Horological Meandering

Big Watch Craze, Small Watch Craze, Green, Burgundy, Blue, Social Media/Crypto/Covid Bubble, Deflation, Rise of the Independents to the Mainstream

For those countries still not lead by a (family) dictatorship, elections no longer matter in some countries, or at least you MUST vote the 'right' way or the election will be voided (which we're seeing in some countries). As for wrong-think, people are already in jail within the UK.... which is double good. Yes, double good it is ;-)

...sees the sun going down, the eyes in his head see the world spinning 'round.

It wasn't clear what point you were trying to make.  And RR has been building bespoke cars for over a decade under BMW ownership.  And for decades much earlier.  Is your point that wealthy people are getting too wealthy?    I for one would like to see more colorful and individualistic cars (as long as they're safe for all those who are the road) on the road.  Mobile art isn't a bad thing as long as it's safe and doesn't pollute excessively.  "What's next" is always a crystal ball kind of question.  

That Large Watch Companies like Patek, AP, JLC might offer a similar program to its customers (and I mean all customers not just the select few) where they can design and choose what kind of watch they can get. I would also like to hear the opinion of what they think the Next Big Trend will be in the Watch World from our fellow Purists.
Be Well Sir and Best Regards,
Salman

Ahh. Good question. There will be more requests for Patek Philippe semi-custom and truly custom pieces. And there will be A LOT MORE denials from Patek too. Vacheron Constantin will do some of these as well. Some with great success. But even these are still rare. To offer something to a wide range of customers is difficult - one could say it is offered, it's just that they charge A LOT for customizations. Since Patek Philippe knows that some one-offs instantly double or triple the value of a watch. For instance a Nautilus is a $50,000 watch - but if I had one made in polished and brushed titanium, the cost to Patek wouldn't go up, but the value for such an unusual watch would make it worth 10x to 20x. Why would Patek Philippe gift me hundreds of thousands of Dollars/Swiss-Francs if they don't have to?

attract more customers and charge more for the privilege, it's an idea but time will tell what the next Big Trend will be in the Watch World, always fun to speculate and do some Scenario Analysis of the possibilities though

The problem is that you give people too much choice, and these people really screw it up. A lot of people who customize their cars choose color schemes that look good but are completely impractical.  No shortage of Porsches, Bentleys, and Aston Martins with overly reflective dashboards - often because of customizations that were done by people with no experience.  

To err is indeed human. But you definitely have excellent taste; not only in watches and automobiles - things that are frequently discussed in this forum. But in other things like furniture, architecture, and others. The over-arching theme of your taste is that you go for quality items that have style.

You've played a big part in my evolution and inspired me and for that a deep hearted Thank You

One of our members called WatchProSite his online watch harem. And he called his closet his actual watch harem.

Imho this is one thing where AI and VR can greatly help easily virtually create designs on the fly, and 'assist' with design changes. Seems to me we're in the age of **can it be done** (since costs do not matter what-so-ever). The other side of this is.... Just because you *can* create something doesn't necessarily mean you should. 

I'd chalk this one up to she was young at the time. Although now, considering she's not a mademoiselle anymore, such tasteless extravagance will no longer be tolerated by society?

So the smart currency does not buy typical off-the-shelf mass-produced products, they are what typical regular people have. Plus you see it all the time at GTGs too. Who wants to just be a regular Joe? Only one-offs are acceptable, while you're also hoping to ensure your purchase retails some semblance of value (versus declining typical off-the-shelf mass-produced 4000 per year products). We live in interesting times, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

It really depends on the social circle. I call it two levels; the aspirationalists (those who long for a Patek Philippe Nautilus and other obvious icons) and the big-time participants (those who want to own truly special things and have an appreciation for the spectrum).
And then you have the original Joes, whom are below this spectrum. Every now and then they enter the social circle... And now and then they fall off.
I was at an event in Dubai, sitting by myself in the middle of a large couch, when four or five lovely ladies flanked my left and right. I was sitting on a couch with a coffee table and all the other couches and coffee tables were taken. Onto the coffee table plopped five alligator/crocodile bags; one Himalaya Birkin, three other Birkin/Kelly bags of alligator/croc, and one Dior or Bulgari alligator/croc bag. If that's your crowd, how do you stand out?
At Art Basels and other upper crust social events, I find that I'm often surrounded by Nautiluses. On my way out of an auction at Pebble Beach Concours, I counted eleven Nautilus and six Royal Oaks spotted. At a hotel I visit every year, it's Nautilus, Richard Mille, and Royal Oaks.
The true answer to this is that there's no real need to stand out. BUT, everyone wants to feel special. And the luxury industry exists because this is an industry that caters to those whims - the whims of people who want to feel special. And these people will spend A LOT of time and money to feel special.

The Sultan of Brunei would be considered for, and probably receive, a special timepiece. There are also those who Aspire to one day....

Considering what he and his wife did to that poor Porsche Cayenne.  And probably reduced the safety and crash worthiness of the car at the same time...  He probably should NOT custom make a watch.  

Again, you are right []~(￣▽￣)~*

enjoy the music

The brands want hype. The brands are even willing to scale back production and sacrifice revenue to keep supplies low and to keep demand high. It's all about protecting the brand name. It's no longer about making a great product, it's about making a mediocre product desirable. Profits can be achieved by increasing revenue or decreasing costs. Everyone knows that, brands are tired of paying for CEOs who went to big business schools for something so basic. Now, the brands want CEOs to become consumer psychologists... How do you create desire? Then how do you milk that desire for 100 years so the brand stays relevant for the years to come?