Esharp,
You wrote: "I'm not interested in a brand's association with a film festival, or motor-racing/sailing/golf, or individual well-known faces; I'm interested in the integrity and quality of their products, the passion they have for what they do, and the way their designs speak to me."
There is nothing wrong about that statement and all of us are somewhere along the spectrum of opinion you stated.
There is a bit more to how some of those associations are developed by different brands. I suppose that Chopard actually has the advantage of being family-run because they develop those associations themselves on a personal level. When they involve Elton John's AIDS charity or Jose Carreras's Leukaemia Foundation or if Jacky Ickx wears a Chopard watch, it is from their personal friendship and life events that affected people around them, whether it is a social disease, cancer or vintage cars.
It shows the 'heart' of the company and reflects something about their products...there is a connection to the second part of your statement.
Anecdote Alert:
I was meeting with a Chopard HQ employee and Mr Karl-Friedrich Scheufele came over for a sociable greeting. In passing, he asked my opinion of the use of the word Tachymeter or Tachometer or Tacheometer on watches and vintage car dashboard instruments. He was carrying the official Swiss Dictionary of Horology. Apparently, a customer had written complaining that the wrong word was used on his watch. We did not resolve the answer then, but I'm sure the customer got a personal reply that he did not expect to get from a CEO...not some PR assistant or Sales manager.
I'm not saying that we should expect the CEO to answer all our questions.
This was to illustrate that the personal interest in vintage cars, Grand Prix de Monaco Historique and chronographs in Chopard is not just about selling 100,000 watches.
Regards,
MTF