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I've never seen a GF in the flesh, only in pictures, so I'm not personally in-the-know about the brand. What I've seen has been in pictures and the occasional reviews from Tim Mosso (who obviously has an interest in selling watches, but I trust his opinions about them).
IF they are planning to move away from their rarified level of watchmaking, then I think it's the wrong move. There are too many players in that area, and if finishing or architecture is sacrificed to get there, then I don't know what GF would offer that's different than higher tier luxury brands. Certainly, if they keep their higher price points in doing so, then that's going to be a failure.
But in the current space they are playing, it's hard to justify GF prices either. Their designs span whimsical to very fancy, but my opinion is that they don't have a singular design philosophy or look. If you look at an MB&F, you know what that is. If you look at a Gronefeld, you know what that is. Heck, if you look at Lange & Heyne, you know what that is too. With GF, do you have to guess if not for the name plastered on the dial?
So, in my opinion, if you buy a GF, you are one of a very few group of people who know of and own a GF, even amongst nerds. As a buyer, if you are into that kind of stealth ownership, that's great, but it comes at a very steep price.
How many of you are there? Apparently, not enough for GF investors. And the GF appeal will always be an extremely limited market.
So if investors want more return, then GF needs a lower priced model that can be made in slightly greater numbers, appeal to a broader set of high-net-worth individuals, and adjust production techniques to boot.
That's a HUGE risk.
If you had a choice between a Journe, MB&F, Gronefeld, Lange & Heyne, high-end ALS, high-end Patek, DeBethune, or if you are a baller, an RM.....what would you choose?
If you said GF, you are a GF super fan....got to admit it. And there's not many of you, for better or worse.
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