Will the Snoopy and the 321 be in the current collection for the next say; 3 to 5 years?
This brings us to the question; when and more importantly how will Omega wind down the "limited production" editions? I'm very curious what you think. My guess is the 321 will be in the collection and for sale at OB for a few more years at least. I don't think they will discontinue this model, and leave only the Canopus321 and the Platinum321 available. Or will they discontinue the whole movement? Don't think so.
My guess is the production will slow down, and get lower and lower, for a few more years. Now maybe 1000 movements a year. Two/three years from now maybe 300. But it can be in production for a very long time. What will be the strategy? Do we want 10 years of full production and end up with around 20.000 pieces?
And what about the Snoopy. We saw new snoopies every 5 years (limited, sold out quickly). Now they have a 3 years hype on their hands. Will production get slower and slower eventually to keep the hype strong, or is Omega going to pump and pump and again eventually end up with 20.000 / 25.000 pieces? Swatch already sold a million Moonswatches. 1.000.000.
My take on this is: Omega cares the most about having pieces in the collection that have Rolex-like hype status. For the last three years it has been 321 and Snoopy as the absolute front runners. Omega is "trying" to create this "scarcity" also for other models, as the green seamaster, the james bond 60 among others, but I doesn't stick really like the Speedmasters. More like Tudor, the first year it's hard-to-get, the next year it's available everywhere and the hype dies down.
I think 321 and Snoopy will be discontinued, ONLY when Omega has a substitute hype watch for it.
Once the next limited production Speedmaster catches on like the Snoopy, with the same hype and madness, only then Snoopy3 will be discontinued officially. Until then lower and lower yearly production is possible.
By extension I see the Ed White 321 being substituted by the next steel 321 model, possibly a racing dial with red hands, or another 1960s classic reintroduced. Again only when that one catches lightning, the currect Ed White will be discontinued.
Another possibility: like the blancpain X swatch substitute after the MoonSwatch died down: The next thing will be released only after everybody lost interest in the current thing.
Then again; a substitute for the 321? Is it even possible to outperform this instant classic? It's THAT good. Same here, the 321 is the last one in the collection to go.
Your viewpoints on this matter, please.
