Instabook, the impact of images, without the weight of words

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Instabook, the impact of images, without the weight of words - Chronopassion
1 minute read
The arrival of summer heralds the first deliveries of new watches from the SIHH and Baselworld, and Laurent Picciotto’s new Instabook.

It’s thirty years since Chronopassion (link to http://www.chronopassion.com) and its charismatic owner Laurent Picciotto first erupted onto the watch scene with their unique approach to watch retail. There’s a quirky shop, completely refurbished this year; a highly original choice of brands, where big names such as Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Bulgari, Hublot, Panerai, TAG Heuer and Zenith rub shoulders with exclusive brands including Arnold & Son, Czapek & Cie, H. Moser & Cie, Fabergé, HYT, MB&F and Urwerk; unbridled creativity on social networks, particularly Instagram; and this rather unusual catalogue, made up solely of pictures of watches, with the only line of text an editorial reminder – show, don’t tell!

In a discussion we had earlier in the year, Laurent Picciotto told us the story behind this publication, which is much more of a coffee table book than a traditional watch shop catalogue. “For the first version, I did everything right. I brought in talented writers who created beautiful copy, we made a wonderful magazine, and the upshot of it was that people had all the information they wanted and had no need to contact us! Beginning with the second edition, I took the opposite approach. I said nothing, focusing on the product alone, encouraging readers, our clients and friends, to contact us directly to find out more. The recipe worked, and clients called.”

For this 4th opus, “without long explanations and embroidery”, the format has changed somewhat, with more minimalist images that place the product centre-stage.

You can browse the Instabook,take a note of the number alongside the watch that interests you, and send an email to the dedicated address instabook@chronopassion.fr. (Don’t forget to say hi to Laurent from us.)