The Luxury Society Podcast

In this bonus episode of The Luxury Society Podcast, Robin Swithinbank and David Sadigh, Founder and CEO of DLG, examine the luxurification of sport and what a summer of football, tennis and athletics reveals about where the relationship between luxury brands and sport is heading next.
With FIFA set to announce revenues of between $13 and $15 billion from this World Cup, luxury brands largely bypassed official sponsorship channels in favour of player-centric activations, airport arrivals as de facto catwalks and the extraordinary reach of athlete social media. From Rolex's five-decade tennis strategy to Erling Haaland's taxidermy raccoon moment, the pair explore the science of matching brand values to athlete personality, the growing power of padel, and why the biggest risk in sports sponsorship is following everyone else into the same territory.
Tune in for:
Why luxury brands won the World Cup even without official sponsorship, and what that means for the future of sports marketing
How Rolex signed Jannik Sinner at 18 and ranked 75 in the world, and what it reveals about the patience behind the best brand-athlete partnerships
Which emerging sports still represent untapped territory for luxury brands
Brought to you by DLG, in partnership with The 1916 Company. 
The 1916 Company is reshaping the world of collectible watches and fine jewelry, uniting a global community through trusted expertise, editorial excellence, and client-first experiences. With more than 20 boutiques and Collector's Lounges worldwide, the company bridges new and pre-owned markets across collectible watches, fine jewelry, and designer handbags, supported by dedicated advisors, expert watchmakers, and seasoned journalists. As majority investor in independent manufacture De Bethune, The 1916 Company holds a singular position at the intersection of retail, editorial, and community. 
www.the1916company.com 
Produced by Juliet Fallowfield, Fallow, Field & Mason 2026
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In this episode of The Luxury Society Podcast, Robin Swithinbank and David Sadigh, Founder and CEO of DLG, are joined by John Shmerler, Chief Executive of The 1916 Company, to examine how the primary and secondary watch markets are converging and what it really takes to build a luxury retail business for the long term.
From the story behind bringing four separate businesses, Govberg, Radcliffe, Hyde Park and WatchBox, under a single name, to the decision to retire the WatchBox brand entirely, Shmerler reflects on three years of integration and the principles that have guided it. The conversation moves into the Rolex CPO programme and its transformation of the pre-owned market, a robust clarification that De Bethune was never for sale, the industry's long-running service problem and why, in the US at least, the mood among watch buyers right now is nothing short of euphoric.
Tune in for:
Why Rolex CPO has fundamentally changed the pre-owned conversation and what that means for authorised retailers
The real story behind the De Bethune sale rumours, and what The 1916 Company has planned for the brand
Why John believes the Apple Watch has been an accelerant for the high-end market, and why AI is already changing how collectors discover watches
Brought to you by DLG, in partnership with The 1916 Company. 
The 1916 Company is reshaping the world of collectible watches and fine jewelry, uniting a global community through trusted expertise, editorial excellence, and client-first experiences. With more than 20 boutiques and Collector's Lounges worldwide, the company bridges new and pre-owned markets across collectible watches, fine jewelry, and designer handbags, supported by dedicated advisors, expert watchmakers, and seasoned journalists. As majority investor in independent manufacture De Bethune, The 1916 Company holds a singular position at the intersection of retail, editorial, and community. 
www.the1916company.com 
Produced by Juliet Fallowfield, Fallow, Field & Mason 2026

