Men's Luxury Watches and Motorsport - A Unique Passion

The connection between cars and luxury men's watches is a strong bond which has inspired the creation of numerous iconic pieces. Watch brands such as TAG Heuer, Panerai and Richard Mille, to name but a few have released car-themed collections to enthusiasts eager to own a timepiece whose name and design inspiration is taken from luxury car marques, motorsport teams, drivers or even world famous race tracks.

High precision chronographs are essential timing devices within the world of motorsport. An industry-savvy Jack W. Heuer recognised this and had the vision to connect his watch company with that of motor racing. The release of the Carrera collection, named after the extreme Carrera Pan Americana road race was just the start of a lineage of themed pieces unveiled by Heuer and later TAG Heuer which include the Monza and the Monaco, worn by Steve McQueen in the cult "Le Mans" film in 1970.

Girard-Perregaux formed a relationship with Ferrari which lasted from 1994 to 2004 and during this time released a collection of impressive limited edition pieces including the remarkable Worldtimer Ferrari F1 Edition and the magnificent Girard-Perregaux Richeville pour Ferrari Complication. Recently Ferrari have become connected with the Panerai watch brand. A range of Ferrari timepieces have been unveiled taking inspiration from the distinctive sports car design detailing created at Maranello but with the heartbeat of a Panerai movement contained in their beautifully convex shaped watchcase.

Commercial success is not the only reason for collaboration between watch brands and motorsport. Take Chopard, for example, it is no secret that Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Vice-President of Chopard, sponsors of the Mille Miglia rally is himself a classic rally entrant and a keen car collector and enthusiast. The brand also sponsor the Monaco Grand Prix Historique and have released outstanding sporty watches with true motorsport heritage such as the Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL and the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chronograph. Another race fan Giuliano Mazzuoli has designed the Mazzuoli Contagiri (Italian for tachometer). This amazing watch looks more like the rev counter of a sports car than a wristwatch and is produced for buyers of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione concept sports car.

The world of Formula 1 continues to mix with that of luxury watches jual jam tangan fortuner. Brand ambassadors include the brilliant Brazilian driver Felipe Massa for Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet have released tribute pieces of the fabulous Royal Oak Offshore for both Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello. Oris are also sponsors of the Williams F1 team.

Motorsport and luxury watches share unique passions, technical prowess and in some cases even certain construction materials. If a sporty timepiece is your thing, then these models are more than just a way to own the brand if you cannot afford the car, they are undeniably cool wristwatches, often a shrewd investment and are always a conversation-starter.

Customer Service A Chicken's Way

Anyone who knows me knows my favorite fast food restaurant is Chick-fil-A. Aside from the fact their chicken is especially good and I can always get sweet tea, I have a valuable business reason for eating there - they serve up amazing customer service. And these lessons aren't just served in my nearest location. But in any city, any town, any time I have been to a Chick-fil-A, I have left feeling like the most valuable Customer.

Now you may wonder what you can learn for your business, from a fast food restaurant. In short, plenty. Just because your business is different does not mean you can't take someone else's ideas or techniques and make them applicable to what you do. So I challenge you to be open to what you can learn from a chicken.

They are focused.

Chick-fil-a knows their expertise is making good chicken. You don't drive up to their window with options such as beef, pork or fish. Their focus stays on what they know. No empty promises of the best steak in town or a delicious oriental creation, just chicken. We should do the same for our Customers.

Don't pretend to have expertise where you can't deliver. Customers are good at sniffing us out. If you promise something you can't deliver just to get their business; you will be without a Customer.

They give me what I want.

I love Polynesian sauce (dipping sauce for nuggets) for my French fries. Chick-fil-A never charges me extra even though I don't order their nuggets. They are happy to give me what I want.

How many times to we charge our Customers all these added fees if they want something that is not the standard? When your Customer is hungry for something different - make it easy for them to eat.

They rest.

I often crave chicken on lazy Sunday afternoons but Chick-fil-A is never open for business due to clear company values and beliefs. They choose Sundays as a day to rest. They are never open, no exceptions, and according to their business plan they never will.

So often we cheat our Customers by not breaking from our work. Too much work can lesson our ability to concentrate, cloud our focus, and leave a bitter taste in our mouth. How much help are we to Customers if we are burned out?

They train their employees.

At a Chick-fil-A visit you will hear things like, "It is my pleasure to serve you." "Please." "Thank you." "I look forward to seeing you at the window." The atmosphere includes smiles kambing guling jakarta, laughter, and happy workers who appear to love their job. And I doubt their happiness is based on a love for chicken - they have been trained to value the Customer.

If you want to excel as a business, hire superstars that believe the Customer writes their paycheck. Set expectations with your employees and staff that outstanding Customer Service is expected, not optional. Add Customer Service as a major part of an employee's orientation. And most importantly lead by example. S.Truett Cathy, chose to do things his way by taking care of Customers and employees by hiring operators and managers that believed in his philosophy. To date, Chick-fil-A, the company he founded has more than a billion in sales annually.