That said, given the cost of things like De Bethune, MB & F, Voutilainen, etc., one might argue that the Swiss mid-market segment on the whole has abandoned any degree of daring as far as design is concerned - especially in comparison to the market of a couple of decades ago. There was a time when you could access at least some degree of design novelty for less than $50 grand, but those days are long gone. Perhaps it makes sense that design innovation has joined high horology in the exclusive realm of the connosieur.