Timepiece Advice needed
- Thread starter Brombear
- Start date
Kayvan
GT Owner
- Jul 13, 2006
- 4,782
I just got back from a business trip to Zurich...
After perusing the two dozen watch showrooms/salons on Bahnhoffstrasse, I would conclude the watch market is in a huge bubble.
Basically, every single Top tier, mid-tier, upper-lower tier watch brand has increased their prices by 150-1000% in last decade.
Its somewhat perverse, and in a way alienates collectors and creates a new object of hyper-consumerism, or worse fetishism.
You used to be able to get a new Rolex Sub for $2500, now they are $8500. Omegas were a sub-brand that recent grads could afford. The Daytona was an aspirational model, not $12,500 that few young people can aspire too. Vintage collectors watches were collectible; now EVERY single manufacturer has re-issued their iconic models. Expect to see Tudor ads plastered all over the airports/signs this holiday. The AP Offshore is now $35,000!
Not sure what the ownership symetry that results. Seems more like the crass, track suit wearing, boom/bust noveau riche v. the Bond/Savile Row/DB6 or McQueen/Heuer/Thomas Crown/Explorer icons that spurred the originals.
End emotion is absurdity, not aspiration.
After perusing the two dozen watch showrooms/salons on Bahnhoffstrasse, I would conclude the watch market is in a huge bubble.
Basically, every single Top tier, mid-tier, upper-lower tier watch brand has increased their prices by 150-1000% in last decade.
Its somewhat perverse, and in a way alienates collectors and creates a new object of hyper-consumerism, or worse fetishism.
You used to be able to get a new Rolex Sub for $2500, now they are $8500. Omegas were a sub-brand that recent grads could afford. The Daytona was an aspirational model, not $12,500 that few young people can aspire too. Vintage collectors watches were collectible; now EVERY single manufacturer has re-issued their iconic models. Expect to see Tudor ads plastered all over the airports/signs this holiday. The AP Offshore is now $35,000!
Not sure what the ownership symetry that results. Seems more like the crass, track suit wearing, boom/bust noveau riche v. the Bond/Savile Row/DB6 or McQueen/Heuer/Thomas Crown/Explorer icons that spurred the originals.
End emotion is absurdity, not aspiration.
Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
For Pockets it's simple: Rolex/Corum for dress...Timex/D. Steiger for daily knock-around. Dat's it. :bored
Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
Breitlings are just physically too darned B-I-G, IMHO...at least for my own darned self. 'Gotta be 6'-12" and weigh 280-300 lbs or so to wear wunna those and have it look 'proportional'! :wink
:cheers
(Edit: I DO like the looks of them - a LOT. But, like I said, they're just too large to look 'right' on someone my height/weight.)
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Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
Up your bucket!!! I just spent a year LOOOOOSING 65 pounds!!! If you think I wanna go back to 44-waist pants, and 156-over-96 blood pressure to wear a stinkin' WATCH - yeeeeeeeeeeewr completely NUTZ!
:rofl:rofl:rofl
:rofl:rofl:rofl
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I was big into watches got up to about 30, this fact below spoiled my interest, the hobby lost me. since I have substantially divested, and will never go back. May still shed a few more.
B. West
GT Owner
Kayvan
GT Owner
- Jul 13, 2006
- 4,782
I haven't bought a watch since 2007; sold 25 in 2008( to buy a new Vette). Facts are you can enjoy a lot of life for
$15,000-45,000 which is what today's watches tie up.
The classic dimensions for collectible sports watches was 42mm
44mm was strictly chronographs
46mm was professional grade/tool watches: Omega PloProf, 1000m dive watches, Sinn space I
The 48-50mm+ is just clownish
$15,000-45,000 which is what today's watches tie up.
The classic dimensions for collectible sports watches was 42mm
44mm was strictly chronographs
46mm was professional grade/tool watches: Omega PloProf, 1000m dive watches, Sinn space I
The 48-50mm+ is just clownish
2112
Blue/white 06'
WTF? Unless you want to accurately keep time after 30 years of hard use including deep salt water diving and among other things like......time most of the Olympics or say, take a trip to the EFFING MOON!
Oh I get it, the upper echelon brands are those little thin petite things worn by guys who couldn't bench press their own weight even if their life depended on it.
I generally like your posts, but lately you've thrown out some inflammatory statements.
2112
Blue/white 06'
Fair enough. :lol
BTW, my first Seamaster Chronograph circa 92' or so was closer to $4k but that was long before you could shop the internet.
