Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Curious why so much deep discount/grey market fodder.
- MKTheVintageBloke
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
If I may offer a possible explanation: it's because the glory days of Nicolet are gone, dead and buried.
The Nicolet family business used to be massive, with dozens and dozens of trademarks registered, each actually appearing on dials. They had it all covered, from simple dress and casual watches, through column wheel chronographs (with a Landeron 39 inside, usually) in steel and in solid gold, up to split-second chronographs. All the stuff in between - dive watches, sports watches - was also covered.
Then came the Quartz Crisis, then people thought "fuck mechanical stuff" , "fuck Nicolet", and "I'm buying a quartz Citizen/Seiko/Whatthefucknot." Then people's interest in mechanical stuff returned, mechanical stuff was no longer fucked, but Nicolet stayed fucked, and there we are, one last remnant of what used to be a massive holding, trying to pretend it's their heyday again, while it's still as fucked as it was, and as unwilling to invest in a good marketing department as it never was before.
The Nicolet family business used to be massive, with dozens and dozens of trademarks registered, each actually appearing on dials. They had it all covered, from simple dress and casual watches, through column wheel chronographs (with a Landeron 39 inside, usually) in steel and in solid gold, up to split-second chronographs. All the stuff in between - dive watches, sports watches - was also covered.
Then came the Quartz Crisis, then people thought "fuck mechanical stuff" , "fuck Nicolet", and "I'm buying a quartz Citizen/Seiko/Whatthefucknot." Then people's interest in mechanical stuff returned, mechanical stuff was no longer fucked, but Nicolet stayed fucked, and there we are, one last remnant of what used to be a massive holding, trying to pretend it's their heyday again, while it's still as fucked as it was, and as unwilling to invest in a good marketing department as it never was before.
I always hope for the best. Experience, unfortunately, has taught me to expect the worst.
Elim Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule of Acquisition no.285
Elim Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule of Acquisition no.285
Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Vintage Dude, send them your cv with a marketing teaser. It worked for me.
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
tiktok wrote:Vintage Dude, send them your cv with a marketing teaser. It worked for me.
Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Here's a draft of my job application:
"Dear Armand Nicolet Personnel Department,
I have no experience in the industry, although as an observant fellow and avid researcher, I amount to more than the sodding lot of You combined. Your inept marketing strategy is so unbearably annoying to my massive intellect, that I have decided to request a job at Your unworthy excuse of a company.
It is my firm belief that Your company is just as badly fucked as it was since the 1970s. While Your watches don't entirely blow, they often blow. You have resorted to faux-discounts in an Eyal Lalo manner in order to have Your wares sold at all. It is my considered opinion, that this blows, and since I am the only sentient being - for you seem to have mostly orangutans at Your marketing department - that can get Your company unfucked again, You, dear Sirs, should take my word as gospel, and You can only prove that you are not the pillocks I take You for simply by hiring me.
My requirements are as follows: a five-digit monthly payout to an account on Turks & Caicos, a crate of Wild Turkey and a crate of Dalwhinnie 15 y.o. every month, a glass, a constant supply of ice cubes and cigars, a perpetually horny female assistant, and a couch necessary for effectively performing my work in a horizontal position.
I await Your reply with growing impatience.
Yours truly,
MKTheVintage Bloke, Watch Lord and Master of Time, 1st Baron Foulmouth, WIS Know-It-All Extraordinaire, Knight of the Rectangular Desk and Earl of the Armchair"
I always hope for the best. Experience, unfortunately, has taught me to expect the worst.
Elim Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule of Acquisition no.285
Elim Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule of Acquisition no.285
- conjurer (Online)
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
MKTheVintageBloke wrote:tiktok wrote:Vintage Dude, send them your cv with a marketing teaser. It worked for me.
Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Here's a draft of my job application:
"Dear Armand Nicolet Personnel Department,
I have no experience in the industry, although as an observant fellow and avid researcher, I amount to more than the sodding lot of You combined. Your inept marketing strategy is so unbearably annoying to my massive intellect, that I have decided to request a job at Your unworthy excuse of a company.
It is my firm belief that Your company is just as badly fucked as it was since the 1970s. While Your watches don't entirely blow, they often blow. You have resorted to faux-discounts in an Eyal Lalo manner in order to have Your wares sold at all. It is my considered opinion, that this blows, and since I am the only sentient being - for you seem to have mostly orangutans at Your marketing department - that can get Your company unfucked again, You, dear Sirs, should take my word as gospel, and You can only prove that you are not the pillocks I take You for simply by hiring me.
My requirements are as follows: a five-digit monthly payout to an account on Turks & Caicos, a crate of Wild Turkey and a crate of Dalwhinnie 15 y.o. every month, a glass, a constant supply of ice cubes and cigars, a perpetually horny female assistant, and a couch necessary for effectively performing my work in a horizontal position.
I await Your reply with growing impatience.
Yours truly,
MKTheVintage Bloke, Watch Lord and Master of Time, 1st Baron Foulmouth, WIS Know-It-All Extraordinaire, Knight of the Rectangular Desk and Earl of the Armchair"
I'd give you a job from this cv, you cocksucker.

