Rolex Sky-Dweller Love & Tomorrow's Worst Watch Trends: Collecting Watches in 2021

Luxury watch collectors find their natural home each Monday on Tim Mosso's "Watches Tonight!" This evening, we discuss men's watches from major group-owned luxury watch brands like Omega, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, and Jaeger LeCoultre; perhaps luxury groups like Richemont, Swatch, and LVMH aren't so bad for the watch industry after all. Tim also names the worst luxury watch trends that are just over the horizon -- perhaps as near as 2021.

Trends that must end: the watch collector hobby is full of them. From rampant watch flipping of popular models to auction hype to "fauxtina" dials and self-aware bloggers, this industry is rife with irritating, damaging, and discredited habits. But what about tomorrow's wristwatch affectations? Tim goes in-depth to examine two issues that can't be far from the marketplace: maintenance free (i.e., sealed) watches and pre-polished cases.

"Maintenance-free" might sound appealing to watch collectors who have spent thousands of dollars servicing their collections. But what of a watch that CANNOT be serviced, repaired, maintained, or sustained by a human watchmaker? Is it still a luxury product, and is this really the right direction for a time-honored industry?

Fauxtina. It's the single most controversial styling trend in the watch collector's hobby. Originally designed to emulate the appearance of aging radioactive paint on true vintage watches, fauxtina has expanded to include "tropical" dials, "ecru" strap stitching, and even burnished cases. What happens when watchmakers reach the inevitable next station on the line and begin to crudely "polish" watch cases to emulate poorly refinished vintage watches? Tim hopes we never reach that point.

Finally, this episode discusses the advantages of watch brands that reside within luxury groups. Although often compared unfavorably to "independent" watch brands, group-owned watchmakers such as Jaeger LeCoultre, Longines, Omega, and Zenith often support their vintage watches with ongoing parts and service, provide archive extracts for owners, and consistently bring new products to market in a timely fashion. Even better, large groups provide the financial wherewithal to keep their tenant brands solvent through tough economic times, offer high technology at accessible prices, and sell reliable watches that have been thoroughly developed prior to open market sale.

Given how many of the fashionable "independent" watch brands are cash-poor, too new to have strong track records, and occasionally launch insufficiently developed watches, it might be time to reconsider watch collector reservations about "group" owned brands.

Видео Rolex Sky-Dweller Love & Tomorrow's Worst Watch Trends: Collecting Watches in 2021 канала The 1916 Company