re: Watchmakers Are Too White

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I've never worn a watch, I don't care for them. I've always know what time it is.

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I wonder if cell phones have hurt the watch industry as much as they hurt the MP3 player/Walkman and personal camera industries? I haven't worn a watch in years. I just look at my phone.

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I wonder if cell phones have hurt the watch industry as much as they hurt the MP3 player/Walkman and personal camera industries? I haven't worn a watch in years. I just look at my phone.

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The short answer is no. They along with wearable tech certainly hurt a segment of the market specifically the lower range but luxury watches and micro-brands have on an overall upward trajectory the entire time smartphones have existed. Mechanical watches are very much a serious hobby, just look at the size of watch forums like WatchuSeek and blogs like Hodinkee which is the topic of this thread. I have 61 watches in rotation.

Companies like Rolex and Patek sell all they can make. Much of the Rolex and Patek lines can be flipped the day you buy them for 40-75% more than you paid. Most of these watches require long-standing dealer relationships just to be able to buy. Every Rolex and Patek I own is worth significantly more than I bought it for new. I have a Patek 5711 (bought new 2013) and a 5980 (bought new in 2014) for a combined $95k that the market price for the two in excellent used condition is ~$190k. Watches for people that just see them as an appliance is a fairly dead industry, watches for hobbiests is alive and well.

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Damn wypippo.

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and their (shuffles deck)... watchmaking.

This is why I am about 99% to the point of leaving the rat race and moving back to the country with the family.

I changed jobs last year and returned to an industry I used to love. In just 3 short years of being gone, it is now the most woke, PC, liberal-infested craphole you could imagine.

We have to worry about diversity and inclusion with every freaking thing we do. Literally every word has to be reviewed. When we talk to customers, their inclusion officers have to review things, too.

I am over it. I used to think chasing $$ was the way to go to provide for the family. My wife and I are both to the point that we may focus on different priorities now. She is a teacher and has fallen out of love with it here.