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In this episode of The Luxury Society Podcast, Robin Swithinbank and David Sadigh, are joined by Cyrille Vigneron, Chairman of Culture and Philanthropy at Cartier and the maison's former President and CEO, to examine what the current upheaval in luxury really demands of its leaders.
Drawing on nearly three decades across Richemont and LVMH, Vigneron reflects on the decisions that defined his tenure at Cartier, including the reversal of a failed masculine watchmaking strategy and the return to the brand's roots in style and elegance. He argues that what luxury is facing now is not a cyclical correction but a cultural shift, one that rewards brands anchored in durability and identity over those that chased volume and consumerism. 
Tune in for:
Why Cyrille believes AI will widen the gap between brands using it well and those that don't, rather than destroy jobs across the sector
How Cartier rebuilt its relevance with younger audiences without making anything young
What the shift from buying things to doing things means for luxury brands that sell physical products
Brought to you by DLG, in partnership with The 1916 Company.
The 1916 Company is reshaping the world of collectible watches and fine jewelry, uniting a global community through trusted expertise, editorial excellence, and client-first experiences. With more than 20 boutiques and Collector’s Lounges worldwide, the company bridges new and pre-owned markets across collectible watches, fine jewelry, and designer handbags – supported by dedicated advisors, expert watchmakers, and seasoned journalists. As majority investor in independent manufacture De Bethune, The 1916 Company holds a singular position at the intersection of retail, editorial, and community.
www.the1916company.com
Produced by Juliet Fallowfield, Fallow, Field & Mason 2026 
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In this episode of The Luxury Society Podcast, Robin Swithinbank and David Sadigh, Founder and CEO of DLG, are joined by Professor Stéphane Girod, Professor of Strategy at IMD Lausanne and Leader of IMD’s Luxury 2050 Initiative, to examine what the great luxury reset actually demands of the industry's leaders.
The engine of growth that powered luxury for three decades, built on globalisation, unjustified price hikes and an emotional playbook, is sputtering. Girod argues the industry faces a structural shift rather than a cyclical correction, shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, the rise of Chinese brands and badly eroded consumer trust. The conversation moves from macro forces to granular strategy: what agility genuinely means for a heritage brand, why functional value is making a comeback, and how AI is beginning to reshape both the customer experience and back-office decision-making in luxury.
Tune in for:
Why the 30-year luxury growth model is structurally broken and what that means for conglomerates accustomed to double-digit returns
How brands can rebuild perceived value without retreating to volume or cutting prices
What the luxury industry's digital talent drain reveals about a deeper organisational problem
Brought to you by DLG, in partnership with The 1916 Company.
The 1916 Company is reshaping the world of collectible watches and fine jewelry, uniting a global community through trusted expertise, editorial excellence, and client-first experiences. With more than 20 boutiques and Collector’s Lounges worldwide, the company bridges new and pre-owned markets across collectible watches, fine jewelry, and designer handbags – supported by dedicated advisors, expert watchmakers, and seasoned journalists. As majority investor in independent manufacture De Bethune, The 1916 Company holds a singular position at the intersection of retail, editorial, and community.
www.the1916company.com
Produced by Juliet Fallowfield, Fallow, Field & Mason 2026 

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In this episode of The Luxury Society Podcast, Robin Swithinbank and David Sadigh, Founder and CEO of DLG, are joined by Davide Cerrato, CEO of Bremont Watch Company, to examine one of the most scrutinised brand turnarounds in contemporary watchmaking.
Three years in, Cerrato reflects on the decisions that defined his tenure: cutting the collection from 200 references to fewer than 100, overhauling the brand identity, scrapping a long-anticipated in-house movement and navigating a fierce backlash from loyalists. He also reveals the story behind Bremont's most ambitious project yet, sending a watch to the surface of the moon as part of Astro Lab's Gryphon Mission, and explains why consistently over-delivering on value at every price point remains his most non-negotiable commitment.
Tune in for:
How Bremont cut complexity, rebuilt confidence and is recording growth in one of watchmaking's most difficult markets
Why the $2,500 to $4,000 price segment is as strategically important today as it was when Cerrato launched Tudor's Black Bay
What the moon mission reveals about Bremont's ambition and the next chapter of its story
Brought to you by DLG, in partnership with The 1916 Company.
The 1916 Company is reshaping the world of collectible watches and fine jewelry, uniting a global community through trusted expertise, editorial excellence, and client-first experiences. With more than 20 boutiques and Collector’s Lounges worldwide, the company bridges new and pre-owned markets across collectible watches, fine jewelry, and designer handbags – supported by dedicated advisors, expert watchmakers, and seasoned journalists. As majority investor in independent manufacture De Bethune, The 1916 Company holds a singular position at the intersection of retail, editorial, and community.
www.the1916company.com
Produced by Juliet Fallowfield, Fallow, Field & Mason 2026 

Send us Fan Mail