I had parents of two, 25 year-olds independently ask me last week if I knew where to source a new Submariner for each of their boys. Apparently, both are extremely hungry to get their hands on one.
Now, putting the whole Rolex Submariner issue aside for the moment, and the associated status, bragging rights, dick-swinging, etc.: this is still a mechanical timepiece, and these young guys want it, and they might enjoy the diversion from their cookie-cutter technology enough to want more, or different brands, or venture into vintage. And, let’s also not forget that these youngsters are way more connected than we ever were, so this is likely to be a bigger wave coming than we thought.
I don’t know if Omega thinks the new Moonswatch was the answer to bringing new, younger collectors into the fold, but if so, it could have been unnecessary, and Rolex will likely never do it. And thus, Omega will continue to be chasing them, and now their brand perception in comparison may get even more divergent.
According to our data, more 18-25s participate on this site and are interested in mechanical watches than people in your age bracket, and the demographics overall are fairly young, this is Christmas data btw as I wanted to exclude this month since more young people have come along for the MoonSwatch launch.
Good to know - but we are talking apples and oranges as my question was more in line of asking --say to a random group of [pick a number] of 18-25 year old lads-- if they knew what a mechanical watch is. I bet most of them would not know what a mechanical watch is.
Having recently been one, I can assure you that every one of my friends knew what a mechanical watch was. It’s sort of one of those myths that old people share on Facebook that young people don’t know this or that, like cursive handwriting or what a floppy disk is or what a manual gearbox is, they all know.
I’m not disagreeing with you, I think your assessment is accurate. That notwithstanding, many do feel these two brands are at least indirect competitors, as noted by the plethora of “Omega vs. Rolex posts we’ve all seen over the years, and even amongst non-enthusiasts, who perceive them as fighting for roughly a similar market share.
Well, coming from a 27 year old: i do have a few friends an colleagues wearing mechanical watches. Ranging from Vostok and Roamer to Heuer and Rolex. Although i have to say the guys with Rolexes are more interested in the logo than the time that it displays 😉
Yeah, Cartier just surpassed Omega for #2 slot behind Rolex on the backs of Gen Z and Millennial buyers
not only do these generations know in equal proportions to other generations, they’re increasingly fueling the industry (and my anecdotal experience is that women in those generations know and are buyers in a larger percentage than older generations)
Like Omega, Cartier sells way more ladies watches than Mens watches.
Was chatting to a saleswoman at a Omega boutique in Japan (airport) and she mentioned they had sold 8/1 womens watches that day.
I've recently gotten to know a crowd of young (20s and 30s), deep-pocketed watch enthusiasts in Hong Kong who are *very* knowledgable and enthusiastic about mechanical watches.
What's interesting to me is that while some harbor predictable obsessions with hard to get Rolex sportwatches, AP ROs and PP Nautiluses (Nautili?), they also collect MB&Fs and know about independents I've never heard of, and like some of the newer designs from Omega, such as the Speedmaster Chronoscope or the Moonphase Speedmaster in blue ceramic.
Some like and respect vintage watches as well, but generally they like and crave the new stuff. Me, I'm a Moonwatch guy and they all think that's cool (very OG) but they have much different tastes and they buy, then maybe sell, then buy some more to try out all the new things that come along.
And they were almost all very keen to pick up the Moonswatch.
HK and Singapore are just on another level watch culture wise, like NY and London are good but in HK/SG its a religion. I had taught an Aussie mate about different watch models for a while and helped him get his Rolex EXP1 and while he’d been to SG before he never really noticed it. His next trip he’s texting me that he’s on the MRT and there are three subs, a Datejust, a Daytona and an AP in his train car. There are areas on Orchard Rd where you look around and see more Rolex dealers than you would see Starbucks in NYC.
HK and Singapore are just on another level watch culture wise, like NY and London are good but in HK/SG its a religion.
True. Tokyo also a heaven for watches.
I agree, the watch culture in HK and SG is pretty next-level. Until recently I thought the obsession with watches in HK at least was largely confined to Rolexes. Certainly among vintage collectors, Rolex dominates. There are shops that basically only cater to collectors of vintage Rolex. The gentleman who cuts my hair owns a killer vintage Sea Dweller, an all-gold 1970s GMT and a 1990s Zenith Daytona. This particular group I have recently gotten to know has surprised me with their non-Rolex interests. They compare notes on the latest Ming watches, Habring collaborations and Bvlgari Octo Finissimo perpetual calendars. Quite something.
Having recently been one, I can assure you that every one of my friends knew what a mechanical watch was. It’s sort of one of those myths that old people share on Facebook that young people don’t know this or that, like cursive handwriting or what a floppy disk is or what a manual gearbox is, they all know.
