# Change from Anonimo Firenze (Classic) to new Anonimo



## Sparrowhawk

Happy New Year,

So, Anonimo Firenze has changed hands, this actually happened in 2011, the company now has Belgian owners and has recently introduced new models. Not really my bailiwick, like many WUS members, I prefer many of the classic watches.
​
I have a black dial Zulu Time and think it's a great watch and a valued piece in my watch collection.

So, knowing what I stated in first sentence, will someone provide a more complete picture of what has happened to Anonimo with the company changing hands? I looked around the forum briefly and was not able to find anything specifically discussing the change. I am not trying to start a bash the new Anonimo thread, but would like information on what happened and what the options are for service for classic watches, etc. How did this happen, did Anonimo Firenze price themselves out of the market?

Hopefully, it is not in bad taste or against the Anonimo forum rules to ask. Information regarding the change seems to be limited.

Thanks,

Craig


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## timefleas

Stoll still provides service to Anonimo watches, as do many other places. The major issue is that there seems to be no longer any parts available, and no communication from new Anonimo regarding parts availability. Unfortunately, virtually all Anonimo watches had small production runs, and somewhat unique designs, so the scarcity of parts has become a major issue and liability with the ownership of a classic Anonimo, even the new hex lug pins are nearly impossible to come by, much less new crystals, crowns, and other basic elements of the watch. Perhaps 2014 holds hope for these older watches, perhaps new Anonimo will address these very real issues, perhaps new parts will be machined for the old watches by new Anonimo, and perhaps pigs will learn to fly.


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## Sparrowhawk

Thanks for your reply. That's a sad state...


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## eddiea

timefleas said:


> Stoll still provides service to Anonimo watches, as do many other places. The major issue is that there seems to be no longer any parts available, and no communication from new Anonimo regarding parts availability. Unfortunately, virtually all Anonimo watches had small production runs, and somewhat unique designs, so the scarcity of parts has become a major issue and liability with the ownership of a classic Anonimo, even the new hex lug pins are nearly impossible to come by, much less new crystals, crowns, and other basic elements of the watch. Perhaps 2014 holds hope for these older watches, perhaps new Anonimo will address these very real issues, perhaps new parts will be machined for the old watches by new Anonimo, and perhaps pigs will learn to fly.


Indeed, I quick e-mail to Stoll and a prompt response from Jessica, who is telling me that they will service the movements (no surprises there ) agreed most half way decent watchmakers or service centers will, but (continue Jessica) no Anonimo especific parts, are available.
So aside from the "historical" models issue, is the "new" Anonimo worth the try, or a total disaster?


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## korneevy

The new "Anonimo" simply does not exist as a watch manufacturer - I doubt they produced any working timepieces ever since the change of ownership and all what has ever been shown are the ugly prototypes with missing movements that we all had seen at the last Basel in 2013, so I doubt you will be able to "give it a try", even if you really wanted to throw some good money away to get one their monstrosities.


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## samer0214

Is such a shame what's happening to the brand. Anonimo was on my list of the next watch to buy, and i am now very hesitant with the lack of spare parts.


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## JayVeeez

:-(


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## watchcountry

*This is the message from the new owners of Anonimo.*

_{Dear All,

As you may know, the brand Anonimo Firenze (Firenze Orologi Srl) no longer exists.

To avoid any confusion, we wish to inform you that there is no direct or indirect link between the previous management team and current members of ANONIMO SA (Switzerland), neither between the previous owner of Firenze Orologi Srl and the owners of our company.

Thus, for both technical and commercial reasons, it is impossible for us to systematically ensure the After-Sales Service of Anonimo Firenze watches.

Indeed, we have only very few components of the previous collections of watches and no straps, nor clasps.

Moreover, we do not have in our possession all the technical information or plans that would be necessary to possibly produce spare parts.

And, on top of that, you readily understand that it is unthinkable to produce components in very limited quantities.

This is a situation that we deplore but that we cannot solve.

We also take this opportunity to underline that with all the respect we have for the heritage of the brand, Anonimo Firenze should have built a minimum stock of parts and components to properly ensure After Sales service during, at least, a dozen of years.
This, unfortunately, has not been done.

