I decided to look into one of the Horological Machine Number 3 variant watch to illustrate just how creative MB&F can be with their models and marketing practices. MB&F has offered a range of HM3 based models, including this which is the HM3 Chocolate Frog.

Let's look at the HM3 Chocolate Frog. This is a brown PVD coated version of the HM3 Frog, which is a variant of the original HM3 that i first covered here. Aside from being a nice looking watch in chocolate crown and gold, MB&F offered the limited edition of 10 pieces for sale through the enthusiast watch forum the PuristsPro. Something like this had never been done, a very high-end watch with a retail price of $79,000 being sold exclusively through a non-retailer website. MB&F went straight to a place that had been good to it in the past, and offered a special piece direct to the consumer. MB&F was originally skeptical of the idea, believing that not many pieces would sell, but most have so far, and they haven't even been delivered yet. With the HM3 Chocolate Frog MB&F took a calculated gamble on experimenting with an alternative way of selling watches using the internet through fan-based communities and it succeeded.

While it won't happen right away, the result of the Chocolate Frog sales experiment will not only further add importance and credibility to online sales, but it will reinforce the fact that working with importance voices and communities of internet based watch lovers can be a powerful way of selling timepieces. MB&F will likely continue to look strongly at internet based sales, and other brands will follow suit. It further helps dispel the myth that no one buys watches they can't see and touch. Collectors have been ordering limited edition watches for years that they never see before the pieces are built, and a lot of the industry is based on the concept of pre-order financing. The lesson is that consumers will buy watches sight unseen granted they are able to validate the purchase via a combination of the brand having a very strong reputation and the product some manner or endorsement or approval from trusted opinion leaders.

For more info on the Horological Machine 3: Chocolate Frog, log on to www.octove.com and learn more about this unique timepiece.