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What is TRUE luxury?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ค. 2023
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Adrian, George and Andrew discuss what luxury actually means and what we class as a luxury watch.
Is Omega a luxury watch brand?
Is Rolex a luxury watch brand?
Is Tudor a luxury watch brand?
#AET #Rolex #luxury
I went into the A Lange & Sohne boutique in Mayfair and opened with “I cannot afford any of your watches, but I adore your brand”… I then spent an hour with two members of staff forcing me to try on each watch they had in the store. They gave me luxury, even just for an hour.
I had the same experience in souther California. The person in the shop even texts me updates periodically. They gave me a Lange 1 and a loupe and let me have fun for a bit. It was a fantastic experience.
Wow
That's great to hear!
Same for me at Richard Mille in Vegas. Sales guy Alex was amazing to my wife and I after fully disclosing to him that everything in here is completely unattainable to us; but he sat us down, gave us drinks and brought out an almost $500k piece for us to try on and drool over. He sent us on our way with some coffee table books, waters, and an RM bag to carry it all in, and even texted me the next day to just say he was there if RM is ever in my reach. Hands down the best watch experience we've ever had for something I will never be able to purchase. No judgement, no snobbery, just a watch guy talking watches to other people who appreciate watches and amazing hand crafted things.
Had a similar experience at the Panerai boutique on 5th Ave. I guess it's very much dependent on the people, both doing the immediate interaction and those in the backrooms running the show. The way people (who aren't even immediate customers) are treated on average may not be a direct indication of luxury in the mainstream but certainly the hallmark of luxury to me.
This is one of the best episodes yet. The gang did a great job not talking over each other and allowing everyone to share their perspective. Bravo!
I grew up in communist Romania, in the countryside, in the 80’s. Those classic Casio F91 style in metal were luxury. We rarely if ever saw one, it costed a fortune, and all average people could get was Chinese clones of that Casio. The original was a grail for people.
I hear you! :)
Pretty cool observation. Granted I grew up in the States, but I can still relate. Nice comment btw.
Your comment defines luxury. Relative to the baseline average for your community, environment and system, the Casio was unnecessary, expensive, high quality and scarce.
In Ukraine. Early 90s when my parents first brought home a Snickers bar from a market in Moscow.... that felt like real luxury... had never seen Western sweets before
@@Valera_Scotland I get you. We were collecting wrappers of western sweets, and we traded them as valuables. To make it clear, just the wrappers, we never actually saw the actual sweets. But the wrappers were soooo nice :))
PLOT TWIST: I am the micro brand that wanted to pay Adrian all that money!! 😝 I finally got him to take it to compliment meeeee!!
I’m with George in his wrap up. 54:55 There have been times in my life when a bed, a meal, and a shower were a luxury. Watches are globally luxurious. To an individual, some are and others are not. Experiences aren’t luxury but there are luxurious experiences. Items aren’t luxury, but there are luxurious items.
My friend once visited Roger Dubuis boutique with no intention to buy a watch. He was treated extremly well, was able to try different watches and had a great conversation. He left his contact details and the same day in the evening he got to his hotel room a set of gadgets incouding some serious leather ones and a paper with hand writing thanks for the visit. It made him revisit the boutique and with no such initial intention, spontenously ordered a watch. He came back to Poland and revisited the boutique in Switzerland to collect the piece with a superb hospitaly. Few months later he was invited to the fares with free hotel and a limousine. He told me he felt overwhelmed with a luxury in that experience. After the collection visit he went out of the boutique and started to laugh from all these positive emotions. This is a luxury experience and a luxury purchase to me.
What your friend experienced was not a luxurious experience, it was a premium service experience. Luxury is not an experience, it is a category of goods and services based on the money you pay for them. If someone goes to a boutique and doesn't purchase anything but is nonetheless treated like a paying customer, that is called good service or premium service experience.
