Horological Meandering

That may sound like a strange question on a watch forum. We are all here because we are watch fans and lovers, but the question remains. I had this discussion many times, with a lot of friends, through private message or in person, recently. Indeed, for s...  

the Veblen-ism which dictates things. To me, though, this means that non-hyped vintage and neo-vintage pieces (I’m mainly talking panerai and JLC in my case) are the way to go, along with carefully-selected independents (I won’t name names). Basically, I ... 

Pitty in many ways for us, also for me (as an example). I begin to look less and less at established luxury manufacturers, because of the price increases (which I find simply rud), or the availability issue. In many ways the whole behavior of these brands... 

from having to spend an exuberant amount on other items, to having to be interviewed, to trying independents (who may have quality control issue), just to get a SS watch that I like. I am stepping away from this craziness. I found a much better alternativ... 

I just cannot put my mind around the fact that modern Rolex and similar watches (A TOOL WATCH IN IT'S ESSENCE) has a price tag of $$$$ and sometimes $$$$$ put aside availability. It completely discourages the passion. Which IMHO is a vital part of watch c... 

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 ... 

Big brands, big companies, wealthy people are also bored so they are in search for new opportunities, easy ways to make MORE money .... . What happened with COVID ? Some guys bought all the building materials they could find and stored them in mega wareho... 

... invest in a big collection of watches ? It's like the stock market ... at least you can wear one of those watches I guess. .... I think

...and now we get back to reality. First, let's be thankful that horology did get a VERY nice bit of publicity and promotion these past few years. High-end audio had no such luck. Look at all the new developments in horology in the past few years, amazing... 

...than only a handful of years ago. more people=more consumers=more sales. Agree we're not going to see the MASSIVE hype as we did at the peak in March 2022, unless central banks decided to once again just give away a few more trillion, yet on a longish ... 

What's your home theater / stereo?

"Patek, Vacheron, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger Lecoultre, Girard Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, even Panerai made us dream". i remember those days. Ignore those brands in 2024 and you'll be fine. There are now soooo much more funer-er brands and independents. Sure ... 

We are all in this hobby for different reasons therefore the answer is more complex than it looks. The watchword is changing the same way as everything else, it became a moneymaking business and collectors are following the trends that secondary dealers a... 

I learned a lesson... Do never post about a vintage watch before you buy it... )))

The watch hobby is no different than any other hobby and now called “market”. Humans are malleable so fresh blood will always be available. Trends are good in my opinion because they help develop direction and preferences, In my opinion trends are like fa... 

But we are the 0.01% the new entrants learn the hardway and the houses don't care about us.

Instagram, new pseudo collectors who are actually investors or speculators have done a big part of the damage. Then there are the makers who lacking of new ideas keep milking the market with "new" unattractive models or with attractive models which can´t ... 

The important thing is that we keep everything in perspective. Particularly related to our lives, family, and health. Que le vaya bien amigo

... that´s a precise word to describe it! Abrazos amigo mio!! Abel

I believe all trends are cyclical. We witnessed a huge rise in popularity and price of some watches, which brought many new people into the hobby. These same people have yet to develop their own taste and identity as collectors, which means that it will t... 

Beautiful photos!

Or with us? Or both?

NT

NT

The “horofatigue” is real with certain brands and their lists, prices, etc. Perhaps we’re left to shake the vintage bushes and then pounce on a cool new release that emerges from time to time. ...  

Not much else to say, really… I’m expecting a rediscovery of his work. I’m thinking of putting together a full collection of steel Cintrée Curvex watches with all the different complications. If I bought all of them it would still be less than one Rolex D... 

I have not gotten as excited as I usually do for about the last three years now. Mostly have found excitement with indies.

… but the Classics, oh they give joy many times over Sharing each others passion for something really great is always a pleasure, and when it’s “new to me” it brings me joy as great as new There are more recent authors I love, but my love of Shakespeare c... 

I agree that Insta and the new "collecting " paradigm with many influencers masquerading as collectors has changed the nature of this wonderful hobby But the watch makkers and marheters have a lot to answer for as well Every week there is another " limite... 

I blame soc med for killing a lot of the original excitement. Before that platform took off and along with it much of the unadulterated experience of enjoying all thing’s horological, there was still an element of insider baseball to the enjoyment granted... 

LP > Tapes > CDs > Minidisc / HD audio > MP3s > Streaming Sound quality of music kept getting better and better until we traded definition for accessibility, variety, cost, and ease of use. My wife doesn't even understand why I keep large speakers and a b... 

I fully share your observations, the focus of the watch Industrie is turning to colors and materials, only very few real new release have been presented so far this year and the trend is already going on for a while. As already mentioned before, another t... 

These are just incomplete quick thoughts typed on the phone but I'll try. 1 Not so long ago the game of luxury products was - hire best talent in design and manufacturing, give the team best materials, make top-quality product and sell it to best retailer... 

but here it goes: …… 1 there are actually very few real watch collectors. …… 2 prices are driven by three things: Access (status), global instability, and corruption/money laundering …… Access is obvious but that’s a small crowd. …… Global instability mea... 

They can afford to be lazy under my theory, because a relatively small proportion of their buyers would actually care. They just want a fungible store of value that’s easily ported across international boundaries and can’t be easily traced. Thieves aren’t... 

www.sciencedirect.com

There is pretty much nothing in the current lineup that I both like and can afford. Was quite distant from the hobby myself for a while and am now back in the game hunting some early 2000 Ulysse Nardin. Great analysis, Nicolas. Best regards Andreas

Really, the brands just haven't made anything interesting. Sure, at the $3 million US dollar price level, there are some interesting things - but most of those pieces are unwearable (too large). Look at 2024's trade show novelties at Watches and Wonders. ... 

I left Geneva watches and wonders with a desire for a white MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual Evo and an early Rolex 1675…not a lot for me in current ranges from the big manufactures bar some interesting independents. Neo vintage for me and vehemently against... 

It even fits my wrist! Just picked one up, quite happily ...  

most brands, if I may say all - there is a lack of 'wow' factor or no innovation when it comes to sub 10k watches....even I dare say sub 50k then naturally there were hidden gems in the past that makes much more sense...especially 5110 & few others....! r...  

What a thread!!!!! Such a pieces.

A pleasure mon Ami. 🙏🏻

I think about the concept: fatigue. In this regard, in general, in a world with almost 8 billion individuals, “exclusive” “expensive” products must be quickly generated in an environment (also exclusive) for the few potential buyers. This is where everyth... 

“Fatigue of being fatigue”