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What if Speedmasters are no more than ‘57 Chevys; within one generation they’ll be worthless?
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerWait til it’s illegal to operate internal combustion fossil fuel engines on public roads, or non- self driving vehicles. It’ll be cheap then. Have to tow it to a special track where you rent time to run it.
My uncle has a country place, that no one knows about. He says it used to be a farm, before the Motor Law...
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerNot sure if this is a good example or not since I don't know much about it but what about vinyl? Once cassette tapes and CD's came out no one wanted to mess with records anymore...right?
This is maybe a different thing, but I see your point. There are certainly die-hard vinyl people out there (not me by the way - I gave my turntable to my millennial nephew) but there is a desire among some younger people who have not known much more than digital files to actually "own" the music in some physical way. This is why not just vinyl, but cassettes are coming back in...yes cassettes! This indicates to me that this is not about sound quality, but something different....something a bit deeper...
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STANDY
··schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collectorThis is maybe a different thing, but I see your point. There are certainly die-hard vinyl people out there (not me by the way - I gave my turntable to my millennial nephew) but there is a desire among some younger people who have not known much more than digital files to actually "own" the music in some physical way. This is why not just vinyl, but cassettes are coming back in...yes cassettes! This indicates to me that this is not about sound quality, but something different....something a bit deeper...
Might of got sick of loosing all there music when their computer or phone died.
Think the actually own music has a lot to do with it. When I was in Brisbane there was a Record day with a heap of sellers and stalls near where I was staying. It was a 30ish year old semi hipster / indie clientele ( And being from Darwin I'm good with other classes I'm not used to seeing 🤔so a seller explained the people that usually buy them for me.)
Wait til it’s illegal to operate internal combustion fossil fuel engines on public roads, or non- self driving vehicles. It’ll be cheap then. Have to tow it to a special track where you rent time to run it.
Sounds like that will be like the cashless, paperless year 2000 when everyone has cars that fly 🙄 ( this was 1980s talk at the end of my schooling )
whoops it's 2018 already and I can drive a car to a stationary shop and buy a note pad and pen with coins.
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West Slope
·Well he is wearing a watch....
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Preacherman
·How many 30 year olds collect WWII militaria? Some I guess.
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ac106
·I do. I’ll be 34 next month, I have a WW II Samurai sword, Japanese flag, British pistol, M1 Garand and a few other items. I’m working on collecting WW I memorabilia as well, including watches.
yes yes, I knew people would reply with anecdotes.
I collect WWII militaria and I'm 34
My nephew loves watches and he's 25
etc etc
I am not saying that NOBODY ON EARTH does this.
What I am getting at is if you ask 100 people from say 20-30 if they wear a watch every day, how many will say yes?
Maybe they own one that was a graduation present or they bought a Todd Snyder Timex because they thought it was cool when they saw it on a fashion blog.
How many consider it a daily wear item that is cherished? How many will transition to being "collectors"? How many are going to be interested in vintage pieces that were popular 50 years before the were born?
The WWII example was an analogy related to the current generation being interested in the 1960s Space Race in 20 years. It will be ancient history to them. It's the same time difference with current millennials and WWII
It hard to see when you go to gun shows or online forums and you are surrounded by like minded people. It makes you think there are tons of people out there just as obsessed with this stuff as you are, but the reality is no one young (statistically speaking) really cares enough to buy this stuff.
I have got to imagine the same thing will happen to vintage watches at some point.
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West Slope
·yes yes, I knew people would reply with anecdotes.
I collect WWII militaria and I'm 34
My nephew loves watches and he's 25
etc etc
I am not saying that NOBODY ON EARTH does this.
What I am getting at is if you ask 100 people from say 20-30 if they wear a watch every day, how many will say yes?
Maybe they own one that was a graduation present or they bought a Todd Snyder Timex because they thought it was cool when they saw it on a fashion blog.
How many consider it a daily wear item that is cherished? How many will transition to being "collectors"? How many are going to be interested in vintage pieces that were popular 50 years before the were born?
The WWII example was an analogy related to the current generation being interested in the 1960s Space Race in 20 years. It will be ancient history to them. It's the same time difference with current millennials and WWII
It hard to see when you go to gun shows or online forums and you are surrounded by like minded people. It makes you think there are tons of people out there just as obsessed with this stuff as you are, but the reality is no one young (statistically speaking) really cares enough to buy this stuff.
I have got to imagine the same thing will happen to vintage watches at some point.
So you are saying the blacksmith event held at our local fairgrounds last week wasn't proof of a booming interest in coal and hot metal? The reality is many people like eccentric things because they are "old" or out of the mainstream....but that is hardly proof of long term sustainability.
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Davidt
·I don't know if I agree with this.
I am what would be considered a millennial, and I think a lot of others my age are still into watches.
I think it would be, perhaps, the generation who grew up with cell phones in their pocket to check the time, that would be the ones not interested.
As a kid, I grew up wearing watches and that has never changed
So I COULD see that generation not seeing the need for a watch, but I bet there will still be some who have an interest.
Not sure if this is a good example or not since I don't know much about it but what about vinyl?
Once cassette tapes and CD's came out no one wanted to mess with records anymore...right?
