Opinions on "build your own" watch options

richiv · May 9, 2021

I was reading a thread about swapping a dial and it made me wonder why I haven't seen a watchmaker like Omega provide this kind of option. I personally would jump on the chance to build (order) a Speedmaster with my choice of bezel, dial color, indicator type, etc..

I am curious what other members think of this. Would it cheapen a brand? Would you use it?

Canuck · May 9, 2021

If that were to ever have been considered a practicable option, a watchmaker somewhere might have considered doing it. Imagine: the customer wants this case, that bezel, see through case back, this dial in that colour, Arabic markers, not baton markers, those hands, yellow lume, not green, customer choice of bracelet, or customer choice of strap (ostrich, bison, shark, calf, croc, alligator, kangaroo, platypus, axolotl, gnu, wildebeest, boa constrictor, etc. etc.) What a friggin nightmare for a watchmaker!

Archer · May 9, 2021

R richiv
I was reading a thread about swapping a dial and it made me wonder why I haven't seen a watchmaker like Omega provide this kind of option. I personally would jump on the chance to build (order) a Speedmaster with my choice of bezel, dial color, indicator type, etc..

I am curious what other members think of this. Would it cheapen a brand? Would you use it?

There are certainly brands who do this, but they are typically not the mid-tier massed produced brands like Omega or Rolex. Vacheron has a program to make customized watches for customers - it didn't cheapen the brand that I can see.

Les Cabinotiers, the true expression of exclusivity (vacheron-constantin.com)

JLC also offers services like customs dials, custom engraving and enameling - here is a photo of some work I saw while at the JLC factory years back:

So it is out there for sure.

Cheers, Al

richiv · May 9, 2021

Canuck
If that were to ever have been considered a practicable option, a watchmaker somewhere might have considered doing it. Imagine: the customer wants this case, that bezel, see through case back, this dial in that colour, Arabic markers, not baton markers, those hands, yellow lume, not green, customer choice of bracelet, or customer choice of strap (ostrich, bison, shark, calf, croc, alligator, kangaroo, platypus, axolotl, gnu, wildebeest, boa constrictor, etc. etc.) What a friggin nightmare for a watchmaker!

I'd expect the options to be reasonably limited, similar to how you can build a car on a MFR website.

Dedalus05 · May 9, 2021

Archer
There are certainly brands who do this, but they are typically not the mid-tier massed produced brands like Omega or Rolex. Vacheron has a program to make customized watches for customers - it didn't cheapen the brand that I can see.

Les Cabinotiers, the true expression of exclusivity (vacheron-constantin.com)

JLC also offers services like customs dials, custom engraving and enameling - here is a photo of some work I saw while at the JLC factory years back:

So it is out there for sure.

Cheers, Al

I expect OP is thinking"customizable" rather than "custom". Think iPhone case or an online widget to swap various colours/details à la car dealerships.

WestCoastTime · May 9, 2021

What you describe takes place at the high-end with bespoke commissions from boutique salons and at the low-end with DIY modders. In both of these outside-edge cases the customer is the end-user. For the broad middle of the market, watches are mass market commodity products, and the manufacture's customer is the wholesaler &/or AD not the end customer.

The mass market manufactures have no real interest in opening up a direct-to-consumer channel that then competes with their actual customer, to say nothing of the time-energy-money commitment to storefront / logistics / customer service that this kind of 'Build Your Own Watch' option would demand.

JwRosenthal · May 9, 2021

If I remember correctly, this kind of “customizable” was an option with Rolex. When we got my ex-wife’s DJ, we worked with the dealer on what she wanted (two-tone jubilee, white Roman dial, stainless case, gold fluted bezel). She saw a few in the case that were close but told him what she wanted out of the catalog. 6 weeks later she had the exact watch she wanted. So the AD either ordered it custom from Rolex to her specs, or scoured the country for one that met her specs.

Amg786s · May 9, 2021

At the high end I suppose certain brands do already offer this, JLC, VC with their Métiers d'Art collection etc.

Darlinboy · May 9, 2021

One of one, built from parts readily available on the www, hand-made dial, and at the low end of the price spectrum, at least for those who consider a couple or three hundred dollars an “inexpensive” watch.

If you think about the time it took the artist to make the dial, and the builder to put it all together … no doubt it’s a hobby and/or labor of love vs. a viable business. Even for the luxury brands, I suspect “bespoke” is more of a halo service than significant revenue stream.

ckhaing · Aug 22, 2021

Fender guitars has custom shop, with a different price point from their own mass marketed counterparts.

mzinski · Aug 22, 2021

Logistically, I think it’s very possible for any big watch company like Omega to offer a customizable watch build. If the logistics to offering something like this were so great, smaller companies couldn’t do it. Look at www.undone.com for example. Fully customizable and affordable price.
But within fully customizable lies the issue. I can pretty quickly create a fairly off putting custom watch on Undone (rose gold, green insert, blue dial, orange, black and silver hands, with a red strap and white date disc…🤮)
I suspect Omega, et al want to control their image. Prevent the bad customization from happening.
Just think, what would happen to Tudor if they let the customers decide on the hand set? Would snowflake hands even exist anymore???

spe777 · Aug 24, 2021

mzinski
Logistically, I think it’s very possible for any big watch company like Omega to offer a customizable watch build. If the logistics to offering something like this were so great, smaller companies couldn’t do it. Look at www.undone.com for example. Fully customizable and affordable price.
But within fully customizable lies the issue. I can pretty quickly create a fairly off putting custom watch on Undone (rose gold, green insert, blue dial, orange, black and silver hands, with a red strap and white date disc…🤮)
I suspect Omega, et al want to control their image. Prevent the bad customization from happening.
Just think, what would happen to Tudor if they let the customers decide on the hand set? Would snowflake hands even exist anymore???

I totally agree on the logistics of it. The big watch companies could do this now if they wanted and I think, ultimately, they will. You look at all the LEs out there from pretty much every major brand, and watch customizers (like Bamford) becoming more prominent, and it seems like there is potentially a strong market for personalized high-end watches. Maybe we just haven't reached a tipping point yet where Omega, Rolex, and others would consider it? I don't think it's a question of "if" but "when" at this point.

Opinions on "build your own" watch options

richiv

Canuck

Archer

richiv

Dedalus05

WestCoastTime

JwRosenthal

Amg786s

Darlinboy

ckhaing

mzinski

spe777

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