JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates discuss Victoria’s recent trip to Paris as a guest of Japanese watchmaker Credor to celebrate the brand’s update on a classic Gérald Genta timepiece from 1979. Next, the pair gear up for JCK Las Vegas by highlighting some of the exciting events on their show agenda, from Rob moderating an expert panel on cybercrime and security to Victoria reporting on emerging jewelry trends from the show floor. Other notable events in the JCK lineup include a keynote speech from Disney’s former head of innovation and live performances by Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg.

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Sponsor: IGI (igi.org/education)

Show Notes
01:55 Credor reintroduces Locomotive
08:07 JCK preview: Education and experts
14:24 Selfie ops, puppies, and more
17:20 Award winners and headliners
20:05 Diamond notes
20:57 Innovators and networkers

Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Editor: Riley McCaskill
Plugs: @jckmagazine; igi.org/education

Show Recap
Credor reintroduces Locomotive
Victoria shares the story of Japanese watchmaker Credor, which hosted her recent trip to Paris. A sibling of Seiko and Grand Seiko, Credor was founded in 1974 as a “design-focused, elegant, premium brand” with beautiful porcelain dials and more creative freedom than Grand Seiko,  Victoria explains.

During the 1970s, Seiko found an unlikely fan in iconic designer Gérald Genta, the man responsible for some of the best-selling Swiss watches of all time, including Patek Philippe’s Nautilus and Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak. Genta loved Japanese culture and forged a relationship with the company despite the quartz crisis that was decimating the Swiss watch industry, largely driven by Japanese companies like Seiko.

Genta created a number of designs for Seiko at the request of the company’s founders, the Hattori family. Among the most memorable was the hexagonal Locomotive timepiece he created for Credor in 1979. One of the few watches that Genta himself named, the Locomotive referenced French slang for what we might now call a viral hit, Victoria says. The name had less to do with trains than with the idea of a driving force in pop culture.

Credor reintroduced the Locomotive last year for its 50th anniversary with the blessing of Genta’s widow, Evelyne, and their daughter, Alexia. This spring, the reborn Locomotive became a regular production model for Credor, equipped with a striking new green dial.

For Victoria, one of the highlights of the launch event, held at the Ritz hotel in Paris, was meeting Evelyne and Alexia and hearing their memories of Genta. For retailers and watch enthusiasts, “the fact that Credor now wants to more boldly enter this space is great news for lovers of Japanese design and culture,” Victoria says.

JCK preview: Education and experts
Rob and Victoria look ahead to the JCK and Luxury shows kicking off this week in Las Vegas. Rob will moderate two educational sessions—one on security, where experts will offer advice on how to safeguard your business and avoid cybercrime (Thursday, June 5, at 2 p.m.), and one on ethics with the World Jewellery Confederation (Saturday, June 7, at noon). The organization, better known as CIBJO, recently created a Blue List that defines key sustainability-related terms with the goal of increasing clarity and consistency in the industry. For example, Rob notes, an item more than a century old qualifies as antique, while a vintage one is 30 to 100 years old. The Blue List is currently out for public comment, and CIBJO hopes for input from the industry to help hone the definitions.

Rob is eager to hear Botswana’s new president, Duma Boko, speak at the JCK show. He’s also looking forward to the Rapaport Breakfast (Sunday, June 8, at 8 a.m.), where Rapaport Corp. chair Martin Rapaport will discuss the natural diamond business with De Beers CEO Al Cook.

Selfie ops, puppies, and more
Look for Instagram-ready activations throughout the show floor themed by different decades of the 20th century, including a nostalgic Y2K Lounge with a photo booth. The backdrops are a great way to post fun content to your social channels and keep your followers up to date on your time in Las Vegas, says Victoria.

For more photo ops and a doggie dopamine rush, don’t miss “Time With Puppies” (Sunday, June 8, at 11 a.m.), where you can cuddle and play with rescue pups between appointments.

JCK attendees can also expect some splashy updates at the Venetian Hotel and Expo, from new signage to buzzy restaurants, thanks to a $188 million renovation that’s currently underway. Of particular note for foodies is Gjelina, an outpost of the Venice Beach hot spot of the same name, a favorite of Victoria’s.

In addition to treating herself to the Venetian’s newest eatery, Victoria is looking forward to joining JCK managing editor Melissa Rose Bernardo on stage to discuss emerging trends from the show floor (Sunday, June 8, at noon). After that, she’ll moderate an expert panel on expanding your sales opportunities in the new and pre-owned watch markets (Sunday, June 8, at 1 p.m.).

Award winners and headliners
Equally newsworthy is a new awards program from Kering, the Paris-based luxury group behind Gucci, Boucheron, and Pomellato. Kering is collaborating with CIBJO and Poli.Design on the award, which recognizes achievements in sustainable jewelry design (Saturday, June 7, at 4:30 p.m.).

Come Sunday, the show’s action-packed slate includes a Le Vian fashion show, a Jewelers For Children benefit, and JCK Rocks performances by Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg. (Snoop, incidentally, has his own jewelry venture—Lovechild by Metal Alchemist x Gamma, which will be exhibiting at the show.)

Diamond notes
Rob points out that Diamonds Plaza at the JCK show is now called the Natural Diamonds Plaza. There is a separate Lab-Grown Plaza.

Victoria says a lot of retailers are expressing interest in yellow, brown, and champagne natural diamonds. She predicts these cool colors will continue to gain popularity and acceptance as luxury purchases because “those in the natural space are finding ways to distinguish their product from a lab-grown look, which tends to be just white and clean and big.”

Innovators and networkers
Rob encourages attendees to catch the Luxury keynote speech by Duncan Wardle, former head of innovation and creativity at Disney (Wednesday, June 4, at 8 a.m.).

Victoria reminds listeners that “the networking can’t be beat” at JCK Las Vegas—and there are plenty of opportunities to make the most of it. At such a big trade show, spending time in a smaller, more intimate setting is a great way to connect with others in the industry, she says.

Finally, Rob and Victoria will be interviewing attendees on the show floor, so don’t be surprised if one of The Jewelry District’s hosts approaches you with a microphone to ask a few questions.

Any views expressed in this podcast do not reflect the opinion of JCK, its management, or its advertisers.

 

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