我看百年靈 2023 超級海洋文化 ’57 高地系列 (Breitling Superocean Heritage ’57 Highlands Capsule Collection)

在銷售業這麼些年來的心得之一就是，青菜蘿蔔真的各有所好。

2023年年底，我們家百年靈推出了 Superocean Heritage ’57 Highlands Capsule Collection，所謂的限量色、限期販售、靈感更鮮明的「膠囊款式」：超級海洋文化 ’57 高地系列。

我喜歡秋天、喜歡愛丁堡以至蘇格蘭高地，也喜歡充滿英倫學院氣息的針織、毛呢布料服飾風格（儘管現實生活中不住在英國北部、也不怕冷的我，其實根本穿不太到？）， 所以當公司在2023年底推出這個系列的宣傳照時，立刻就抓住了我的眼球，從錶款本身到買錶就附贈的毛呢或綠苔感錶帶，都讓我直呼好喜歡。

只可惜，至少就我本身接觸客人的經驗而言，大多數消費者還是會挑選品牌廣為人知的主力系列，而非在主系列底下變化出的不同款式——儘管它們一定還是會帶有參考品牌歷史與歷年款式的設計元素。

總而言之，在這個系列的銷售期結束，最受歡迎的綠色和藍色錶盤在英國的庫存幾乎售罄之後，其它兩個相較來說「更挑戰大眾審美」的顏色，會來到咱們百年靈英國首席折扣店，我也就一點都不覺得奇怪了。

在英國，當我們討論「喜歡的程度兩極，喜歡的人很喜歡、討厭的人很討厭」的事物時，英國人會使用「國民抹醬 Marmite」來表達：

This is Marmite. People love it or hate it.

而這四支高地系列錶款中的芥末黃色，大概就是這個樣子吧。

而在敝店近期收到的兩支庫存中，我很高興地賣出了其中一支給一位英國媽媽，且在和客人一家人（爸爸媽媽與女兒）的交談中，確實感受到了他們先前「在透過雜誌宣傳圖後就為該系列著迷不已」的熱情與喜悅。

從錶款顏色選擇、表徑尺寸，到該系列有贈毛呢織物風格錶帶等等，這對夫妻都很清楚，十足是做過功課的。

他們只是沒想到，在當時因為價位而略有動搖、所以錯過之後，居然會在比斯特購物村發現我們店的存在，而且看到這款錶。

不得不說，我就是很願意相信這種浪漫的邂逅——他們和這款錶的緣分簡直註定呀。

在經過和他們一家的奇遇之後，如今的我再看這款錶和當時下載到筆電的視覺圖們，我對這款被介定為「芥末黃 Mustard」的錶盤顏色，突然有了新的想像。

這難道不就是秋天落楓的顏色之一嗎？

戴上這款錶，尤其是換上綠色毛呢錶帶之後，就好像把美麗的落楓戴在手上似的。

這下可好，我對這款芥末黃的中立看法，立刻就倒戈變為十分欣賞了。

人生果然是需要想像力和故事的呀。

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in sales over the years is that tastes truly vary – what one person loves, another may not.

At the end of 2023, Breitling released the Superocean Heritage ’57 Highlands Collection. It is limited-colour, limited-time, inspiration-led “capsule series.”

I love autumn. I love Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands. I love the whole British countryside and collegiate aesthetic: knits, tweeds, wool textures (despite in reality, I don’t live in the north of England and rarely have the chance to actually wear the style!). So when Breitling launched the campaign visuals for this collection, they immediately caught my eye. From the watches themselves to the tweed and moss-green-textured straps that come with purchase – everything made me fall for the series instantly.

Unfortunately, at least from my own experience with customers, most consumers still tend to choose the brand’s well-known core collections, rather than the variations that sit under those collections. Even though these pieces still carry design cues inspired by Breitling’s history and archival models.

So it wasn’t surprising to me that once the selling period ended and the two most popular dial colours, green and blue, had nearly sold out across the UK, the remaining two colours, which are admittedly “more challenging to general tastes,” eventually made their way to our Breitling outlet boutique in Bicester Village.

In the UK, when we talk about something that people either absolutely love or absolutely hate, the British will describe it as “Marmite:”

This is Marmite. People love it or hate it.

And the mustard-yellow dial in the Highlands collection is exactly that.

Recently, we received two pieces of this version in store, and I was so delighted to sell one to a English lady. Through my conversation with her, her husband, and their daughter, I could sense immediately how much they had already fallen in love with the collection from seeing it in magazines beforehand. Their enthusiasm was genuine and infectious.

From the dial colour, to the case size, to the fact that the collection comes with a tweed-inspired fabric strap, both husband and wife knew their details well. They had clearly done their homework.

What they didn’t expect, however, was that after hesitating over the price last time and missing the chance to get it, they would somehow stumble upon our store in Bicester Village, and find the watch right there.

I really do believe in these romantic encounters. It truly felt like this watch was meant to find its way to them.

After this lovely coincidence with their family, I looked at the mustard-yellow version again, along with the campaign images I had saved on my laptop. All of sudden, I started to see the colour differently.

Isn’t this shade essentially one of the colours of autumn leaves?

Wearing this watch, especially with the green tweed-style strap, feels almost like wearing a piece of fallen autumn foliage on your wrist.

And just like that, my previously neutral opinion of this mustard-yellow dial turned into genuine appreciation.

Life really does call for imagination and a good story, doesn’t it?