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M'Bob
·This is one of the most fun hobbies to have gotten into before anyone gave a shit…
Demand for Rolex hits unprecedented level
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JwRosenthal
·This is one of the most fun hobbies to have gotten into before anyone gave a shit…
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JwRosenthal
·Here’s an anecdote I just thought of while reading this thread that really puts the crazy into perspective.
My closest friend is of modest means, he has a 3 year-old, his wife’s a school teacher and he works at his family owned small business- but he is a watch guy (he is my friend who works on my watches- not a watchmaker) and buys what he can afford. His dream watch is a Speedy Pro, not a special or rare one, just to have a Speedmaster.
I have gifted him several nice pieces over the years, and I thought that for his 40th birthday (which was just this past Sept.) that his family and us friends could all pool together and buy him a Speedmaster. I started looking around when he rolled 38 (so September of ‘19). At the time, a run of the mill 90’s-00’s Speedmaster could be had for $3k- even the local AD had used ones in the case for $3k.
As the last 2 years progressed I have watched that goal slip further and further away as the prices have sky-rocketed. I gave him my early 00’s Tag Carerra for his 40th, he was elated- he probably won’t own a Speedmaster during his lifetime, unless I die first, then he can have mine.
What was once a fun hobby for people of modest to decent means has now become a rich-persons pastime, commodities to be traded- investments. fυck that shit.
My closest friend is of modest means, he has a 3 year-old, his wife’s a school teacher and he works at his family owned small business- but he is a watch guy (he is my friend who works on my watches- not a watchmaker) and buys what he can afford. His dream watch is a Speedy Pro, not a special or rare one, just to have a Speedmaster.
I have gifted him several nice pieces over the years, and I thought that for his 40th birthday (which was just this past Sept.) that his family and us friends could all pool together and buy him a Speedmaster. I started looking around when he rolled 38 (so September of ‘19). At the time, a run of the mill 90’s-00’s Speedmaster could be had for $3k- even the local AD had used ones in the case for $3k.
As the last 2 years progressed I have watched that goal slip further and further away as the prices have sky-rocketed. I gave him my early 00’s Tag Carerra for his 40th, he was elated- he probably won’t own a Speedmaster during his lifetime, unless I die first, then he can have mine.
What was once a fun hobby for people of modest to decent means has now become a rich-persons pastime, commodities to be traded- investments. fυck that shit.
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M'Bob
·What was once a fun hobby for people of modest to decent means has now become a rich-persons pastime, commodities to be traded- investments. fυck that shit
Yes. For me, bittersweet: a number of pieces bought years ago have done well, but now relegated to the sidelines due to the lack of funds required to continue playing at that level. So what now? Buying relatively expensive parts to finish on-going restorations. At least the parts are still within the budget…
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Faz
·Yes. For me, bittersweet: a number of pieces bought years ago have done well, but now relegated to the sidelines due to the lack of funds required to continue playing at that level. So what now? Buying relatively expensive parts to finish on-going restorations. At least the parts are still within the budget…
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JwRosenthal
·I'm in the same boat as you are but I have to say, there are a lot of interesting watches out there for the pure pleasure of watches. I have only a few loftier pieces left in terms of cost and value, but I've discovered very satisfying watches that didn't break the bank. And I'm continuing in that spirit.
If your brand of fun is about collecting top tier brands or haute horology, then the salad days are indeed over and it’s gonna hurt.
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Shabbaz
·This came up about a year ago in a another thread in regards to being priced out of the game- like so many of us have. If the thrill is about the hunt and putting together collections, then there is much joy to be had on multiple levels of the market. Brands like vintage Bulova, Elgin, Zodiac, Hamilton- lots of fun to be had down there. Or putting together collections of types like trench watches, early skin divers, Landeron chrono’s, military field watches…. So many fun watches to be had to keep any collector engaged.
If your brand of fun is about collecting top tier brands or haute horology, then the salad days are indeed over and it’s gonna hurt.
