we will continue to maintain this style of work. I don't think diamonds are for women's watches, I think diamonds should be integrated into the design that suits them. This is one of the particularly successful aspects of this model, which does not use large diamonds, but sets small and unique diamonds on the bezel. As a result, the style of this watch is gender-neutral and suitable for most consumers.
Q2: The two dial colors of this new model are inspired by the green dial of the classic Speedmaster Moonshine 18K gold and the brown dial of the successful de Ville Chocolate. Can you share the reasoning behind borrowing from these models?
Mr. Anderson: Chocolate watches and other models are very successful models for Omega. I'm very proud of the fact that OMEGA continues to build on the classics, which is part of our brand DNA and what our customers want to see. We like to surprise our customers, but at the same time, we also need to understand their preferences and preferences. Rather than continuing to use a colour, OMEGA is more concerned about the overall feel of the model. We don't just replicate these models because they're so popular. On the contrary, we balance the classic and the innovative when designing our watches, and that's the beauty of what we do. The perfect design needs to be iconic. I think these two colors were very successful when they were first introduced, so the newly designed models were given the same spirit. The two dial colours of the new Speedmaster 38mm have proven to be truly outstanding, and they are very elegant and stylish. As mentioned earlier, the oval subdials bring an elegant style to the Speedmaster collection, taking the Speedmaster to a whole new aesthetic level. Green and brown are two colors that better complement the sparkle of the subdials, so we chose these two colors.
Q3: Why did you choose Milan for the launch of the new Speedmaster 38mm?
Mr. Anderson: First of all, I think that Milan, as the capital of Italy, is recognized as a fashion city in the world, and there is elegance and fashion everywhere. The Speedmaster 38 mm is the most elegant and sparkling model in the Speedmaster collection, which fits the atmosphere perfectly. That's why we didn't hesitate to choose this fashion capital for our new product launch.
Q4: As we all know, the Omega Constellation collection, especially the Manhattan watch, has been very popular since the 90s, and the Speedmaster series is also becoming more and more popular with Omega's female customers. Which collection do you think is more representative of today's women?
Mr. Anderson: OMEGA was the first watch brand in the watchmaking industry to adopt a model as its ambassador, and Cindy Crawford was our first ambassador. At the time, Cindy was wearing a Constellation. I think the Constellation collection is a very classic model. Just like Cindy Crawford, she is one of the most famous and influential people in the world.
When it comes to women's watches, customers will always have different needs, which are more complex than designing men's watches. You have to think about the customer to ask questions, you have to understand a lot of things, such as not only understanding the color, the outfit matching, but also the overall effect. Obviously, the new Speedmaster 38 mm has a completely different style compared to the Constellation with a diamond-set bezel.
On the other hand, the diversity of styles makes our brand more international. I love Omega and I can see a lot of young ladies wearing Constellation gold or stainless steel, which is probably more common in Asia than in Europe, but these women may also own Speedmaster 38mm. The universality of our brand is also a factor that attracts consumers, and I think the world is more connected than ever before, so the universality of the brand is very important. If you want to be successful, you have to create a watch that is suitable for more people, and it is not easy to do this, but at least we don't "label" the model and fix its people. For example, the new Speedmaster 38mm is not only elegant, but also sparkling, and at the same time it is not flashy, and I like that, which is the soul of the Speedmaster. When you own a Speedmaster, you own a watch that means a lot.
Q5: Why does OMEGA attach great importance to the development of precious metals, such as Sedna Gold and Moonshine Gold for the Speedmaster 38mm?
Mr. Anderson: That's a great question. First of all, OMEGA has always been committed to the innovation of watchmaking materials, and the precious metals we have developed are all unique and unique to the brand. OMEGA is committed to excellence for our customers. We didn't develop Sedna Gold and Moonshine Gold to stand out from the competition, we wanted to make the materials shinier, better, and last longer to keep their color and not fade. The precious metals we have developed not only shine brightly, but are also the finishing touch to the Speedmaster collection. Let's take a look at the evolution of the Speedmaster gold watches, from the 70s to the 80s, to the models that we will release in the future, we are introducing more and more exclusive materials in this collection, and many consumers are willing to buy them, as in the new Speedmaster 38 mm, which is very elegant, high-end, and set with more sparkling diamonds. As long as we can continue our brand spirit with such unique and excellent materials, we will continue to invest in product development.
Q6: This year we have seen a trend towards the use of precious metals and gemstones in sports watches, as well as higher unit prices on the retail side, I would like to ask, is this the sales strategy adopted by this collection?
Mr. Anderson Anderson: We have our own brand strategies and we hope they will be successful. $5,000 to $10,000 is Omega's main price range, and there are many different customer needs in this range. The large number of customer requests is not only a testament to the strength of our brand, but also to the excellent design of OMEGA watches. Watches in this price range are one of our main strategies, but we didn't design them to get to a certain price point, but to make them better. But Omega is clearly very competitive at this price point, and the recent sales of women's watches also prove that Omega has a wide range of demand at this price point.
Whether in terms of women's consumption capabilities and trends, the potential of women's watches is endless, and women's perception of beauty is more sensitive and deep. Therefore, how to amplify the brand's precise timekeeping advantages and combine it with modern women's demand for beauty may be a topic that the brand will continue to study in the future, and we also look forward to Omega bringing us more and more beautiful watch works!