Gone were the days where you can casually walk into your local authorised dealer and say “hey I want that Submariner” and your salesperson replies “sure, I’ll get the bracelet resized for you and we’ll proceed to payment”. Well, at least that’s true for the most of us. Funny to know that the exact scenario was possible less than a decade ago. Sadly, today we live in a world of high resale prices and considerably endless waiting lists for hot sports pieces. A time where if I may say so, the impact of hype on market prices of hot sports watches has never been as obvious. Interesting times we’re in, right?
As sports pieces from familiar brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet continue to dominate reseller shelves and online marketplaces, these pieces have gotten lots of appreciation from the public. But whether that be a good or bad thing though, would depend on you. With names such as the Daytona, Royal Oak and Nautilus being considered as real investments today thanks to their market value, here’s the question, does that add to the fun of this hobby? Or do the byproducts of hype simply take fun out of the equation?
Yes, everyone loves capital appreciation. Myself included. Because hey, we’ll never have enough money, right? Besides, it might be a form of validation to certain buyers who spend a huge sum on watches. After all, as with all hobbies, everyone has different reasons of collecting. But that’s not the point here. I guess the fact that this topic of discussion even exists if because a rather niche hobby has just caught the attention of a larger audience. Of course, that has its ups for both brands and buyers because the price trends on these pieces has definitely attracted newcomers into the space.
However, on the other side of the coin, the attention and price hikes might just lead some enthusiasts to start seeking out pieces that are more niche within the hobby. And personally, this is where things start getting interesting. As a matter of fact, the hype surrounding hot brands might just be a gateway for enthusiasts to discover and own brands that we never thought we’d geek about. I guess hype doesn’t take that much away from this little hobby that we have, right?
All in all, if you’re minding your own business while collecting the pieces that you truly love, hype doesn’t change that. Because your intentions will continue to carve a path of its own. So again, the space might be a little noisy, but it’s our choice to choose what to listen to at times. What do you think?
feedthewrist. 