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pdxleaf
·.... If the thrill is about the hunt and putting together collections, then there is much joy to be had on multiple levels of the market. Brands like vintage Bulova, Elgin, Zodiac, Hamilton- lots of fun to be had down there. Or putting together collections of types like trench watches, early skin divers, Landeron chrono’s, military field watches…. So many fun watches to be had to keep any collector engaged....
+1
This is one of the best watch collector's blog:
http://www.hamiltonchronicles.com/?m=1
Dan is an amateur watchmaker who restores vintage Hamiltons (He's also an engineer.) He writes an entry for each watch, with the goal of trying to find new models. He owns few of the watches he services. (I was excited to get two of my watches featured because he hadn't done them yet.)
Hamiltons are great because they are relatively inexpensive and there is a huge variety.
Sure, there's expensive Hamiltons and hard to find Hamiltons. But that hasn't stopped him or slowed him down or soured him.
Hamiltons will never be Rolexes. It might not be a perfect comparison. But it is what you make it. I'm sure even Patek collectors are constrained by a budget. Find your inner Hamilton.
BTW, if you want a diversion, try to find a Hamilton model that Dan hasn't serviced yet and then send it to him for a blog entry. I guarantee it'll be cheaper than a Rolex and still a lot of fun.
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watchyouwant
·The newer Rolex models are outright ugly. I only kept a Mil Sub and an early PCG sub, which is for sale now. If you are attracted to the case construction, buy used Tudors. The only ever watch , I bought new ( except for a Speedmaster in 1990 ) , was the Tudor Pelagos left hand with the red writing. Became my everyday watch in Summer. Much better than Rolex regarding price/ feature/ usage correlation. And, pls.: Keep quiet about Certinas and Eternas..... Don't need prices to soar there as well....
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Larry S
··Color Commentator for the Hyperbole.Yes. For me, bittersweet: a number of pieces bought years ago have done well, but now relegated to the sidelines due to the lack of funds required to continue playing at that level. So what now? Buying relatively expensive parts to finish on-going restorations. At least the parts are still within the budget…
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cvalue13
·The newer Rolex models are outright ugly.
😲
And people with brown hair are ugly, too. Brown!?
Also, people who like Porsches, or BMWs, are irreparable douchebags.
Finally, anyone who would purchase a modern Omega dive watch anywhere near MSRP, definitely have spouses cheating on them.
Anyone else have air broad generalizations of taste stated as objective fact in a manner that will clearly implicate 1/3-1/2 of the participants in the conversation?
😎
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JwRosenthal
·Also, people who like Porsches, or BMWs, are irreparable douchebags.
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Danwales
·I have always wanted a modest Rolex Airking purely because I love the case shape but even these models from the 70s and 80s are now out of reach for me. I occasionally get annoyed with articles I read on sites like Hodinkee talking about " entry level Rolexes that anyone can afford" because it's simply not true anymore. I do however love more modest brands and I probably get as much enjoyment out of those by wearing them without concern of depreciation etc than I would a Rolex.
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eldiano84
·I dropped by the Omega Boutique in San Antonio yesterday. Next door is a large jewelry store that has Cartier, Tag, Tudor, Panerai and a few other lines with plenty of watches in the cases, even Tudor was well represented. There is an attached Rolex boutique to the store so on my way out of the jewelry store I passed the guard and went into the boutique. There must be 150 slots for Rolex watches in the cases and in the wall displays, there was not one single Rolex watch in the boutique, none, zero. I was tempted to ask the woman behind the counter what she did to pass the time but thought better of it. It's just plain weird.
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cvalue13
·Excuse me!! I resemble that remark!
Well I have brown hair, how do you think I feel!
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Eve
·If your brand of fun is about collecting top tier brands or haute horology, then the salad days are indeed over and it’s gonna hurt.
However there are so many nice brands, which are still out of focus (probably many dont see them as "good investment") and so called "bargains" (relatively speaking) still can be found.
I occasionally see some nice deals on Blancpain, JLC, GO, Chopard, etc. of course they are no 100,-€ deals but still a lot of watch for the money.
Its actually the rapid price increase i have to thank that made me look into other brands, so its also a good thing 😀
But generally i agree with you.
