Higher end watches, something I am unable to connect the dots on

Some watches have proven to be a good investment. About fifty years ago I purchased a new Heuer watch. This was years before they went with the Tag Heuer line of watches. My Heuer turned out to be one that was and still is in demand.
A few years ago I sold that Heuer for forty times what I paid for it.
 
I wear the Apple watch for the many health functions. I'd wear a Rolex if I could get one for 1960's PX price. I don't really see not wearing the Apple watch though, or another even better health monitoring if/when available. And probably Luminox would be my spendy alternative choice. Or Citizen Blue Angels watch.
 
Nice pieces of workmanship. Not for me. I never go to black tie affairs, anything that needs more dressy than sneakers is not for me.

Maybe in a different life, where the cost of these is trivial, I'd have a different opinion.

Nobody cares about black tie events anymore.

This is why dress watches don't sell nearly as well as sports watches.

The cool thing about watches is that there is something neat to be found at all price points.
 
Well, they’re not just for black tie events, so, perhaps I shouldn’t have used that as an example. I have nothing against an inexpensive watch, and I own 5 Seiko watches (one of which would not qualify as inexpensive).

Here they are. The Filson was a gift from my kids. A classic field watch. Limited edition. Made by Shinola in the USA. Not inexpensive, either, but made here, and when it had a problem (the crown wasn’t right, and it was bought as a used watch) they fixed it gratis. That’s a good company.

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My titanium Seiko, the one on the left, and the oldest among them, has been on the job for nearly 25 years. It was inexpensive, about $200. Even with the second time zone. New crystal a while back, and several batteries later, it’s within 10 seconds/month.

Everyday. Dress. Sport. Chronograph. Field Watch. Pilot Chronograph. All a bit different.

That last one, the Astron, I bought for work, literally. Dual time zone. GPS updating. Solar powered. Titanium case and bracelet. It knows which time zone it is in and will update the time to local time every 24 hours or when prompted. Accurate to about a billionth of a second or so. Won’t set off an airport metal detector. Perfect for my job.

But a fine watch is like a fine anything - noticeably different. A Montblanc writes differently than a Cross, and a Waterman is somewhere in between. It feels better. It works better.

A fine mechanical watch is a thing of precision craftsmanship. It will never be as accurate as a quartz watch, but the crown is more precise, the finish is better, and even the bracelet has less play while offering a better fit than an inexpensive watch.

It’s like owing a German sports car when everyone else has a Corolla.

Nothing wrong with a Corolla. But they are not the same.
 
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Well, they’re not just for black tie events, so, perhaps I shouldn’t have used that as an example. I have nothing against an inexpensive watch, and I own 5 Seiko watches (one of which would not qualify as inexpensive).

Here they are. The Filson was a gift from my kids. A classic field watch. Limited edition. Made by Shinola in the USA. Not inexpensive, either, but made here, and when it had a problem (the crown wasn’t right, and it was bought as a used watch) they fixed it gratis. That’s a good company.

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My titanium Seiko, the one on the left, and the oldest among them, has been on the job for nearly 25 years. It was inexpensive, about $200. Even with the second time zone. New crystal a while back, and several batteries later, it’s within 10 seconds/month.

Everyday. Dress. Sport. Chronograph. Field Watch. Pilot Chronograph. All a bit different.

That last one, the Astron, I bought for work, literally. Dual time zone. GPS updating. Solar powered. Titanium case and bracelet. It knows which time zone it is in and will update the time to local time every 24 hours or when prompted. Accurate to about a billionth of a second or so. Won’t set off an airport metal detector. Perfect for my job.

But a fine watch is like a fine anything - noticeably different. A Montblanc writes differently than a Cross, and a Waterman is somewhere in between. It feels better. It works better.

A fine mechanical watch is a thing of precision craftsmanship. It will never be as accurate as a quartz watch, but the crown is more precise, the finish is better, and even the bracelet has less play while offering a better fit than an inexpensive watch.

It’s like owing a German sports car when everyone else has a Corolla.

Nothing wrong with a Corolla. But they are not the same.
All great looking watches. The Seiko on the far right looks outstanding. The face, the band, the dials, the colors--- like a piece of art.
 
All great looking watches. The Seiko on the far right looks outstanding. The face, the band, the dials, the colors--- like a piece of art.
Thanks.

The Seiko Astron is a higher level of craftsmanship than a typical Seiko. It occupies a higher pace in the line up.

It is a nice watch. Very well made.
 
Regularly I walk through a nicer seven story mall.

On the first floor, the mall has over half a dozen higher end watch retailers. In these watch stores typically are three salespeople, and one security guard. I have never seen a customer ever in any of the watch stores.

I stopped in the Tag Hauer store to casually inquire about the price of their lowest end men's watch. A local I worked with is named Tag, and I thought it might be fun to give him a Tag Hauer watch. The entry level Tag Hauer watch was over $3,000 USD.