During Watches and Wonders this year, my 10yr old daughter asked to visit Dior in Geneva. We walked into the Maison and a young assistant called Innnes spent 1.5 hrs with us, showing us everything incl watches and historic items and explained the history to my daughter. Finally we were given a goodie bag on departure. Clearly we were not looking to buy, but now my 10yr old is fascinated by Dior and will surely save up to revisit at some point. It was a fabulous experience of brand which clearly recognised the future opportunity...
*Love* this story.
Luxury is a state of mind, based on how an object makes you feel. At 10, wearing my first Casio watch to school, I felt like a million bucks. Now older, having gotten my first Rolex from an AD, I feel good wearing it, but it feels more like $10,000.
How ironic that George who probably has been exposed to more luxury in his live than Andrew and Adrian put together, ends up having the most down to earth view on luxury. Not sure who are the divers that Adrian knows with Seamasters but the ones that I know use digital watches and for mechanical, most of the time it's Seiko. They tend to spend more of their money on traveling/diving/safety/renting boats and equipment than luxury watches.
Well, I think thats because hes always had luxury and I assume the others ddnt grow up with it and is used to it. In a way traditional luxury loses some if its appeal. And im also sure the the customization aspect helps his business.
He’s able to cosplay as a brokie because he can always fall back on his nest egg.
Thank you to Andrew for highlighting the effect of scarcity. It was driving me mad that a distinction between luxury and exclusivity wasn't touched on until that moment. From the materialistic, consumeristic vantage that non-enthusiasts generally look at any product category from, exclusivity is usually conflated with luxury and that muddies the boundary between the two.
This is legit one of the top 5 episode! My last 1 hour was quality! All you three are really on point in this ep! Keep this up ❤
Really good conversation on luxury. I liked what all three guys had to say about this. I'm in the camp of "luxury is personal". For me Rolex has fallen out of luxury simply because the buying experience lowers you rather than elevates you (kind of in contrast to what the guys were saying about AP, though I haven't experienced that).
Being an introverted guy, anytime I'm forced to line up or be ushered around by a salesmen is the antithesis of luxury to me.
I'll never forget how I felt in the JLC store at Harrods when on our honeymoon. While I was lurking around the front I was practically dragged in with down to earth friendliness, insisted to pop on watches to try knowing full well I'm not in the market. I felt welcome, I felt comfortable, I didn't need to internally roll my eyes while I got car salesmen dribble.
To me, this is luxury. Seiko in Melbourne made me feel the same, in fact, they were more akin to a car meet or other hobbies where people aren't there to brag, but to uplift everyone.
In a world where social media, globalisation, covid and more has made everything closer and yet more meaningless, connection is the ultimate luxury.
This is why I can never get behind your Rolexs, Pateks and heck, in Omegas in some circumstances
Last time I visited my Rolex and Tudor AD the very friendly sales person again tried to talk me into getting finally on the list for a Submariner Steel Date. He always does that, because he knows I had a Sub for a long time.
This time I said yes. I don ´t care if I ever get one. But if I want a new watch, I know where to go, and where not.
Being treated friendly has nothing to do with brands, as you see.
JLC store in Harrods seconded
I’ve been watching since day one and B&J since the very beginning. I remember the episode when Adrian was shopping for his Explorer and trying to decide between the Explorer and a Tudor and this, on par with Adrian’s episode on the same topic, is the most surreal discussion about watches that I’ve ever heard, but not in a good way. If anything, I think George’s view may be the only one with an iota of substance. Be it a Rolex, Omega, Tudor, Longines, any one of these items are luxury… people save for months, sometimes years for a product that is anachronistic and that they definitely don’t need and which is desirable enough that if you asked 100 people if they would like to have one at no cost, I’m sure that 100% of them would say yes. Obviously, some are more luxurious than others, some are more unique, some are more artisanal, some are more exclusive, but, in my not so humble opinion, they are all luxury. Discussing tiers for luxury? Sure, why not, but to say a Rolex GMT is luxury and an Explorer 2, a Seamaster or a Tudor isn’t, well it just sounds absurd and honestly I feel you become less credible because of it.
