Independents

Guys, would you ever consider LEASING a DUFOUR SIMPLICITY? It's something I have considered offering. I hope this is an appropriate subject here. If not, please delete. M

If you mean leasing out your own then clearly no, but leasing the watch I may consider short-term as a valid option to test drive and confirm it fits my wrist and lifestyle, it's so easy to get fitting wrong and even harder with independents.

It’s like Mr. Lincoln didn’t like the play versus Mr. Lincoln got shot dead in the theatre But as a watch aficionado, I know exactly what you mean!

Thank you sincerely, will look into other avenues. best, M

You received two responses and both were a definitive “no, I would not lease my Dufour Simplicity”. I’m sorry you don’t like that answer. If you’re looking for confirmation bias for a decision you’ve already decided to make, I wish you well in pursuing ot... 

This is a very radical concept. One that the watch brands have hired top expert consultants on. It's a very foreign concept to most people as well. Give it a couple days. Don't give up! It is likely to be very different in different regions. For instance,... 

Some of the very first replies made me think the concept was misunderstood. No offense to anyone of course. Appreciate your judicious comment!

Since it's just such a foreign concept, that people will have varying responses.

At what price would you lease it out? And for how long?

We don't really mention pricing and costs on this forum. As we don't want to get into those details. But yes, that's a big part of the calculation.

Of course I concur 100%, here is not the place for mentioning cost, price or such matters.

The concept is, for a fee, you lease a watch that no one can 'get'. Insurance obviously plays a central role here, and, like leasing a supercar, or luxury apartment, credit checks etc are all mandatory. It's just a business concept, and wondered if anyone... 

Yes, everything you stated is definitely to be considered. But more details about leasing... Like for instance you mentioned details like insurance and so on. What would be your pricing structure? 1% of the value per month? What kind of minimum commitment... 

For me , the emotional connection comes with ownership.

ownership would not be an option. Just for conversation here...

A Simplicity is something that the majority of us will ever see in pictures, the value has skyrocketed, but we know neither the terms nor conditions, thus if your final plan is to keep your watch, I wouldn't do it.

I would pay to be able to try a variety of independents. There are so many great ones I’d love to own for a bit.

It seems that many collectors would want to do it... but it's just a conversation/idea at this juncture...

I never got it personally; the lease cost was always too high and that was for watches which were a fraction of the Dufour in terms of value. Also, and this is a big one for me, why would an owner lease something that was not replaceable? I wouldn’t do it... 

Yep. It may be too special ultimately. But with stringent vetting, it might be possible...

Being OK with selling means, if destroyed or “lost”, an insurance payout would be OK. Being OK with selling also means the “wear and tear” which would likely come with leasing is not going to bother you. I think NickO has laid out the economics, more or l... 

Let's say you're a movie star. You go to Chopard to borrow jewels to walk the red carpet! Chopard insures the jewels. The wear and tear is minimal. And it's only used for one occasion and for some photographs. While Chopard doesn't charge for this service... 

I had read about those companies too. And the watches were so beat up in that pool of watches. No pride of ownership. And at the $300 a month they charged to lease a Rolex, after three years, you'd be able to own a Rolex. True, it might not be a President... 

Or are you doing it as an altruistic act of kindness for the countless collectors who will never be able to own or even see a simplicity in the metal? I don't think it makes sense from a profit perspective. Just sell the watch.

A person owns an object desired by many. But the person does not want to ever part with it. Yet the person can't help considering how to 'share' the object... and yes, be paid to share it. There must be far greater value objects, equally rare, that are le... 

Assume an individual has a rare, luxury item worth $500K they were considering leasing. What would this business model look like? First, I’d recommend a sizable security deposit to be held in escrow should the item not be returned in the condition it was ... 

…to be honest this was my fear since the beginning of this thread : as mentioned earlier in this thread by patrick_y and confirmed by me we can discuss the principle or the idea of such a leasing but if the discussion drifts towards the monthly fee it wil... 

For instance, big corporate HQs lease art for their executive offices! Now, art has less wear and tear (it mostly hangs on the wall). But still has risk of fire, damage, theft, loss, etc. Here's the funny thing. Sometimes the art is owned by one of the ex...