This is actually a very telling tale, and is not at all unique to Maurice Lacroix. Look closely and you get to see exactly what it is like being a brand ambassador for a Swiss watch brand. Here you have outgoing British golfer Justin Rose being courted by Maruice Lacriox to becoming a brand ambassador them. This can mean, among other things, wearing only Maurice Lacroix watches in public, and wearing Maurice Larcroix branded clothing while playing golf. In exchange the brand ambassador gets money, and ideally some watches. In this video Mr. Rose gets at least one watch (the rest might be loaners). What is interesting about this video is that is really captures what occurs in reality. Mr. Rose is not a watch enthusiast by nature, but he does like watches – further he does not yet know a lot about the brand. Like all proud Swiss watch brands, Maurice Lacroix flies Justin to Switzerland (Zurich in this case) to meet their people, view the factory, and get the “treatment.” This is an important part of the process because it is necessary to have a true appreciation of what goes into a watch brand. Design is just a small part of it, the real seller is the manufacturing process that has the ability to make you swoon with glee over what goes into making a luxury watch.
You get to see the typical Swiss personality here. The friendly but a bit standoff-ish compared to the much more outgoing modern British demeanor. It is actually quite amusing as I have been in similar interactions myself. It is not that the Swiss are at all unfriendly, but rather that they just need to get to know you a bit before being more open and themselves. Mr. Rose gets to learn all about the brand, as be must be patient during the full “presentation.” What is interesting is that at this point the deal is made, but Mr. Rose still needs to be educated about what it means to be an ambassador. Part of that is a lot of images taken for marketing purposes. “Wear this watch…pose.” Is a statement he will hear many times. After a few days having a nice time in Switzerland Mr. Rose will leave with his new items and knowledge. He will likely be called back to regularly attend a few Maurice Lacroix events. It is a good deal for both parties really, and a big effort to be asked to be a brand ambassador for watch brands that are by nature notoriously picky. I think that TheTimeTV.com did a good job of capturing the real essence of the interactions and the feel of the situations (whether it was intentional or not). Good video.
See Maurice Lacroix watches on eBay here.
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