While visiting London this fall, I made the terrible error to visit also the watch department at Harrods. Simply blew me away to see lots of ugly watches in the 100K US$ range.
2112
Blue/white 06'
Kayvan
GT Owner
- Jul 13, 2006
- 4,782
Well....they were almost a casualty of the quartz crisis and were swallowed into a consortium SIHM...later Swatch.
They essentially reached a post moon-watch peak where they were introducing landmark 44-47mm case designs like the Seamster PloProf 600M, Seamaster 1000m Cousteau Diver and Flightmaster Pilot that were taking on the Rolex Sea Dweller, GMT, and Daytona at similar price points. Unfortunatley, many of these never sold (like Daytonas too); they were left in jewellers vaults and in some cases 30 yrs later were still NOS, with purple wax seal on caseback in original boxes. I purchased dozens of NOS models from this and many other brands in 2000, when ebay first swept germany/swiss, and heirs were liquidating estates.
These late 1960s early 1970s models are the holy grail Professional watches that now fetch $5000-25,000.
Unfortunately there was the early 70s oil price shocks, massive inflation, currency devaluations, gold spikes and numerous anti-luxury consumer sentiment that saw everything from Gucci to Lamborghini facing collapse.
They cutback their model line, expanded to ANY jeweller willing to put up a cardboard counter sign and gave up on pricing discipline. In late 70s you could find Omegas being sold next to Seikos in same case, with quartz slapped on dials.
Then in early 80s you slowly started to see them listed on the famed Wall St. Journal Tourneau Corner 2nd page ad. They revived the moon-watch legacy and stated 'manual wind' which was an anachronism. Then they re-asserted control over authorized dealers and stopped discounting and aggressively pursued branding and celebrity sponsorship from Schumacher to Bond to Supermodels & Rockers). During the 90s bull-market it was the first watch every jr. exec got after their TAG-Heuer, and before a Rolex (VP bonus buy!). Then by early 2000s it had regained its true aura as the legacy of the Moonwatch was harnessed (Apollo 13), and the massive model range (Planet Ocean, Seamaster, Co-Axial, Ladies Constellation) was producing billions in sales, leaving the small in-house calibre brands in its wake.
Its a great history, but IMHO only the Moonwatch has iconic legacy; like Rolex Gold President, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, or Patek Philipe which introduced landmark designs in dress, sport, or complication watches.
They essentially reached a post moon-watch peak where they were introducing landmark 44-47mm case designs like the Seamster PloProf 600M, Seamaster 1000m Cousteau Diver and Flightmaster Pilot that were taking on the Rolex Sea Dweller, GMT, and Daytona at similar price points. Unfortunatley, many of these never sold (like Daytonas too); they were left in jewellers vaults and in some cases 30 yrs later were still NOS, with purple wax seal on caseback in original boxes. I purchased dozens of NOS models from this and many other brands in 2000, when ebay first swept germany/swiss, and heirs were liquidating estates.
These late 1960s early 1970s models are the holy grail Professional watches that now fetch $5000-25,000.
Unfortunately there was the early 70s oil price shocks, massive inflation, currency devaluations, gold spikes and numerous anti-luxury consumer sentiment that saw everything from Gucci to Lamborghini facing collapse.
They cutback their model line, expanded to ANY jeweller willing to put up a cardboard counter sign and gave up on pricing discipline. In late 70s you could find Omegas being sold next to Seikos in same case, with quartz slapped on dials.
Then in early 80s you slowly started to see them listed on the famed Wall St. Journal Tourneau Corner 2nd page ad. They revived the moon-watch legacy and stated 'manual wind' which was an anachronism. Then they re-asserted control over authorized dealers and stopped discounting and aggressively pursued branding and celebrity sponsorship from Schumacher to Bond to Supermodels & Rockers). During the 90s bull-market it was the first watch every jr. exec got after their TAG-Heuer, and before a Rolex (VP bonus buy!). Then by early 2000s it had regained its true aura as the legacy of the Moonwatch was harnessed (Apollo 13), and the massive model range (Planet Ocean, Seamaster, Co-Axial, Ladies Constellation) was producing billions in sales, leaving the small in-house calibre brands in its wake.
Its a great history, but IMHO only the Moonwatch has iconic legacy; like Rolex Gold President, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, or Patek Philipe which introduced landmark designs in dress, sport, or complication watches.
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