ClickZ Watches | Who Owns 800 Rolex Ads? Court Battle Tests IP Playbook

ClickZ Watches

This week, here’s what’s happening in the world of watch marketing:

• Watches of Switzerland sues ex-creative over 800 ad assets

• Luxury Q2 earnings show growth polarisation and cautious cost cuts

• Seiko’s official Pepsi bezel signals mainstream cross-licensing momentum

• Aston Martin x Girard-Perregaux pushes ceramic skeleton to $54k

• Apple Watch Series 11 eyes blood-pressure tracking and sleep scores

🌟 Editor’s Pick - Incrementality Over Instincts

Stop Chasing Conversions - Start Measuring Real Growth
The path to measurement maturity isn’t about tracking every conversion - it’s about understanding what’s truly incremental.

That’s the focus of Fospha’s new Meta whitepaper, created in partnership with six leading eCommerce brands. The findings reveal what happens when marketers move beyond Last Click - and start building systems that reflect how growth actually happens.

Highlights include:

• Why Last Click dramatically undervalues upper-funnel marketing

• Predictive modeling uncovering up to 80% more revenue potential in Meta

• How brands found the confidence to reallocate budget and scale new channels

• How combining incrementality testing with always-on measurement completes the measurement puzzle - delivering a holistic, reliable view of marketing impact

As Andy King, Head of Performance Marketing at NBrown, put it:

“It was really insightful to see how much Meta’s impact was being underestimated by Last Click. Fospha’s data gave us a clearer picture of its true value, in the context of our other channels, highlighting opportunities we hadn’t fully recognized before.”

👉 Download Fospha’s Meta Whitepaper to see how leading brands are redefining measurement for 2025.

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

LEGAL & IP
Watches Of Switzerland, Former Creative Director Clash Over Campaign Rights
The retailer and ex-creative head have filed dueling federal suits over ownership of 800+ photo and video ads for Rolex, Patek Philippe and others. The case spotlights how blurred employee-contractor relationships can jeopardize content rights, a growing risk for watch brands relying on hybrid creative teams.

BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
Seiko Finally Partnered With Pepsi For Two Limited ‘Pepsi’ 5 Sports Watches
After decades of unofficial ‘Pepsi’ bezels, Seiko secured an official licensing deal with PepsiCo for 7,000-piece diver and GMT editions. The move legitimizes colorway IP and shows how mainstream CPG tie-ins can expand reach without diluting horological credibility.

MARKET OUTLOOK
5 Takeaways From The Q2 Luxury Earnings Season
Earnings calls reveal widening performance gaps, tariff jitters and a pivot to Japan’s resilient demand while groups tighten costs and reset creative direction. Marketers should expect uneven budget pressure and region-specific growth bets through year-end..

⚡QUICK READS

Girard-Perregaux & Aston Martin Unveil Black Ceramic Laureato Skeleton: The $54.3k, 88-piece drop reinforces limited-run carmaker collabs as high-margin storytelling engines. (More)

Apple Watch Series 11 Rumors Point To Blood-Pressure And Sleep Scores: If confirmed next month, health-first features could reset consumer expectations for everyday wearables. (More)

Seiko 5 Sports X Pepsi Official Collaboration: A $630 GMT in a Pepsi can shows how entry-level price + nostalgia can hijack an iconic nickname and squeeze Rolex on brand equity. (More)

ClickZ is a ClickZ Media publication in the DTC eCommerce division