Thank you, guys! You [somehow] have brought back the original 'soul of the show' - three watch pro dudes talking watches - thank you for that! There were many episodes where I as a viewer, your fanboy, didn't find a spark - but now it's there again. Keep up the hard & great work - you rock.
Great episode guys, I love it when the discussions are thought out and methodical, rather than the overtalking. For me luxury is personal and it can change as you move along the watch journey. As you learn more, opinions change and you understand where brands are taking the piss or just going for the extra $$$, with super limited editions etc etc. Luxury, has to be a price point where it becomes a little uncomfortable to make the purchase, just pushing your budget, but has to have that level of craftsmanship, quality, history and also attainability. For a watch be totally unattainable is not luxury, its a wank..:)
Adrian mentions combine harvester and I hear the song in my head: "I've got a brand new combine harvester"!!!!
These 3 gentlemen have absolutely grown on me. AET has clearly become my number one watch show. The content is informative and very interesting.. keep up the great work gents!!
Luxury is in the eye of the beholder. Well done gentleman.
9:35 Adrian's so Scottish he momentarily channeled Sean Connery. Great quote from Andrew at the end to sum it all up, cracking episode gents.
Such a great concept and idea to have a conversation on. This topic should be more talked about. Thanks for sharing these stories.
What appeals to me and the character of your program is that you have three personalities that are respectful of each other before adding on and the mix of humor and knowledge makes for a blend of great chemistry…good job amigos
Adrian’s comments about Rolex… I have felt this way in a lot of their AD’s… in mine, the rep I work with, I get to geek out about watches with them. That, for me, adds to the experience
What a great episode guys. Great question. Im also in the "luxury is personal" camp. The purchase experience should predict your wants. You want pampering and conversation, you get it. You want comfort and hospitality but able to minimise chit chat and get the watch on wrist, you should get that. You should feel at home and kind of inspired in a way too. As George said of his IWC Singapore experience.
What a great episode! For me, luxury is just as important about customer service as the actual item (watch or non watch!) I recently visited an Omega boutique in London which I’m sure most would say is a luxury watch brand. The sale assistant could not have been less interested in me or assisting me with a purchase at all. Contrastly, I then wandered into the Bremont store 3 doors down (I’m sure we can all agree on the face of it Bremont is not a luxury brand in the same way as Omega) I spent the next 2 hours talking to a sales rep about the brand, it’s young history and ended up trying on about 10 pieces and eventually buying one. I certainly know which experience felt more luxury to me!
The Venn diagram was a great analysis of what luxury is, but it definitely all comes down to what a person can afford. A person can look at my Tissot PRX and call it luxury but other people won’t. A person can look at my Breitling Superocean and call it luxury but some people won’t.
Amazing content again!❤
Agree re: comments on AP. I had an amazing afternoon at AP House in London trying on watches. Great customer service which epitomised what a luxury boutique experience can be.
On the rest,
1/ I think we should not conflate “luxury experience” and “luxury product”. You can have one without the other. BUT on a scale, the epitome of luxury is when you get both.
2/Function, whether or not something is a ‘tool’ (dive watch, Chrono, combine harvester) doesn’t preclude something from being luxury, I think what makes it luxury is when it offers something of extra elegance, comfort, brand image, rarity and expense that goes beyond what’s needed for its function.
