Compelling Ads from Solvil et Titus

Solvil et Titus is a formerly Swiss, now Hong-Kong-based, watch company, founded in 1887. I've got a few watches and the one which I wear most often is from Solvil et Titus.

Solvil et Titus is well-known for their mini story advertisements, each of which tells a compelling story that you either identify so much with or find it overly dramatic.


I've always found Solvil et Titus advertisements really touching. My absolute favourite is "Time is Love 2012". I had a little tear drop in my eye when I saw the part on the elderly couple. Do watch it if you have 2 minutes to spare. I've shared the one with English subtitles here for my international readers.




For my Chinese readers, don't you agree that poignant words always sound a lot more melancholic and beautiful in Chinese (whether Mandarin or Cantonese)? Here is the 4-minute version in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles.




For 2014, Solvil et Titus introduced 那一年篇 (That Year). When I first saw it screening before the movie Hercules just a week ago, I scoffed at it and told the hubz that this is their worst advertisement ever. I heard many in the audience stifling their laughter when they realized that it was a Solvil et Titus ad at the end, rather than a trailer for a touching movie.


As usual, the version with English subtitles is included here for my non-Chinese readers.




The Chinese version that sounds so beautifully lyrical, I could cry. For my fellow Chinese, here you go!




I will include my view on this ad in light colour below. Do watch the video and let me know your thoughts before highlighting the portion to read my view.


My intitial thoughts:

The girls with long hair gliding though the wind and running in uniforms completely imbalanced the logical side of me. Half the time, I was much too disturbed by these girls running with their hair not tied up in neat ponytails. Another thing that made me cringe were their uniforms. Why the heck are these girls running long distance in their uniforms? Can't they at least change to their sports attire? I was so unsettled by these that I probably missed out the beauty of the words and the powerful message that was being conveyed. 


Thereafter:

Well, I watched 3 movies these week -- Hercules, Chef and Dawn of the Planets of the Apes. Each time, this ad would screen before the movie. Each time, I heard silence, followed by people stifling their laughter at the end of the ad. 

The second time I saw this ad, I love the beauty of the words and the compelling ending message "用力跑过去才会成为我们的过去" (There is a beautiful Chinese pun in this line but in proper English, it would read as "We can only put the past behind us by focusing on moving forward"). I also appreciate the line that used to echo how I felt about regrets. "If I ran backwards, could I go back to that time?" I started to like this ad a lot. Only that I felt it would be more effective if the ad portrays only a girl running with her hair tied up. It would probably appease the imbalanced grinch out there like me. 

As the adage goes, "Third is a charm". I finally understood the true meaning of the ad and this would rank as my 2nd most favourite ad from Solvil et Titus. Heart slowly overcome the mind. The many girls represent all the sad people in the world who had fallen out of love. Who cares about your hair if you're attempting to pick yourself up from the rut and move forward? The smooth flowing hair gliding through the wind while running could also signify the beauty and freedom of running away from their ex partner, from their hurt and moving forward. 

I identified so much with many of the lines in the ad that I find myself scouring Google and Youtube for a version of this ad to share with more people. I was ecstatic when I found both English and Chinese versions.  


Let me know your thoughts on the videos. I would love to hear from you!