- koimaster
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
ttt

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- codguy
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
I'll be dumping all mine except for one...
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
really? Are you saving up for an invicta?


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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Nope, I'll leave that up to all the IWG fanbois here.
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
I thought the numero uno one had already left the building and taken flight!

1946-2006
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With the lilt of Irish laughter
Every day and in every way
Now forever and ever after."
- biglove (Online)
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
I missed this one.
In the name of all that is holy and just, PLEASE print that out as a CV and send it to Nicolet. Please!
God knows they need some guidance. Maybe then they would make a watch that doesn’t look like a silver hockey puck trinket that a 500 pound, anemic pimp would wear.
In the name of all that is holy and just, PLEASE print that out as a CV and send it to Nicolet. Please!
God knows they need some guidance. Maybe then they would make a watch that doesn’t look like a silver hockey puck trinket that a 500 pound, anemic pimp would wear.
My best friend from college shared his secret to his huge financial success, "I fell out of the right vagina."
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"We should just sanction stupidity as our national pastime and be done with it."-TemerityB, WL Asshat
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Not on subject (ie; Cecil)
This one is a keeper mostly due to being discombobulated (arabic/roman numerals, three separate hands).
Also love the dial work, 40mm size....... and the 18k gold case, buckle, end links, crown & hour markers.
But that is just me.

This one is a keeper mostly due to being discombobulated (arabic/roman numerals, three separate hands).
Also love the dial work, 40mm size....... and the 18k gold case, buckle, end links, crown & hour markers.

But that is just me.