We sincerely appreciate customers' passion for Anonimo - and this is the reason why we have decided to save the brand and a part of its patrimony. Yet, if we do understand some customer's frustration facing faulty products, we can only propose realistic solutions - and we will never make unrealistic promises. Ensuring After Sales service of previous models would be one of those.

Furthermore, we do not have any After Sale Service Certified Center as they have all run out of stock of components.

Regarding distribution and talking about the "old new stock"- which means Anonimo Firenze items - we clearly let you know that these products should not be sold under warranty.
As Anonimo SA has not sold these watches, it will not ensure any warranty for those items.

Please note that the official business of ANONIMO SA will be launched at Basel 2014.

We will be happy to offer a commercial gesture for those customers who, in the past, have suffered from lack of support on behalf of Anonimo Firenze.

We remain at your disposal for any further inquiries.

Best regards,_}

This was published in the Facebook page of Anonimo.


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## catlike

OK, so no warranty with the NOS models on e-bay, Chrono24 etc.

Someone let these sellers know so they are forced to drop their prices even more and I can pick up a real bargain ;-)

I wonder what this means? " _We will be happy to offer a commercial gesture for those customers who, in the past, have suffered from lack of support on behalf of Anonimo Firenze."_


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## nelsondevicenci

Crap !


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## phunky_monkey

Need to watch out for in house warranties as well guys as they dealers will not be able to source parts as per above.

With that in mind, I had an issue with my Millemetri Japan Edition and the dealer solved the issue with no out of pocket expense to me (though no proprietary parts were required for the repair), so the in-house warranties still do have value.


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## torromoto

What a joke....then again I didn't expect anything from them in the first place...


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## DDD3333

So, the way forward is to pretend they bought the company in 2013? The dismal re-launch in Baselworld was perhaps an hallucination or just utterly forgettable?
Actually, I'll bear with that as I am practically dis-enfranchised at this point.

I will state (however pointless) I find it disingenuous to abdicate responsibility for spare parts (and blame Anonimo Firenze for it all) when the very thing you are taking over is an established brand with established customers. I would pose the (undoubted) weaknesses existing at Anonimo Firenze operation-wise through this period were equally matched by a lack of intent or plain disinterest to ever service the existing customer base by the new Anonimo (a misstep being lightly acknowledged hardly salvages the damage done).

However, let's at least note some positives. Obviously, there have been shakeups. The website is now minimal with the idiotic and misplaced focus on sports such as golf (for now) removed. The models have been restricted to the new Militare (which, sorry, I still dislike) with a promise of new models at Baselworld 2014.
I presume some of the original personnel -PR, branding, design? - got canned or they have sought some serious professional advice (as opposed to the blatantly amateur) to focus on their survival.

I will be interested rather than excited to see what the new Anonimo issues at Baselworld - I'm in 'fool me once' syndrome since last year's fiasco. However, it's not inconceivable they could bring something better to the table this go around. Whatever missteps were made last year, all concerned must be well aware that the industry (specifically distributers etc) are going to be dubious about a company re-launching this year after failure to launch last year. Unless they bring it in 2014, they will have no credibility left.


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## catlike

Yeah this sucks - particularly for recent new Anonimo owners.

I don't know exactly how it works in Europe, but usually there are 2 ways to buy a company:


A stock or share purchase
An asset purchase

In (1) the purchasing company is legally responsible for any liabilities including debt, pending legal action, warranties etc. that the purchased company has. In (2) there is no liability taken on by the purchaser and any liabilities at the time of purchase remain the responsibility of the seller, because the purchaser didn't pay for good (or bad) will.

This must have been an asset sale, so legally at least, the new company has no responsibility for warranties. That burden however still rests with the former owners/directors of Anonimo.

The bad guys in this are the former owners, they willingly sold their business on a basis that virtually deserted their customer base. They probably think that no-one will pursue any sort of action against them based on the relatively low value of a watch in the scheme of things. I would think that the new owners would have to divulge the contact details of the former owners if asked about warranty claims etc?

Edit: Keep in mind that this is strictly the legal perspective.


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## primerak

I feel your pain mate....if anyone will need proprietary parts eventually it will be you....



nelsondevicenci said:


> Crap !
> 
> Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk


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## nelsondevicenci

Not really I wear all of them *32 *and since 2009 just send militare manual to my watchmaker to change broken stem after that nothing. Saying crap because i know the new ownership took all im saying all from Anonimo Spa to their country. First they told me have parts then after they told me parts not for sale but for research it's funny because i don't know what they want to research. It's what it's Anonimo as we know is dead.

