A Hands-On Introduction To Two New Bicolor Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Models

Nonsense! I'm still holding out for the @ulackfocus MegaQuartz LE, a.k.a. The Golden Squirrel.

Impossible to justify the premium over the Stainless steel, for me at least. Having said that, the Sedna gold looks sexy.

I really like the Sedna one, would probably put it on the black rubber though.

Compared to the Globemaster, Aqua Terra, or even the two-tone Seamaster 300m, the pricing for this watch is insane compared to the stainless steel counterpart. Can't help but feel like Omega pricing is out of control. Maybe they have to raise funds to pay for the fake chocolate Speedmaster fiasco.

That's the way luxury is priced, accept it or it will drive you nuts. It's in line with the TT Daytona, and I think it looks better. It's priced right for the target audience, most here on OF aren't in that target.

Saying it's the way luxury is priced might be too reductive of an observation, since there's still a strategic element that should be considered. Being aware of market sentiment and behavior, and using that to inform pricing is usually better than applying an arbitrary pricing structure that may or may not be based on a different brand in a fundamentally different situation.

If a brand increases its prices too aggressively and/or alienates enough of its current & potential customer base, it can cause the floor for demand to fall out underneath it. If that happens, it must either slash prices or come out with lower-end offerings to retain sales. Both will hurt the brand's image and the value of its products.

Rolex can get away with aggressive price hikes for now because there are enough speculative buyers to take up the entirety of their production capacity (or they intentionally restrict supply, whichever you believe). The same just isn't true of Omega, and it's hard to say whether the situation with Rolex is something that will become the new status quo.

I think if Omega wants to prove wrong those of us who find them to be jumping the shark, they'd either need to convince us through more skilled marketing, technology advancements (100m WR/Spirate/non-machine movement finishing), or by showing that people are buying the watch quickly and it retains value/appreciates. IMO, whether or not one likes the watch is one matter, but whether or not it's too aggressively positioned in a market that seems to be going through a bit of a cooling period, is another.

TL;DR
In my opinion, Omega isn't doing enough to justify the aggressive pricing, and is risking the brand by jumping the shark.