The Breitling Watch Source Forums

As stated many times by other members...

NOBODY NOTICES...

And sure I can agree with the sentiment... ask anybody to name a watch they would like to buy if they have money to blow and 9 out of 10 will say "Rolex" because to them they'll think it's the "best". I think for the general public to them a Rolex has to be in gold and has to have diamonds. Having said that, I think anything else flies under the radar of most people's eyes. You could have an $80,000 Newman Daytona on your wrist and nobody will flinch. I've actually had more compliments for my Citizen Skyhawk AT and yet nobody notices my GMT IIc. It's all subjective.

I actually had this kind of conversation with some buddies of mine last week and I actually gave them a mini-lesson on "best". For sakes they've never even heard about Breitling.

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"I don't got the bright watch I got the right watch" -Jay Z

Totally agree. When I had a Pam I would get a ton of looks at work and people would ask what is that??? Very few people know what a Panerai is, a lot of people who know nothing about watches know a Rolex.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

ed.

Sure, I think you are very right! The thing I think is fascinating about this though is how you can use that "elitist" character to make a Brand huge over time... Apple did it, Audi did it and I wonder if Panerai is on the way... Sure, there's the ones like PP, AP, VC, JLC, Blancpain, Breguet and the like, but they are too expensive. Panerai though is right there, catering to the elitist that I like to call post-snob.

Or so it seems to me. Does that bother me? Not a bit, love my Pam, love my Rollie

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Cheers from Switzerland,

Fred

I went through that phase. I didnt buy the PAM because it was the anti-Rolex, but I did buy it because it was something different. I avoided Rolex for some of your reasons, among others (too obvious, old man watch, must be fake, too common). Eventually I decided to make my own decisions and I picked up a Rolex. I decided that the way I carry myself and act would determine how my watch was perceived. I would wear my watch; my watch would not wear me.

I would still buy a Panerai, but now it would be for the same reason I got a Rolex.

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-RJ

For starters, id classify tag, breitling, omega, rolex, PP, AP, panerai etc as high end. Not because they are each as good as one another, but because these multi-thousand dollar watches make up what, a fraction of a percent of all watches sold? That certainly sounds like the high end of the market to me.

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-RJ

Your posts don't make sense to me, what are you trying to say?

Panerai watches are similar in price to some JLCs. A JLC MCC2 can be had BNIB for roughly the same price as a Pam 320. I can name quite a few more comparisons, Breguet XXI vs a Pam 372 similar price, actually the Breguet can be had cheaper. There are Pam's as expensive as APs, i.e. Bronzo v AP Diver. Shall I go on?

What's you point?????

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

If you go upmarket within the Pam's it is, but then you're buying the watch, not the brand. JLC hardly makes anything under 10-12k CHF, neither does AP, with a very basic RO coming in at roughly 15k list price.

Rolex tool watches like a GMT or a Sup and something like the Pam 312 come in at around 7k. And if what you're buying is a watch of the brand X as opposed to "that watch", that makes all the difference in the world.

Now that of course is not to say a Rolex tool watch or a particular Pam could not be "that watch" to someone, not at all, but at tgat price point they are accessible-ish luxury for the kind of people, and I think to a little extent we may all be part of that kind, who need a status symbol.

Imagine, if 7k is what you can afford to put aside in a couple of months, you might be more inclined to show the world that you can than if you just bought a Lamborghini with some bills you happened to have forgotten in your back pocket.

A status is either something that's so obvious you don't have to show it... (Prince William anyone?) or it is something you'd have just around 7k to spend on. Thus my earlier comment. This is again very over-generalized, but please look over that, I think there might be something like a point behind it.

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Cheers from Switzerland,

Fred

I think it depends how you define the relevant market. Pkeung is considering essentially himself as the market and is stating what for himself is on the lower or higher end of what his means can afford him. Apparently he has done very well for himself and in that light you'd have to say, more power to him.

However, I am inclined to consider a broader market taking into account at least the estimated 30 million pieces being produced every year in Switzerland. Now if the luxury brands we know and like produce only so much as 5 of these millions, I'd be hard pressed to regard them as low end to mid range... You have to keep in mind that the average price of a Swiss watch in around 400 CHF and I'm being generous here... So from 2000 CHF on, we're getting towards the high end of the market quite quickly.

And yet, as relativity will have it, if what you're into has MB&F written on there, all else will still be cheap... Crazy, eh?

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Cheers from Switzerland,

Fred

No, there is no point behind it. All I see is babbling about 'status' nonsense. I don't see a point nor do I see a reason to continue reading this thread.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

Thats essentially my point. A entry level Richard Mille will set you back 50k, so by pkeung's definition, patek phillipe is not high end because of the existence of more expensive watch brands out there.

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-RJ

Sure, you're a free person, more power to you!

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Cheers from Switzerland,

Fred

Agreed, a lot of it is personal interpretation, and I am far from well off btw, but for arguments sake let’s say I am a billionaire, well then shouldn’t my perception of “high end” be different than the average blue collar worker? I’m absolutely shocked that someone on this forum mentioned Tag as a high end watch as they have so many $500-$1,000 pieces, but that is the poster’s personal preference. I respect Driver comments: I don’t agree with them but understand how he approached his subject. And this is why I find it disappointing that other members on here try to instil their beliefs as if they know everything and what they believe is the only answer.

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Current:
Chronospace Silver, Black Ocean Racer
Navi World Silver, Aero Classic
Chronomatic 1461 Bronze, Bronze DP-1
SA White, Diamonds, Pro 2 Diamonds
SA Black, Bentley Rubber
Navi 1461 LE, Black DP-1
Chronomat GMT Silver, Pilot

It should?? Only if you're a materialistic fool.

I agree with everything RJ has said including Tag can be considered high end.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

Definitely Tag is considered high-end, it's because of all the marketing. I remember when I was younger always wanting a Tag, and then buying two. Even been asked if the Tag was real. I think a lot has to do with marketing, people know Rolex and Tag, and others because of the marketing.

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End of Discussion.