The sense of urgency

MoonSwatch mania has not been overlooked since its launch on March 26th. Endless queues formed all over the world from dawn to dusk, often leaving fans of the first and last hour on the sidelines, too numerous to hope to leave the Swatch store with the Grail of their dreams. This is surprising when you consider that no exclusivity or limited series had been announced. In the same way, for the community of Gucci Vault addicts, the precious object becomes the 10KTF Gucci Grail Mint Pass, the key to unlocking collaborative creations. PFP holders, members of the Vault's Discord community or citizens of the 10KTF now have the opportunity to discover the potential it holds. Again, the desire to own it is going viral. Still on the subject of surprising collaborations - and compulsive reflexes - knowing that the mythical jeweller Tiffany & Co has just acquired Okapi NFTs from Tom Sachs: Rocket Factory for 115 ETH, or $380,000, has raised the temperature of those who still want to buy and get their stylishly assembled rocket off the ground. The sale ends on 14 April. Since then, the price of a rocket has also skyrocketed.

And this latest example, although in the rather classic milieu of independent brand watches, has put the MB&F brand into orbit with more than 18,500 requests for a lottery of the latest model from Max Busser & Friends, the M.A.D.1 RED. Not to mention the Patek Philippe Tiffany models that had collectors in a tizzy. The sense of urgency is still there. The madness of capsule collections, these models in very small series witnessing improbable alliances, has a lot to do with this acceleration. For the past two years, the cataclysms of the real world have followed one another and have touched our deepest fears, the fear of emptiness, of lack. This sense of urgency is a reality, experienced on the other side of the world, as well as up close. In Ukraine, as on Bahnhofstrasse, the queues are getting longer. The causes and consequences are different. But placed on top of each other, the two images are striking.

As the long-awaited Watches & Wonders exhibition gets underway, it's a safe bet that brands will be playing up the exclusivity, the rarity, the uniqueness. This is a normal tactic to seduce consumers and revive an industry. But the tactic could start to wear out. The urgency of a new consumption must emerge.