It's a bit painful to read: http://www.investopedia.com/article...as-highest-longterm-value.asp?partner=YahooSA Many things that make me go , including saying a Moonwatch is $12,000 USD
In a year or so, everybody will discard their Apple Watch I the same as iPhone I was after the 3G model / iPhone 4 etc came out. None of these gadgets is an "investment;" even that gold Apple Watch won't be worth any more than the value of its precious metals.
I found this particularly funny: "For now, Apple essentially owns the new “luxury smartwatch” market segment, and it never hurts to get in on the ground floor of any prestige product." That's it, I'm convinced. I'm selling my watches to buy me a luxury smartwatch.
As far as the $12k Moonwatch goes, I think the writer likely didn't look past the Grey Side / Dark Side, both of which are part of the Moonwatch line (according to Omega's website), and retail for that exact figure. I mentioned this incongruity in another thread with @Jones in LA and @jcmartinez98 , arguing that this could be fairly confusing to the lay-consumer - and it looks as though I was right!
I personally do not purchase luxury mechanical watches from an investment POV, focusing on the aesthetics, mechanical technology/precision manufacturing engineering, history, pedigree as well as functional use. I also do not want to be continually neurotically notified via a smartwatch. This article does indeed have several moments, and does not analyse perhaps some of the main discussion points around the smartwatch X mechanical watch debate from a purely investment perspective: Will there be in 30yrs time a critical mass of people interested in purchasing luxury mechanical watches (vintage or not) to keep market value? Will luxury mechanical watches become relegated to an increasingly niche market, perhaps focused on the dress watch / jewelry segment? Can anyone predict the future consumer behaviour of a 10 year old boy (or girl?) in 2015, raised within a saturated digital environment? On a side note: I have seen significant interest in my children in mechanical things such as my HO model railway My extremely foggy crystal ball view is that luxury mechanical watches will survive if the key brands can associate the "experience" of owning a luxury smartwatch as a statement of being someone willing to "disconnect" themselves from the digital "neurosis" environment and enjoy a connection with the natural "real" world, perhaps even to the point of arrogance: I have reached sufficient status and wealth that I don´t "need" to be worried about being constantly "connected" to the digital world. Another point, as a WIS, if I had to choose a smartwatch today I would probably opt for the new Samsung Gear S2 Classic with the mechanical looking bezel and leather strap. From my POV the Apple watch looks like a "ladies" watch and given their recent Hermes strap association, I think that is where Apple see the biggest opportunity for future growth.