I really enjoyed listening to each of your insights! This is definitley a topic worth exploring. It hits home with me personally, because as a relatively new "enthusiast" (less than a year), I have many watches that I love, but haven't paid more than $700 for any one watch. I am now at a tipping point in my journey, where I am now considering watches between the $1,000- $6,000 range. A year ago I never would have considered these price points, and would have considered these amounts as small fortunes, for a very "luxurious" item that I did not need 12 months ago. Interestingly, I have noticed a bit of a hierachy in our hobby. Which I don't care for, but find myself hesitating in buying the $500 watches that I love.! I do not know where this comes from!? For example, I never have been interested in Rolex, I find them boring. Not that they aren't nice watches, because they are, but they almost seem like people buy them as part of a uniform. Basically, they have them because they can. I work in a five star resort in las Vegas (Wynn) and the area I work, I deal with royalty, movie stars, Moguls, etc. and I see the APs, and other baller watches every day, all day, and George was right, I always compliment peoples watches and ask about them...EXCEPT Rolex. But I find myself considering buying one! I dont know if it is because I percieve I can not get one, or if it is a true luxury item I want? Point is, I personally consider having and owning a watch, a luxury "experience" and do not know if I am getting caught up because of marketing, scarcity, perception, or peer pressure? I did not realize that my love for these little things would become an opportunity of self growth and analysis. lol. But this is definitley a great discussion.
SHUT THE FRONT DOOOOOOR!!!! Lmao!!! How did Adrian do my stupid accent better than I do my stupid accent?! ADRIAN. THIS IS THE HIGHEST PRAISE IVE EVER RECEIVED!!!!! And I’m literally just copying you and all the other amazing TH-camrs. This is way to high of praise and this will literally keep me going for the next 3 years. Thank you soooo so much! I am just catching up on the show now! 💕💕💕✨
Great to see you guys back in the war room, great episode! I loved Adrian's earlier contemplation on his channel about luxury and I do share his pov. An addition I think that greatly effected how luxury is perceived is the appearance of social media and how it created a false reality of life and the understanding of luxury. Whereas before luxury was paired with sophistication and style, now it is rather fused with snobbism and veneer. That may have also influenced the desirability, accessibility and thus, cost of certain items.
What a great episode! No yelling, no talking over each other, no interruption of the other, no unnecessary drama etc. Only analytical and quality discussion. More this kind of content!
Great opening moments. All three of you approached the topic with three of the most important modes of positioning. George approached it from the overuse of the term. Adrian defined the term and wanted to examine that understanding. Andrew approached the term anthropologically, considering the relative, cultural nature of luxury, which I actually think didn't negate Adrian's definition at all, but qualified it, giving the concept depth according to social strata. For me, a Hamilton, or a Seiko are luxuries. I am now saving for a much more expensive watch, and I have to save for it and will make it a true, almost grail level luxury. Plato considered the ultimate kingdom, with the ultimate ruler as a philosopher ruler, a person capable of approaching, considering and fully understanding the form of a concept, its entirety. Well done. Great episode.
I always look forward to your uploads ngl--A+ quality.
At the end of the day the definition changes for every person. It comes down to feeling, of both how the watch makes you feel and how the purchase made you feel. I appreciate George being ok with having something luxury to him and also wearing it and beating up things.
If there isn’t a personal connection to the piece, the cost and build are useless.
You are confusing luxury with Premium. Luxury comes with the difference between price and buying power of the consumer paired with the status of the brand, so for example a $500 watch is a luxury product for someone who lives in a poor country with minimum wage. On the other hand premium has to do with the materials, technique and availability of the product; a gold watch is more premium than a steel watch, so Rolex gold watch is more premium than a steel Patek, but at the same time the Patek is more luxurious due to its price and status of the brand. Sometimes Luxury and Premium coincide, but just like the example I just described, they are two different things.
In other words, Luxury is you paying for the luxury of owning a part of the brand; premium is you paying for the best quality product the brand can offer.
I'm 50/50 agreement that the Studio Underdog watch stands with the Rolex as luxury. Mainly because the vast majority of people that want or have the Rolex would say the Studio Underdog watch is crap and they wouldnt want it because what they want is a trophy. They don't care that its a 1/2 watch from a brand that the masses havent heard of they want every stranger on the street to go "ohhh look at him, he has a Rolex". To me the Studio Underdog is crazy cool but sadly a lot of people don't want a luxury watch they want a flex/trophy to boost their ego. In my collection most of them are IWC and JLC because 1. I love the brands and their designs and 2. They fall into a catagory I like to call "stealth wealth", in 20 years of wearing them I have had maybe 4 people out in the wild know what I was wearing.
