Horological Meandering

lm6
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I fully agree, Nicolas. And I do not think you are exaggerating.

The reasons for why it is the way it is, is in my mind complex and hard to pin down. The mechanical watch is not an item of purpose anymore. It is an item of luxury. The correct time (often more correct than a mechanical watch gives) is easily accessible everywhere. When the watch is a luxury item, for many buyers it's more important that it is recognizable. The reason to buy it is to show of, and to do that it must be recognized.
The resent increase in prices makes it even more of a luxury product. Fewer people can by a watch for 10000 Euros than can by one for 5000 Euros. That means fewer watches sold. And the customer have higher expectations on the product. One way for the maker of the product is to move away from the practical aspects of the product and not sell the watch as a thing to tell the time, but as a hard to get thing that even might increase in value. And so we have all the limited editions
Finally I think many new models come to existence in a boardroom with the intention of a sure profit for the company. They do emerge from the passion of a true watch maker.
Just my quick thoughts on the watch world.