How much more can replica watch prices rise before buyers leave? This year’s “Watches & Wonders” confirms an ongoing development: watch brands are raising prices at an accelerated rate. This makes sense because sales in volume don’t seem to be suffering, so brands are simply taking home a bigger piece of the market value of their watches. On the other hand, watch fans have turned away. Could this be a sign of the end?
I’m not going to point fingers at any particular brand here. However, I do think I should illustrate my point with some actual, recent watch prices that have surprised us. I will include as many examples as possible to show this is an industry-wide development.
IWC’s relaunched Ingenieur watches have a similarly heavy price tag. The Mark XX is a steel IWC sports watch powered by the caliber 32111 and paired with a steel bracelet. The new Ingenieur is no exception. The Mark XX is priced at 6,850 euros. The Ingenieur retails for €12,900. I have operated both watches and there is not such a big difference in manufacturing and finishing, so the price has almost doubled. The titanium version is more expensive than the new titanium Rolex Yacht Prestige. That Rolex itself is 2,500 euros more expensive than the steel and platinum one (!). It can be said that these watches’ prices are not based on physical products.
We see the same from brands such as Rado, Montblanc, TAG Heuer and Baume & Mercier. A simple steel Rado diver is now 2500 euros. On the other hand, a cool ceramic diver costs €4,000. Montblanc’s diver is now €3,200. This price is very close to what Tudor – which has become a luxury brand in its own right – is asking for a watch that is objectively excellent in terms of construction and finishing. It makes me wonder who buys these fake watches.
It’s interesting to see the brand keep shifting upward when most of us have seen the value of our watch collections plummet in the last year. This only exacerbates the perception that there is a disconnect between the big brands and the enthusiasts. As I’ve described in previous posts, the story is getting thinner and the prices are increasing. There is no doubt that watches are luxury items. Their price is not necessarily a reflection of their intrinsic value. But the divide is becoming larger and more pronounced. Is there a limit to how much of a chasm we can afford?