You boys are making me question my reasoning behind buying my ceramic Daytona. Excellent and insightful discussion.
The treatment from Bamford is true luxury!
I turned up just for a visit and George and his team took time out of their day to spend time with me, I wasn't even there to buy anything!
Plus the Hive is badass!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice one GB
A good team tackle of a tough question to answer. Enjoyed the conversation and hearing each of your varying takes. Well done!!
I have to say, the experience and relationship I have with my AD has always been fantastic. I have been invited to events, kept abreast of the latest info and have regular contact and genuinely enjoy the conversations and interactions I have which aren’t necessarily just ‘can I have this watch?’.
I do think you have to take the amount of transactions and manufacture that Rolex go through in comparison to AP as well.
Very thought provoking!
Something is not mentioned is brand history - to me a heritage brand is meaningful that they literally stand through the test of time.
"George bring toilet paper" on the script is a hilarious detail 😄 Nice episode! I am really enjoying Season 2!
Yeah, that was a GB special that - no telegraphing it on any script or show notes.
My last comment is that i never want to hear 'it's just a watch' again.
Nice to see support those who are in the dark or helpnthose out of the dark. Epic.
This might be my favorite episode thus far. Love it, fellas!!
True luxury is something yo want to have! Not something you need to have!
EXACTLY... wants and needs are two very different things..If you live in the countryside you need a car.. if you live in the city you don't need one .. but you want one..
@@JAY61isha friend once argued with me, for far longer than was interesting, that wants and needs are effectively the same thing. The thrust of his argument was build around the theory that a person does what they want to do 100% of the time and he went further to explain that given that were a person to repeat a day they would do the exact same thing again every time.
Any time I said something like "hold on what about the person who didn't want to sell his Rolex but had to to pay his debts" the answer was something like "he wanted to pay his debts then, so he wanted to sell his watch"
Thanks for wearing the Studio Underd0g. My wife ordered one for me and I’ve been dying to know how it’ll fit on my wrist. I think Andrew is the closest to my size of the three and it looks dynamite on his wrist so I’m geeked.
This podcast really inspires to explore the watch world, instead jumping the gun to a ‘end game’ watch as the main goal. Great!
The system works! Thanks for writing.
What a great podcast, I really feal like you guys are the (original) Top Gear of the watch world. Such a great dynamic and all such different backgrounds and tastes in watches. Not just only talking about rolex and tudor like so many other watch channels. Absolutely love it.
I enjoy most of what you guys bring us, but this one was tough to make it thru for me.
Best episode so far. Great stuff guys:)
In a way, luxury is the opposite of value for money.
I think a luxury product should be built largely for pleasure, not function. A watch is still a tool, even though it is an obsolete one. If a watch is made to be the best watch it can be, I don’t consider that luxury. But if you make it in gold, then a large part of what you pay for isn’t function, but pleasure. A high degree of finishing can also make a steel watch a luxury item (like the GMT Master II).
«In house», bragging rights, brand name etc. are other things that adds cost, not performance. That makes a watch more luxurious.
Just my two cents. Great episode, guys, keep it up!
Something being “well known or popular” doesn’t equal luxury. Luxury is a perception you can debate for an eternity. Great video guys!!
As usual, another fab vid from u guys and and it brings more fun and education to us all. More. More. More. How about doing this with the luxury watches but putting them into price brackets, say 3 or 4 price brands and see what comes out of the Effing Time team's opinions. ⌚👌
I like the interaction between these guys. Luxury is a personal thing.
Hi big fan of your show from Malaysia and a big Rolex fan boy too. I feel one very important aspect for luxury to a person is actually how much that object meant and desirable to that individual. It is like saying Birkin bag is a super high luxury item however if I do not want, it will never be luxurious to me.