The Tag Hauer salesperson made no attempt to try and get me to purchase the watch, which I appreciated but surprised me. A check on eBay suggests a used entry level Tag Hauer can be purchased for a few hundred dollars.

I have seen Rolex stores around the world with customers. But how about these other higher end watch stores, how do they justify keeping the retail store open?

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I can't remember the article or video (YouTube maybe) I'll have to dig it up. One article talks about a guy who brought back a defunct watch manufacturer and is building accurate (which is key) analog watches. According to the article he has I think the first or second years of production spoken for at 10ish to 12ish grand and on up. Apparently I'm in the wrong business. Do keep in mind a Rolex built for some foreign markets won't be warranted nor repaired in the US market.
 
Some of my stuff, the Ebel chrono with the 137 movement is one of the best movements ever made, that is why I bought it. A couple of other nice ones like a Union Glashutte are also knocking around here. I have to get some serviced and look for some new ones but for me it is all about the movement.

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Some of my stuff, the Ebel chrono with the 137 movement is one of the best movements ever made, that is why I bought it. A couple of other nice ones like a Union Glashutte are also knocking around here. I have to get some serviced and look for some new ones but for me it is all about the movement.

Interesting write up on the history of the 137, you may have seen this if not its informative and interesting.

https://www.intlwatchleague.com/sho...137-(Lemania-Omega-Tissot-Breguet-UN-content)
 
Thanks.

The Seiko Astron is a higher level of craftsmanship than a typical Seiko. It occupies a higher pace in the line up.

It is a nice watch. Very well made.
Seiko "spring drive" electro-mechanical is really cool. I need to find me stepfathers 80's vintage Seiko dive watch.
 
Interesting write up on the history of the 137, you may have seen this if not its informative and interesting.

https://www.intlwatchleague.com/sho...137-(Lemania-Omega-Tissot-Breguet-UN-content)
In the 1990s I purchased my late Dad a Seiko watch. Dad never owned a nice thing in his life, except maybe when he purchased a 10+ year old 1971 full sized olds 98 two door (boat) with a 455 engine IIRC.

I think I paid about $400 for Dad's Seiko. No idea if he kept it or where it might be today. Wonder if a $400 Seiko in 1990 has any value today.
 
I have an old Seiko watch from my Grandfather in the safe deposit box.
Never used it myself, just got it from Grandmother when he passed. All I know is it is gold in color.

He owned a jewelry store that his Father opened in the late 1800's.
Always did watch and clock repairs. I remember those tiny pieces laid out on his work bench.
Had a big magnifier to look thru when doing repairs.
 
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"...I have no idea, we are not in the watch business, we are in the luxury business..."
Attributed as Rolex' CEO answer to a "...How is the watch business going..." question.

This should sum it all up.

I have several watches. I am not picky, but I have one rule: their crowns have to be smooth and unobtrusive, so they don't catch on my jeans' pocket opening every time I pull out my phone to check what time it is.
 
You will pay the most money at an Authorized Dealer(AD) which is what those stores are.
The online stores are called "Gray Market" and I do use them myself.
The reverse is true. Gray Market is crazy expensive. My next investment is a Rolex because of this very thing. It's also a strong social tool.

*I am not really a "watch guy", but I know marketing.
 
I wear the Apple watch for the many health functions. I'd wear a Rolex if I could get one for 1960's PX price. I don't really see not wearing the Apple watch though, or another even better health monitoring if/when available. And probably Luminox would be my spendy alternative choice. Or Citizen Blue Angels watch.
Some people think the Apple Watch is grossly expensive. I find mine to be a good value. I wear a Series 9 during the day, Series 7 at night, continual health monitoring.
 
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Some people think the Apple Watch is grossly expensive. I find mine to be a good value. I wear a Series 9 during the day, Series 7 at night, continual health monitoring.
I got one for the health monitoring - and I really don’t like it very much. It’s annoying, with software updates, notices that I have to keep turning off - the buzzes, beeps, and other attention-getting notifications. I keep turning them off, and the software updates keep putting them back in. The analog face is small, and I prefer an analog face, not digital. I’ve tried dozens of faces and settled on the GMT, but it’s still not exactly what I would like.

I wear it skiing, working out, and sleeping. It’s useful for tracking.

But I wear a real watch the rest of the time.
 
I have an old Seiko watch from my Grandfather in the safe deposit box.
Never used it myself, just got it from Grandmother when he passed. All I know is it is gold in color.

He owned a jewelry store that his Father opened in the late 1800's.
Always did watch and clock repairs. I remember those tiny pieces laid out on his work bench.
Had a big magnifier to look thru when doing repairs.
One of my all time favorite watches was a made in Japan Seiko 5 automatic with a recessed crown at 4 oclock. It was a very simple and inexpensive watch but I wore it daily for many years until it got destroyed in a MC accident. The Seiko high beats are a masterpiece and worth owning if you ever come across one.
 
In today's episode of Finer Things with TiGeo...(cue 4 Seasons by Vivaldi)...

Casio World Time in gold. $45. Amazon.

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