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- Falstaff
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Very nice - has a Breguet vibe.codguy wrote: ↑September 13th 2020, 5:17amNot on subject (ie; Cecil)
This one is a keeper mostly due to being discombobulated (arabic/roman numerals, three separate hands).
Also love the dial work, 40mm size....... and the 18k gold case, buckle, end links, crown & hour markers.![]()
But that is just me.
![]()
"Who are you?" "I am the new Number Two." "Who is Number One?" "You are Number Six."
- biglove (Online)
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
The older models can be a different story. Have a look at their new stuff. They are just are as blah as can be. Is like high dollar Fossil.codguy wrote: ↑September 13th 2020, 5:17amNot on subject (ie; Cecil)
This one is a keeper mostly due to being discombobulated (arabic/roman numerals, three separate hands).
Also love the dial work, 40mm size....... and the 18k gold case, buckle, end links, crown & hour markers.![]()
But that is just me.
![]()
My best friend from college shared his secret to his huge financial success, "I fell out of the right vagina."
"We should just sanction stupidity as our national pastime and be done with it."-TemerityB, WL Asshat
"We should just sanction stupidity as our national pastime and be done with it."-TemerityB, WL Asshat
- 3Flushes (Online)
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
True that^^^biglove wrote: ↑September 13th 2020, 11:06amThe older models can be a different story. Have a look at their new stuff. They are just are as blah as can be. Is like high dollar Fossil.codguy wrote: ↑September 13th 2020, 5:17amNot on subject (ie; Cecil)
This one is a keeper mostly due to being discombobulated (arabic/roman numerals, three separate hands).
Also love the dial work, 40mm size....... and the 18k gold case, buckle, end links, crown & hour markers.![]()
But that is just me.
![]()
Great movements but not much to look at.
The classic pieces however are really well done and a testament to the quality with which they were made is their durability. Even their jobber pieces incorporated the same standards when Roland Barga took over in the mid 80's and turned the brand into a huge assembly operation, perhaps the largest in Switzerland for a period of time.
The brand produced high quality watches in their own brand name as well as assembling watches for some of the best known brands in the business. Barga was best known for his endeavors to incorporate historic movements the brand had acquired over the years, some made by the company in its early years. AIR, they called them O.H.M. (original historic movements) and they were popped into L.E.'s to the number of movements available.
An informative little blurb on the brand from the 3f library of horology:
https://web.archive.org/web/20171110172 ... colet.html
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
You should probably stay away from Grand Seiko as well, might remind you of the cheap $100 Seiko purchased from a TV network.monster623az wrote: ↑October 10th 2020, 9:00pmI am taken back from the Nicolet name. Reminds me of the $50 watch I bought way back when on Shopnbc..
Armand Nicolet= founded ± 1875
Nicolet= founded ± 1975, trying to sponge off AN's reputation imo and seems now reduced to kickstarter projects.
For me, I don't let brand names dictate what I own, it is the company behind them.
But that is me..............
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
I wouldnt not buy one due to the name, my mind just sways to the other Nicolet when I am looking at Armand Nicolet. I have always wanted a S05 however have seen a wide pricing scale on them so I dont know when to pull the trigger. Looking at the intricate casebacks on these makes me see they are definitely not to be associated with each other.codguy wrote: ↑October 11th 2020, 6:36amYou should probably stay away from Grand Seiko as well, might remind you of the cheap $100 Seiko purchased from a TV network.monster623az wrote: ↑October 10th 2020, 9:00pmI am taken back from the Nicolet name. Reminds me of the $50 watch I bought way back when on Shopnbc..
Armand Nicolet= founded ± 1875
Nicolet= founded ± 1975, trying to sponge off AN's reputation imo and seems now reduced to kickstarter projects.
For me, I don't let brand names dictate what I own, it is the company behind them.
But that is me..............
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?


Love mine. SWI watches were made by Armand Nicolet.



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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Here we are rooting for Armand Nicolet, while ignoring the fact that if they were to succeed a bit more, the almost unfathomable gray market markdowns many watch buyers have enjoyed the past few years will disappear faster than Lysol spray at Target.
As Dim Demple used to hornswaggle: Just sayin'.
As Dim Demple used to hornswaggle: Just sayin'.
Best of luck to all my longtime friends here. Please stay safe, always.
- Falstaff
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Wish I had jumped on one of those SWIs when they were blowing them out on Slop around $350 or so.
"Who are you?" "I am the new Number Two." "Who is Number One?" "You are Number Six."
- Falstaff
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Still waiting for the big sell-off....
"Who are you?" "I am the new Number Two." "Who is Number One?" "You are Number Six."
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Haven't dumped my SWI wartches yet but plan to do so in the future......... outside of watchlords.
Have already been thinning the herd, thanks for asking.
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- TemerityB
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Re: Why is Armand Nicolet a Price Dumper?
Ahh, Tokker: "Price Dumper." As if a watch is only worth something if can be flipped at a profit.
AN is still pretty good. I think they're a bargain at the gray prices, but I guess what do I know.
AN is still pretty good. I think they're a bargain at the gray prices, but I guess what do I know.
Best of luck to all my longtime friends here. Please stay safe, always.
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