I'd like your opinion about this "luxury watch"

[VWatchie]

I don't own a single luxury watch but I'm contemplating getting myself one of these (detailed info here). In your opinion, should or shouldn't I go for it! It's housing an ETA 2824-2 (Breitling calibre 17) and Breitling's retail price is £3000. On Chrono24 they can be had for 20 % to 25 % less.

[wls1971]

I'd wait my feeling is we have a recession looming that will be of a nature no one living today will have witnessed before, Swiss watches have been way over priced for a least a decade, if the recession comes people will be ditching them for cash and the non essential luxury goods market will suffer luxury watches will not be anyone's priority soon.

[bjd1020]

I don't own a single luxury watch but I'm contemplating getting myself one of these (detailed info here). In your opinion, should or shouldn't I go for it! It's housing an ETA 2824-2 (Breitling calibre 17) and Breitling's retail price is £3000. On Chrono24 they can be had for 20 % to 25 % less.

See my earlier post. Lol.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[VWatchie]

3 minutes ago, bjd1020 said:

See my earlier post. Lol.

Yep, that's the post that inspired me to write this one! 

[Nucejoe]

Beware, this game can get addictive. 

Will you treat yourself to a tour of Chaumet dandy. 

[VWatchie]

11 minutes ago, wls1971 said:

I'd wait my feeling is we have a recession looming that will be of a nature no one living today will have witnessed before,

Yes, I believe many reason like this today, and if enough people "wait" it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm not attacking your argument just stating the fact. Nobody wants to take the risk of becoming a loser so everyone looks at and waits for each other.

[VWatchie]

3 minutes ago, Nucejoe said:

Beware, this game can get addictive. 

Thanks for the input Nuce!

4 minutes ago, Nucejoe said:

Will you treat yourself to a tour of Chaumet dandy. 

Nice looking but... no I don't think so! 

[wls1971]

I work in the chemical industry the effect of the corona virus lockdown is just starting to bite, for instance the company I work for provides crop protection products, there has been a 30 percent drop in demand for barley crops, with bars and restaruants closed beer production has been hammered farmers are not going to produce anywhere near their usual yield and if they do will be stuck with it, there are other sectors of the market suffering too, the car industry has already started closing plants and restructuring, we have 4 million workers in the U.K furloughed and not actively working with the government covering 80% of cost of their wages the piper needs paying eventually and many of these workers are non essential otherwise they would have still been working there is no guarantee they will have jobs to go back to after all this is over, the U.K high street is on its arse before all this started  I cant see it recovering to its previous fragile state after this, no matter how you look at this world recession is on the way.

Edited May 30, 2020 by wls1971

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, wls1971 said:

no matter how you look at this world recession is on the way.

Indeed, especially now that "everyone" is expecting it. As I said, if not for any other reason, it is a prophecy that is self-fulfilling.

[jdm]

3 hours ago, VWatchie said:

In your opinion, should or shouldn't I go for it! It's housing an ETA 2824-2 (Breitling calibre 17) and Breitling's retail price is £3000. On Chrono24 they can be had for 20 % to 25 % less.

That's the normal overpricing that some Swiss makers manage to apply to their watches, an healthy 400% markup over perhaps Euro 600 of fair value. Since they get away with that, hats off to them, some type of advertising is not cheap to sustain.

 

[VWatchie]

5 minutes ago, jdm said:

 

JDM, what did you just do? You gave me no option. My order is in!!!  (just kidding!)

[wls1971]

4 minutes ago, jdm said:

some type of advertising is not cheap to sustain.

True some company's sell watches and some sell an image.

[VWatchie]

1 minute ago, wls1971 said:

True some company's sell watches and some sell an image.

Reminds me of my own country Sweden where the authorities try to convince us that "our corona strategy" is the best in the world and that the fact that we have the highest death rate per capita is only explained by "the fact" that all other countries are cheating with counting the dead. The funny thing is that most Swedes buy into the BS as well.

Image is everything. As I sometimes put it; all that matter is HOW you say it, not WHAT you say.

[jdm]

3 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

JDM, what did you just do? You gave me no option. My order is in!!!  (just kidding!)

Breitling's videos are great, give them a look. I would not judge you or anyone that buys a luxury watch, I got myself one in my early 20s and don't regret it. All I like to point out is how much "industrial value" is within a watch. Would you pay Euro 80,000 for a regular VW Golf?

[jdm]

3 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

Reminds me of my own country Sweden where the authorities try to convince us that "our corona strategy" is the best in the world and that the fact that we have the highest death rate per capita is only explained by "the fact" that all other countries are cheating with counting the dead.

By the available data Sweden, far from being the highest in the world, is 6th in the EU countries on that sad ranking.

https://www.statista.com/chart/21170/coronavirus-death-rate-worldwide/

[VWatchie]

9 minutes ago, jdm said:

Would you pay Euro 80,000 for a regular VW Golf?

Not unless it had a chronometer certified 2824-2 under the hood! 

[VWatchie]

7 minutes ago, jdm said:

By the available data Sweden, far from being the highest in the world, is 6th in the EU countries on that sad ranking.

Thanks for the update. So, we're now in 6th place in the world. I guess it moves up and down. It's not an honorable placement considering the world's most efficient corona strategy as marketed by the authorities.

[spectre6000]

When I buy/help buy cars for people, a lot of time they come to me thinking they want such and such a car, and just want validation. I would never buy a Prius, but if someone is dead set on it, the best case scenario is that I hurt their feelings telling them how the brakes are inconsistent and vague, the steering sucks, there's obviously no performance of any sort, and the same fuel economy can be had in myriad other, better cars. If they just want validation, the best I can do is validate them.

