As a leading manufacturer of custom rubber watch straps, an integral part of our work here at Rubber B is being intimately familiar with the companies that make the luxury timepieces for which we produce watch bands. One of the things which we quickly became aware of at the outset of our research is that many of these companies were founded as family affairs – in some cases, they still are.
Because family is a universal part of the human experience, it makes sense that advertisers would attempt to pull on our heartstrings by telling us stories that remind f us of our own families – sometimes, these endeavors are successful, and sometimes, they are not. In Rubber B’s opinion, one of the more successful of these campaigns actually comes from the world of horology itself – in this case, the esteemed firm of Patek Philippe.
For several years, the company has been running an ad campaign entitled “Generations,” which is a series of commercials focused on how timepieces are often passed between family members for generations to come. As the year slowly comes to an end, we decided to spotlight five of our favorite ads from this long-running series, in no particular order of preference.
1. From Father to Son – 2018
This gorgeous 30-second spot, which is shot in an elegant black and white style that evokes vintage Hollywood classics, contains no dialogue at all. It is simply a father and a son lovingly admiring a Patek Philippe watch while a calming instrumental track plays over the background – very simple, very effective.
The spot ends with one of the timepieces set against a white background as Patek Philippe’s slogan – “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation” – is displayed. This ad is a master class in how to say a lot about a company’s brand visually without having to utter a single word at all.
2. New Airs – 2016
Another highly elegant entry in the series, this spot keeps the chic black and white aesthetic but has a much more global focus to it, as it spotlights families spending time together in Los Angeles, Bangkok, Sydney, Geneva, and New York. Of course, all of the adults are wearing gorgeous Patek Philippe watches during these family outings, but that in no way distracts from the quality filmmaking in the ad.
This ad is also notable for offering a slight variation on the slogan featured at the end of it – in this instance, it’s “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”
3. Leeds & Son – 2013
This is a particularly well-done bit of advertising, and even though it is from 2013, it seems to predict the trend of luxury brands making ads that feel more like short films than commercials. The spot has a beginning, middle, and an end and focuses on a father spending quality time with his son – at the end, the son grows up and leaves the family home.
It should also be noted that there is a lovely jazz song that accompanies the ad in the background, but apparently, the song was composed especially for the commercial, and as such, is not commercially available anywhere.
4. Next Chapter – 2019
One of the shorter spots among the collection we are reviewing here, this ad is none the less notable for a couple of reasons. The first is that it is the most recent among the set, as it was released just last year. The other, as its name implies, is that it begins a new set of “Generations” ads for Patek Phillipe in terms of art direction and style.
While the content doesn’t differ wildly from some of the other ads we’ve seen here – it’s a father spending quality time with his young sons – it is worth mentioning that all of the actors have a much more youthful look here, including the father himself, which seems to have been Patek Philippe’s stated goal in terms of the campaign.
5. Son in Shanghai – 2016
The shortest out of all of the ads which we considered for this article, this one comes in at just 24 seconds long and focuses on a father and son in an office building together in Shanghai while the father is working. It was nice to see a more diverse cast in one of these ads as an added bonus.
Looking for a Custom Rubber Watch Strap For Your Patek Phillipe Timepiece? Visit Rubber B Today
If you are looking for a high-quality custom rubber watch strap for your Patek Phillipe watch, look no further than the experts at Rubber B. We offer a wide variety of custom watch bands for Patek Philippe products, and you can see a complete listing of them over at our website.
