patrick_y[PuristSPro Moderator]
28610
I wasn't trying to be too harsh on the dealer and I definitely don't want to draw the ire...
Aug 25, 2022,00:33 AM
Oh no! Now we really narrowed it down to the town! I guess I made it too easy didn't I?
I definitely don't want to draw the ire of the jeweler in question and I definitely wasn't trying to identify the jeweler in question. As I have visited the store, I have said good things about it, and I actively encourage people to visit that jeweler. And I definitely don't want to be on this store's "naughty list" as I like the store and I want the store to like me as well. Furthermore, at this point, no self-respecting watch collector can afford to draw ire from a jeweler. Many people here knows I'm a fan of certain brands (Patek Philippe included) and it's because I like this brand so much that I care about their dealers upholding their standards. If I didn't like this brand this much, I wouldn't care as much.
I wasn't trying to identify the jeweler. Although I probably didn't make it too difficult to figure it out; as there aren't many jewelers that carry Patek Philippe in the "local area" within a 100 mile radius that have that kind of a leaded bay window on their building. This post is not designed to poke fun at the jeweler, but just to bring a point that standards have fallen across the board. As mentioned before, I don't want to be on a naughty list with this jeweler. I could've not mentioned "Monterey Car Week" but my mind was reflecting upon Monterey car week at the time, which lead me to mention it. Good journalism and writing is about setting the place and time to give the reader a picture about what's going on, so I always try to put in the details, but it wasn't absolutely necessary for me to make my point. I also didn't want to identify the many hotels that aren't having their porters wear gloves. But I do suppose I might've identified the restaurant I mentioned when I mentioned "the finest high cuisine restaurant in the country I live in doesn't even use real silverware anymore." The restaurants that qualify as offering the "finest high cuisine restaurant" in the country is a fairly short list.
Furthermore, I try to be fair in my criticism to all brands. If a brand I like does something I'm not entirely in agreement with, then I may not be super positive about it; but I'll try to explain both perspectives. If Max Busser (one of the great rock-star personalities in the watch industry) made a bad move, I might be the first to say it aloud, I try to be impartial and nobody gets a pass. I'm still not sure The Patek Philippe Seal was a good idea; I understand Patek Philippe's argument, they go above the Seal's requirements and when other brands that get the Seal communicate to consumers that they're at the same level as Patek Philippe when they're not. I also understand that a quality seal has a lot more weight behind it when it's issued by a third party and not by the brand itself. I'm torn on it.
This jeweler's mistake is an innocent one. Again, I'm not trying to identify the jeweler, although I realize I didn't make it too difficult considering the unique leaded bay window and geographical mentioning. I'm just merely bringing up the fact that standards across the board are lower than before. I'm being served caviar with a metal spoon in multiple Michelin starred restaurants. Caviar service on a major country's flag carrier airline's First Class cabin was using American paddlefish eggs (come on, farmed Osetra sturgeon is readily available). If I mention the route, I might give the airline away, but it's a 12+ hour flight, not a short flight, and the airline was flying out of their own largest hub. Consumers need to gently remind service providers, restaurants, jewelry stores, et. al. that we didn't forget those high standards of service and while we're silent most of the time, we do sometimes notice the cut corners and the overlooked details. These are all first world problems. But we consumers are paying top dollar for a product and the experience that should come with it!