Most premium brands pick the wrong typeface. Not because the options are bad, but because the brief is.

Wrong brief → wrong type

If the brief says “elegant and modern,” you’ll get Neue Haas Grotesk and a serif pairing. Everyone else gets the same thing. The typography becomes indistinguishable from the next brand — which is exactly the opposite of premium.

The right brief

The brief should be specific to the category, the customer, and the position. “Elegant for a sixty-year-old in Tokyo shopping for a wedding anniversary” is a different typeface than “elegant for a thirty-year-old in Berlin buying their first serious watch.” Both are premium. Neither is Neue Haas Grotesk.