Then many Militare owners have some issues and they still producing that model so whay they dont help that people?

Just Crap !

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## SBD

Seems like the new owners just planned to make the minimum investment possible to turn a profit on whatever was left of Anonimo Firenze. These guys aren't trying to build anything up, they're just trying to pick the corpse clean. That's why they're not interested in providing service for old models...heck, I doubt they plan on providing any service to anyone in any way whatsoever. There's no money in those things. These guys aren't worried about a future for Anonimo, they just want to turn a quick profit and get out.


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## StefB

I just came across the new Anonimo's current website that has a lot of new language, including stating a few times that their bronze cases are manufactured in Florence and that they want to remain connected to original collectors. They even stated that they organized a collectors and press visit to their Florence bronze case manufacture last September! Right now, they are only featuring their versions of the Militare, stating the other models will debut at Basel. I can't imagine any of the collectors of the original brand being interested in these lame interpretations. But if the new Anonimo survives, it will help keep our original Anonimo collections all the more coveted and perhaps retain some decent value.

Anonimo | Wrist Watches


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## DDD3333

If it is possible to look at the past few years objectively, events at Anonimo remain compelling, in a train wreck kind of way.

I enquired regarding updates not too long ago as the final Anonimo chapter had yet to be written. The takeover and launch (#1) were an unmitigated disaster and no doubt a humbling experience for those concerned. They must have rapidly realized running a watch company was an entirely more complex endeavor than presumed and subsequently had to decide which path they were going to take.

Give up on the idea entirely or re-group?

So here we are, again, at launch (#2) Baselworld 2014?

Frankly, there is much that still bugs the crap out of me. I sincerely believe Anonimo could/can find their feet and have potential to broaden their appeal and become a bigger name than it ever was. I will continually note that if the likes of a Richemont took over, invested and promoted the name they could make it explode. That said, I'd always prefer Anonimo to remain independent.

Anonimo's low profile, weak distribution and high pricing all played a role in its demise. Yet key cornerstones of its brand DNA, its long term potential strengths were the first to be trashed - the Italian heritage and design. Obviously, the new owners seem to be charting a new course to reverse some of this. But frankly, the new Militare dial still looks dreadful - a generic and a poor imitation of its predecessor. And this for now is where my present concerns lie.

Even if the new owners have reversed course to a degree, Anonimo were all about a unique 'cool'. Other problems aside, the new company needs to prove they are still imbued with Anonimo taste and style. A failure to do so (second time around) will leave them in no man's land. 

* One single, beautifully designed new dive watch* would bring attention, press and coverage at Baselworld 2014. If this kind of focus is now there, perhaps we all could be surprised. If it isn't, then as noted, Anonimo will remain in a precarious position and perhaps the better course might be to shop the company around and hope to find more interested and committed hands to run it.


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## TK-421

so the new anonimo doesn't really exist either? it never got off the ground, other than a new logo and golf tournament?


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## korneevy

What a bunch of fools, pardon my French. Unless they sell their new collection with quartz or Chinese movements in 300-500$ range, they should know by now that selling luxury goods is quite an edvavior, and customer loyalty and word of mouth means a heck a lot more than in late last century. There are many, many watches in the "under 6,000 CHF" category, and I can name at least half a dozen of brands that would stand head and shoulders above the new Abonimo's collection and who always stood by their product and never betrayed or mislead their most precious asset - brand fans and collectors- and that has allowed them to build a very nice niche product...think Linde Winderlin, for example. Compare their attitude and interactions with end customer via the socials and a cleaver website, and look at what this weird, for the lack of better term, Anonimo V0.2 crowd are trying to peddle at theirs. All it takes for someone who's disgruntled enough with the fact they can't wear their prized watch because of a little tiny lug screw, and have a bit of time on their hand and $50 in their pocket, is to set up a Facebook group and a simple website dedicated to testimonials on how "New Anonimo sucks, lies and betrays their customers" to create a kind of ripple that would take the new owners years to undo if they carry on as they have done to date. Most amazingly, they will not be able to do anything legally about it, because it is all true, and is well documented by that letter they published on the new site, LOL. Anyone with a half brain will take a few minutes to research a brand they have never heard of or may still remember from the earlier coverage, before dropping this kind of money on a completely unnecessary, discretionary item. Once they see and read how the owners of the earlier models have been mistreated and ignored and their warranty repair claims have been denied, they would think thrice of spending any money on that watch as the past behaviour in this industry is usually a pretty good indication of the future, and having a nice bronze paperweight that cost more than an average monthly salary in the EU is probably not the most appealing proposition.