If you're seeking validation, it's a solid workhorse movement in an attractive case from a storied brand. Like others posting, I also feel there's a lot of the price tied up in marketing. While there can certainly be value in that that some may find hard to validate, it is value. I forget the exactitudes of the economic theory, but there's value in having a coveted good. If the value proposition for money works out to you, then it's a great watch for you, and you should pull the trigger if it makes you happy to do so (while also not pissing off any significant others maybe?).

What is it about the watch that you like exactly? Mayhap the same attributes exist in something without the brand premium. I've got a 2824-2 on my wrist right now in a case that I think is unique, has historic ties, from a (once) storied brand, and looks awesome with awesome functionality beyond what you typically find in a 2824-2 powered watch. I paid about a quarter the price of the Breitling new.

[VWatchie]

10 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

What is it about the watch that you like exactly?

Thanks for your post and your question! I’ll answer it as honestly as I can.

• The brand name; Breitling. The first time I flew, many, many decades ago, it was from the international airport in Stockholm, Sweden (Arlanda). In the check-in hall there was an old propeller airplane suspended from the ceiling, probably from the 1930s. It looked huge and awfully exciting and on its side was the word Breitling. I also remember that all the wall clocks in the hall had the inscription Breitling (they still have) and on the walls were huge colourful Breitling posters with stylish, smiling pilots surrounded by smiling super stylish flight attendants. It was a different world than the one I was used to, and that other world felt as perfect as it felt unattainable. Somehow, I felt that a Breitling watch was something so nice and special that probably only pilots could buy them. In the eyes of an eight-year-old, it felt magical and some of that eight-year-old boy still, after all these years, remains in me. It feels on the verge of unreal that I would now actually be able to afford to buy myself a Breitling, and that feeling is sensational. Marketing works!
• I want a beautiful, decorated chronometer grade watch movement that I can service myself. The Breitling calibre B17 fits the bill perfectly being based on the ETA calibre 2824-2. Sure, I may not be able to source chronometer grade parts for it, but I can live with that. (I actually have a new chronometer grade pallet for the 2824-2. CousinsUK sent it to me by mistake or as an act of good will, I don’t know, It’s a long story)
• I love precision, and that’s why I could never buy this watch online without first having seen it in person using an eye loupe. I have a nice collection of watches, but none of them has that luxury watch insane level of detail and quality on dials, indices, hands, the case, the bracelet, and so on. Any watch can look pretty amazing from a bit of distance, but I want to enjoy looking at my Breitling at 10X magnification under my stereo microscope and still marvel at it. A bit extreme? I agree, but that’s me.
• I can imagine myself in a formal situation wearing this masculine looking watch and feeling pretty confident. I do well without it, but it would be a good feeling.

So, that’s as honest as I can be about it. I didn’t write my original post to seek approval. I was simply curious to see what arguments the WRT members would have for or against my choice. So, will I buy it? Not sure. Probably not. I already have so many watches, and there’s already another watch that I have my eyes on (I always have).
 

[VWatchie]

So, who can resist buying a Breitling after having seen this commercial? 

 

[FLwatchguy73]

In general, I'm not a fan of luxury items. As has been mentioned above, paying extra for a name, when nothing else is special, doesn't sit well with me. Your specific watch doesn't have magic dust or Unicorn poo inside and it isn't powered by unobtanium. It's powered by the venerable and somewhat ancient (base design is nearly 70 years old) ETA 2824-2. Not that an automatic watch needs to contain bleeding edge mechanical technology to be good or a quality design, but for me, if nothing unique or significant is inside, then it doesn't deserve a luxury price tag. I used to think similarly about extreme luxury watches, ones costing hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars until I learned the labor involved in building them. In some cases 1 watch is built by one watchmaker over the span of a year, sometimes longer. Each and every part is hand crafted and hand fit. That is truly extreme craftsmanship that has earned an extreme price tag. In the end however, it's all about you. If you feel the money you will be spending on this watch and the prestige it will hold for you are worthy, then by all means. 

Having said all of this, I too have a luxury watch on my wish list. It even costs a bit more than the Breitling. It's an Omega, Planet Ocean 600m ref:215.32.44.21.01.001 For me, the $4500 price tag is totally justified. I'm sure this seems hypocritical given everything I've said previously, and to that I say, yes it is, but I'm ok with it, lol. 

[VWatchie]

9 hours ago, FLwatchguy73 said:

For me, the $4500 price tag is totally justified. I'm sure this seems hypocritical given everything I've said previously, and to that I say, yes it is, but I'm ok with it, lol. 

Thanks for your post!

[chrisdt]

If you want some advice on what to spend your 3000 bucks on....Its very simple even in a recession....GOLD You will never lose and when the recession is over you can buy a dozen 'luxury watches'

[JohnD]

2 hours ago, chrisdt said:

If you want some advice on what to spend your 3000 bucks on....Its very simple even in a recession....GOLD You will never lose and when the recession is over you can buy a dozen 'luxury watches'

I would not be buying gold at this moment, at it's current value of about $1730 a Troy ounce it is about as high as it has been for 10 years, it may creep up a little closer to $2000 an ounce but is more likely to drop back down to its pre Covid-19 value of around $1450 when all the panic is over.......This time last year it was $1280 an ounce, that was when the smart money started buying gold.....(wish that I had had the foresight to buy a few sovereigns)

Edited June 3, 2020 by JohnD

[Colditz]

Hi VW

I have a philosophical comment and I hope it is taken with blithe to all at WRT.  I am 66 years of age and if I have learnt one thing life at the this side of 50 races by. So if you want a luxury watch to adorn your wrist and you will get pleasure from it go buy it. You will as you get older regret that you didn't if you really would like to see one on your wrist. There are many things I wish I had done when my body was in a more youthful state and yes I do regret not fulfilling some of them. I hope if you can and you want to, you will.