Loved the episode! My definition definition of luxury was in line with what was discussed but i am more forgiving with accessibility and cost. I think anything higher than 1-2k usd for watches is luxury while maintaining quality that you can make last for 20-30 years and 5-6 years without changing movement.
Also why “Gerrard Periguux”? @ 36:35
Simply amazing, I could listen to you guys all night long, and I wish I could share a drink or two with you and be part of the conversation. As someone who has a PhD, the degree of detail and depth of your ideas and thoughts are sufficient material for a thesis on the topic, so many interesting tangents and concepts that can be explored further.
I think luxury is just a scale between an item's personal intended use versus its build, aesthetic, and unrelated "bonus" qualities. So I take an item that is perfectly "good enough" for my own use case as a gold standard, and see how far another item is above it in terms of these qualities.
For example, I occasionally use a pen to take notes, and I compare a BIC pen to a Montblanc pen. The BIC pen writes decently, won't snap in half as I use it, is comfortable, and is generally satisfactory as a writing tool. I've used the same one for years and am perfectly happy. On the other hand, the Montblanc pen has more ink, writes smoother, feels better in the hand, will last years of heavy use, and is much prettier to look at. But for my use case, all of these qualities over the basic BIC pen is additional and overall unnecessary, so its a big luxury.
But say someone else is a professional artist who's specializes in pen art. For them, a BIC pen could be completely unusable, and a Montblanc is the bare minimum they could use to get their art to a certain quality (probably not true, but go along with it for the analogy). In their case, a Montblanc isn't a luxury at all and is just a basic tool.
So to put it plainly, to me, all watches over a basic Casio is a luxury, and its just a matter of how much more other watches have in terms of those qualities. So having an incredible customer experience buying an AP is for sure a luxury, since customer experience is a bonus but unrelated quality connected to the watch, but price and difficulty to obtain do not factor in for me.
Georges > Adrian on this topic of the day.
Great episode guys! Adrian diagram is spot on and I agree on his description of Rolex as entry level. It’s why so many non watch collectors love the brand. A muggle will rank the 2 Rolex watches above every other watch on the table. Even the AP. Also, I’d like to see a grand seiko sometime on AET. Off topic: I always am curious, what’s the deal with the 10 or 20 raggy bracelets that George wears?
Love that AP table story, very cool!
Your most ‘cerebral’ episode yet. And a really great one at that. So many great thoughts also in sync with mine after 5 years working in the luxury world. Great dialogue, thank you!
I just bought second hand the watch i saw as my grail watch when i was 20 yrs old… still feels luxury ❤
Really excellent episode guys. Thoughtful and considered.
Im with George and Andrew on this: it’s about the personal experience one gets out of the product, is it at or near the pinnacle in terms of quality/performance? If it does then it is a luxury product.
Example: the Mercedes W124 was and still is a luxury product, even though nowadays they can be had for relatively affordable prices because one only needs to experience the quality of its ride to experience something close to the pinnacle of ride comfort. All this was thanks to the way the chassis and suspension was engineered, the rear suspension itself has a total of 10 different control arms to ensure optimum comfort and handling.
In this case, the complicated (read:expensive) engineering behind it is the one that gives the driver that luxury experience.
Great episode! I think this is a highly delicate subject. You nailed it at the start, everyone’s definition of luxury is different everyone has a different feeling when wearing a watch. It’s such a personal thing that I don’t think there’s a right wrong, 1 or 0, black or white answer.
Can we all agree that it’s other people who perceive what someone else likes or wears is not luxury, these people are the real monster in this world. I can’t stand people who look down on others for wearing what they like or can afford at that time.
Wonderful video guys!! Keep up the content
What a great episode guys! Congrats
Great video lads!
Brilliant episode as always!