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## aaamax

What I just don't get is why the new owners wanted Anonimo in the first place. Did they get some proprietary machinery in the deal? I doubt it.
So why the hell not just start up your own new brand if you don't care about the history and rep of the old one? This whole thing makes ZERO sense.


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## glengoyne17

True, with a new brand they could start from scratch. Now they start with a pissed-off fanbase. 


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## timefleas

Clearly the new management did not buy Anonimo with any ties, interest or allegiance to the original brand--simply a marketing move that from a investor's perspective does make a bit of sense--much easier to get loans, work deals, with a brand name rather than an unknown entity. I am guessing that also perhaps the original Anonimo did not include any rights to manufacture or service the old watches (and if that is the case, shame on the original owners as well). If this was just a way to buy some instant credibility in the banking and investment sector, I can see why they did it. 

At the same time, though, the new management has not only alienated the original fan base, but actually many other members of the watch related community on the outside that can easily see what is going on, and be equally appalled. At best we can hope that at some point before the present administration steers the ship into waters it has no chance of navigating, they will come to their collective senses and reach out to the old brand, resurrect some of the tooling machines, offer repairs and service to the old watches, while carrying on the once great tradition that they bought into. While waiting for that to happen however, I will be watching pigs growing wings and learning to fly from my window overlooking the garden.

Peter


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## aaamax

timefleas said:


> ...While waiting for that to happen however, I will be watching pigs growing wings and learning to fly from my window overlooking the garden.
> 
> Peter


+1
You are so, very, very, right!


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## transporter305

Hello, gentlemen! (I assume there's no ladies in here?))

It is my first post on this forum and I'm not a collector nor have I any serious knowledge of the timepieces. Very little if any. So please bare with me and try not to be too irritated if I say something stupid in your opinion.

Due to my personality I tend to choose less known but high quality brands. My everyday watch is Glycine Incursore Day/Date Chrono - beautiful chunky piece from an underappreciated brand. Recently I've been in the "shopping mood" and picked up a Muhle S.A.R. Anniversary LE and the Anonimo Polluce Drass(both still in transit). Being different I liked Panerai for a long time but now realized they've become too common(and too expensive) and went for Anonimo. 

So now for my questions. I am aware of what's happening with the company and see how frustrating it must be for the loyal fans. The warranty, product support, parts availability. But let's say you have an older Anonimo out of warranty. The movement is either ETA or Sellita with parts readily available. What would be the other main areas of concern? Some little proprietary screws, lug bars, straps? What else? Is there an effective repair for the scratches on sapphire crystal? Can the crystal be custom made if necessary? Can aftermarket address those issues? I'm basically trying to decide if it's worth the trouble to get a few more of these in the future as it looks like they will become unique and rare. But don't want to end up with some unique and rare paperweights...

Thank you,

Greg


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## timefleas

You have asked the right questions. First, yes, in general the movements themselves can be repaired by just about anyone, with a few caveats. There are some that simply won't touch an Anonimo because they fear that if something were to go wrong, there would be no way to source new parts, if some special parts were required. Others shy away from Anonimo because the cases are extremely difficult to open, on some of the models at least. 

What could go wrong that would be out of the scope of the normal repair shop? Just about anything on the external watch--the crystal, the case, the crown and the helium valve. In particular, the crowns have had many problems, particularly the Militare line. The crystal is much thicker than most, and would be extremely difficult to source a custom made replacement. The helium valve set up is pretty much unique to Nimo as well, and likely impossible to source. The case is pretty rugged, and likely will withstand most anything, but accidents do happen, and they can be damaged--how badly will determine whether it can be resurrected or not. 

