Openwork: Inside the Watch Industry
Openwork: Inside the Watch Industry
Collective Horology
Watch Groups Are Slimming Down – Brand Exits, Consolidation and a Return to Focus
52 minutes Posted Feb 2, 2026 at 6:32 pm.
Intro & Podcast Info
Brand Notes: Ming, Atelier Wen, Carl Suki
Atelier Wen Ordering Window
Watches of: Carl Suki & Enzone
Industry Predictions & ’Musical Chairs’
Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier
Baume & Mercier: Challenges & Market Position
Richemont Strategy: Focus on Premium Brands
Integration Issues: Movements & Suppliers (Val Fleurier)
LVMH Rumor: Is Zenith Being Shopped?
Zenith vs Baume & Mercier — A Metaphor
Watches & Wonders: Seating & AP Joining
AP Booth Placement & Show Logistics
Moser Moves Up; Montblanc Leaves
Moser: From Indie Maverick to Mainstream
Other Show Changes & Brand Movements
Wrap-up, Contact Info & Outro
Final Note: ’Drama’
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Show notes
On this episode, we zoom out and examine a broader shift underway in the watch industry as major groups begin to prioritize focus over expansion. Using the sale of Baume & Mercier as a starting point, we break down why brand exits and portfolio pruning have returned as strategic tools, and what this move reveals about consolidation, integration costs, and the realities of owning watch brands at scale.
We then turn to the other side of the equation, unpacking rumors around Zenith and why selling a deeply integrated brand is far more complicated than headlines suggest. This leads to a wider discussion about how watch groups think about differentiation, redundancy, and long-term brand value when growth slows and pressure increases across the middle of the market.
Finally, we shift to Watches & Wonders and what presence and placement at the show now signal. We talk through H. Moser & Cie.’s expanded role, including its move into Montblanc’s former booth, and what that says about independence and momentum, alongside Audemars Piguet’s positioning at the show and why it matters. Taken together, this episode is about consolidation, visibility, and how the watch industry is quietly reshaping itself in real time.
Hosted by Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly, co-founders of Collective Horology, Openwork goes inside the watch industry.
You can find us online at collectivehorology.com. To get in touch with suggestions, feedback or questions, email [email protected].