There were probably some die-hard fans that kept everything they had but the general public made the shift.
But it seems like now, vinyl is coming back in a big way.
People my age who weren't even listening to music on vinyl when it was a thing are now spending thousands of dollars on equipment.
So does that mean that watches will experience a similar resurgence in the future? Maybe...maybe not...but I think it is a definite possibility.
I think everything goes through cycles, and while maybe the want (or necessity) of a wrist watch may go down, I think it will eventually go back up.
Now if only the air-cooled 911 bubble would burst.....
It's definitely bollocks in terms of millennials. I grew up getting a new digital watch every Birthday - countless digital Casios, that calculator one, one with a compass in the strap, all the while admiring my dads Speedmaster. Millennials will always wear watches.
I completely agree that it might be the next generation who buck the trend though.
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dwboston
·I have several millennials who work for me - very few wear watches, and none of the younger ones (early 20's) do. They all use their phones. I won't complain if Speedy prices come down if demand wanes, but it will be a little sad if it happens.
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ac106
·It's definitely bollocks in terms of millennials. I grew up getting a new digital watch every Birthday - countless digital Casios, that calculator one, one with a compass in the strap, all the while admiring my dads Speedmaster. Millennials will always wear watches.
I completely agree that it might be the next generation who buck the trend though.
can i ask how old you are?
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Davidt
·You are straddling GenX/Millennial, depending on what years are used. I would say you have much less in common with a 24 year old millennial then a 44 year old Gen Xer.
Shit! Just realised I'm 35!!!
My points still valid I feel. My brother (30) has a nice vintage Omega and plenty of my friends in their late 20's own nice watches (granted I don't know many 24 year olds). Equally I know plenty of guys in their 40's/50's/60's that have zero interest in watches.
If anything I agree with some of the points above that in an ever digital world, plenty of younger people are harming back to analogue watches, music, hand made goods etc. I suspect people my age are a large contributor to the recent boom in vintage watches.
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adi4
·Might of got sick of loosing all there music when their computer or phone died.
Think the actually own music has a lot to do with it.
It's nice to have everything at your fingertips, but I do miss the act of "rediscovering" something I forgot I owned. I can't count the number of albums that have slipped my mind every time I have jumped from CD's to files to different music platforms. Tossed most of my CD's in the last couple of moves, and the hard drive I used to keep most of my music on is buried in a box and I'd have to find the power adapter for it to pull stuff off of it.
I think the percentage of people interested in and wearing mechanical watches may be decreasing, but I don't think the actual population of them is. And every year that goes by, the number of collector grade examples goes down because someone inherited their grandpa's Rolex and decided to send it in to RSC to make it nice and new.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerIf anything I agree with some of the points above that in an ever digital world, plenty of younger people are harming back to analogue watches, music, hand made goods etc. I suspect people my age are a large contributor to the recent boom in vintage watches.
I cringe when I hear it (used as millennial bait) but I think the word that would fit here is "authentic" for products and experiences.
It's nice to have everything at your fingertips, but I do miss the act of "rediscovering" something I forgot I owned.
For it's the opposite really - stuff I only had on vinyl or had recorded to cassettes back in the day, so I haven't heard in years, I can now stream on a whim. In addition, I can hear more new music than ever without having to actually buy it.
Late adopter to the streaming thing, but I would never go back now...
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BenBagbag
·I think about this topic a lot so I am following all of your comments intently. Thank you!
Just want to add my 2 cents: We are talking about luxury watches which require disposable income. There is a sentiment that millennials are taking their time settling down, living at home for longer, and generally taking more time becoming independent. That being said, they are just now starting to buy houses and settle down...
How many 24 year olds have $5000 to spend on a watch? $10,000?
I'm sure a lot of members here couldn't afford a vintage watch for a while after mid-20's either...
Just want to add my 2 cents: We are talking about luxury watches which require disposable income. There is a sentiment that millennials are taking their time settling down, living at home for longer, and generally taking more time becoming independent. That being said, they are just now starting to buy houses and settle down...
How many 24 year olds have $5000 to spend on a watch? $10,000?
I'm sure a lot of members here couldn't afford a vintage watch for a while after mid-20's either...
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vbrad26
·I'm 30, and like DavitT, I too have a handful of friends that are into watches.
Also, being the age that I am, I'm around that demographic quite a bit, and I notice that even if they aren't necessarily "luxury" brands, a lot of them have watches, and a lot of those will have NATO's or other leather bands.
Hell, I learned today that my brother in law can't even tell the difference between an Explorer 2 and a Submariner, yet he has a Breitling he got for graduation that he wears every day haha.
Also, being the age that I am, I'm around that demographic quite a bit, and I notice that even if they aren't necessarily "luxury" brands, a lot of them have watches, and a lot of those will have NATO's or other leather bands.
Hell, I learned today that my brother in law can't even tell the difference between an Explorer 2 and a Submariner, yet he has a Breitling he got for graduation that he wears every day haha.
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Enchanted
·From dust we came and to dust we shall return. and by dust, I mean space dust. 😉
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eugeneandresson
·and by dust, I mean star dust.
FIFY.
To boggle your brain, google ‘stellar nucleosynthesis’. Then think of heavy elements, like gold and platinum...
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