So, think of buying a Nimo like buying an old pocket watch that had some really unique design features on the case, crown and crystal, where that manufacturer is now dead in the water--how much would that watch be worth to you? It's a gamble no matter how you look at it, but the Anonimo is a great watch, and if the price is right, I am still looking for a steal or two.


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## transporter305

Thank you for your response! Are there models you would consider more problematic then others? In your experience?


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## timefleas

As noted, I would not buy a Militare for the crown problem alone, particularly the manual wind version, as you have to wind the watch every other day or so. 

I would also avoid the chrono versions of any of their watches (that's where movement repairs become much more problematic)--the less complications there are, the more likely they will stand the test of time. 

Finally, on a personal note, though I like the look of the Dino Zei line, I don't like the way the straps attach at the lugs (always requires a lot of communication to get a good custom strap built for this watch, and it still looks odd on the watch)--and you can ONLY use straps, not bracelets on this line. Similarly, the bronze cased, and DRASS/OX-Bo/OX-PRO cased watches all are usually only worn with straps (for some, this isn't a problem, however for me, where humidity reigns supreme at least half of the year, bracelets are a welcome relief, at least some of the time). 

I would look for the simple watches (the Millemetri, Polluce, even the Professionale, among others)--I would never pay more than $2K for any Nimo these days, but there are still owners/sellers who either haven't heard the news of Nimo's demise, or are simply ignoring it and hoping there are fools running around with bags of money--take care, take your time--there are some great deals to be had. 

Happy hunting!


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## pacific17

timefleas said:


> As noted, I would not buy a Militare for the crown problem alone, particularly the manual wind version, as you have to wind the watch every other day or so.
> 
> I would also avoid the chrono versions of any of their watches (that's where movement repairs become much more problematic)--the less complications there are, the more likely they will stand the test of time.
> 
> Finally, on a personal note, though I like the look of the Dino Zei line, I don't like the way the straps attach at the lugs (always requires a lot of communication to get a good custom strap built for this watch, and it still looks odd on the watch)--and you can ONLY use straps, not bracelets on this line. Similarly, the bronze cased, and DRASS/OX-Bo/OX-PRO cased watches all are usually only worn with straps (for some, this isn't a problem, however for me, where humidity reigns supreme at least half of the year, bracelets are a welcome relief, at least some of the time).
> 
> I would look for the simple watches (the Millemetri, Polluce, even the Professionale, among others)--I would never pay more than $2K for any Nimo these days, but there are still owners/sellers who either haven't heard the news of Nimo's demise, or are simply ignoring it and hoping there are fools running around with bags of money--take care, take your time--there are some great deals to be had.
> 
> Happy hunting!


When you say, The crown problem of the Millitare(mostly manual wind) does the crown fall off or the stem breaks from over winding it? I have seen some of the manual winds sell with a broken stem/crown. Does it happen with the 7750 auto's as well?


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## timefleas

The Militare crown screws out and then is hard to get back into place (so that it actually stays there) AND, yes, it actually dos break off. To a lesser degree, the crown stem problem occurs on ALL Nimos, including the automatics, even the Pros. The loose crown is something that often can be fixed, or something one can live with, but a broken crown, with no parts available, can put the watch out of commission permanently. There are a few watchmakers who will fabricate parts such as these and almost anything else, but they are harder and harder to come by, and, as noted above, there are many watch technicians that simply won't touch a Nimo for any reason. I bought my second Pro really just to be sure that I had access to parts in case the first one developed issues that required replacement parts. All that said, the only Nimo I would not buy because of crown problems is the manual Militare--all the other problems pale in comparison.


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## nelsondevicenci

Problems if you broke your militare crown on half, crown have a thread to screw stem obviously cut to fit. If loose loctite helps and if broken stem leave a part on crown easy to remove for any watchmaker and any can cut the replacement stem in order fo fit in any militare. 


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## Watch Man Always

Deja Vu Hublot MDM when Jean-Claude Biver came in 2004 and then a couple of years later Carlo Crocco sold out to LVMH which changed the whole concept of the watch altogether and trashed the tradition as well as pedigree. I have just bought a NOS Anonimo Zulu Militaire for the same reasons I bought the Hublot MDM Depose as they are the last of the true classics that made the brands distinctive - nostalgia of what was a great before they were both sold to Satanic operators!


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