Are paid reviews and the exchange of money or products for a glowing critique something we do as a brand? Absolutely now, well, perhaps just this once.
After a year of watching the “Pontiff” Archie Luxury, or Paul Pluta, I let my curiosity get the best of me and floated the fella $50 whooperunees to get his thoughts on our new Model C Field Explorer, American Field Watch.
Why? Quite frankly, just for the hell of it, but not strictly for the entertainment value. He is a valuable resource on Rolex and knows his luxury watches, can’t deny that. It's this laser focus on the upper end of our hobby that piqued my interest.
So why in the world would our affordable Model C be a good fit for him? It’s not! However, it’s this perspective which helps us as a brand better understand how folks who do not spend time in our space see our watches. An area in which feedback is light, and despite our watches adorning the wrists of collectors from all walks of life, not many, if any, I would say are as outspoken as the gurus, guru.
Couldn’t I have just asked his opinion? Sure, for $20 he would have sent me an email. But where is the fun in that?
We take our design, business, and our watch owners seriously. Having some fun is necessary, and that’s what this little exercise was all about. Giving a fella with a penchant for strong language, flare and a high level of energy a chance to share his thoughts on our beloved Model C.
Our watch is not in his wheelhouse, an evening with Thai hookers and a cheeseburger may better suit him than our watches, and that’s all good. His thoughts were fair and reasonable, plus a few of his random quotes he's built a Channel around.
I’m glad he took the time to share his thoughts, it was enjoyable and now we’ll move on our merry way to design, develop, and share what we do best with folks more aligned to what we do and how we roll.
Our venture into paid reviews has come to a close, thanks for the words, Paul.
Oh, almost forgot, here’s the video below...