Well said George - luxury is in the eyes of beholder. If the watch is wearing you rather you wearing the watch - it’s a luxury, to you for a start. If other people share your view - it’s objectively luxurious product. I’ve seen a video on YT where watchmaker was servicing a 50y old Rolex worn by a senior fellow every day to work (construction engineer). It was clearly his favourite tool. Someone else may take $750 Seiko off the wrist to do gardening. It’s a luxury to her/him.
My 30 year old Tag Heuer quartz bought the day my daughter was born… True luxury.
Great episode guys. Luxury is a subjective, intangible quality but man that GP watch 😍
Always the guy with the most money and knowledge of luxury has the most down to earth vision. Go George..
Did you all smoke a joint together before you recorded this episode? You all seem super chill and calmer than usual, not that it's a bad thing! I appreciate that everybody isn't shouting over each other as much this episode!
That AP House feeling? That's what I get from the people over at Fears, in Bristol. Bowman-Scargill, France, and company really make you feel like you are a guest and a friend, and not just a pocket book.
I have my grandfather's smuggled "world cup final" watch.
It doesn't worth much, but the story does and for me this is one of a kind and ultimate luxury.
Backstory:This watch is Swiss made, but my country (Hungary) couldn't import from the west. There was an exception for athletes where the custom officers cannot search a diplomats/athletes' luggage. The 1954 world cup was held in Switzerland and what is expensive and can fit in a suitcase... watches. Now the Hungarian "golden team" with Puskás was considered the best and got runners up. After they got home they sold a bunch of watches and my grandpa bought one with his entire inheritance.
He wasn't an athlete. His mum put 2/4 of his children into orphanage and he was one of them. After the inheriting he spent all his inheritance on this watch.
Unfortunately he died before I was born but I wear his watch with pride and honor.
Love the format guys. Only suggestion - possibly have chapter markers
George is absolutely correct on luxury. Adrian is caught up in being the member of an exclusive “club” and confusing membership with wealthy people as having luxury.
Glad to see the Pumpkin again! I also wore it once when I met Richard 😊
Thank you, guys! Your show reminds me of dear old Top Gear😊
Number one watch podcast. In your dreams.
Great video boys
This was super interesting, very thought provoking - well done. Not sure I agree with that IWC being as high as it was placed. I would have put that below George’s gold Heuer for sure, and a good argument to put it in line with the Batman IMO.
Luxury encompasses quite a few subjective elements. Branding is essentially perception and that perception can be entirely bullshit. But just because it’s bullshit for one person, doesn’t mean that it will be for another. Build-quality really can’t be faked, so that is a pretty solid indicator and must be part of the equation. The buying experience should also encompass the Service experience after purchasing the watch as well. I’ve purchased a few TAG Heuers and had servicing experiences that were horrendous and pushed me entirely away from them as a brand and product. Largely, what you guys have been quite correct on, is that “luxury” can be a relative item and experience from person to person.
George's gold TAG Heuer: holy shit. Amazing. And the GP Aston Martin. Wow. George on another level from the rest of us... and I'm here for it.
Great show guys, USA loves you guys!
Love ya back USA
Super interesting video guys, and such a hard definition. I think vendiagram is the closest it gets to my feeling of luxury.
I am leaning towards what George had said something like "I see a tourist removing their omega before they went for a dive'' because it is expensive. A luxury watch for me is anything above USD3000 so I guess sometimes it really is just about how wealthy a person is and/or how he/she views the dollar note (money)
I mostly agree with Adrian’s Venn diagram, but I agree with Andrew about the microbrands. I had a microbrand watch that I bought for $950, but didn’t connect with it, so I ended up selling it for over $1750 because they were sold out per the manufacturer. I think anything that is not needed and has a higher than basic cost to it, qualifies as a luxury product, product being different than a luxury experience. And since watches aren’t necessary in today’s world, any watch that exceeds your personal relative cost ceiling, is a luxury watch.
I think Adrian nailed this to be fair
Hat tip to Andrew for the ‘gave you a hand with that’ quip that didn’t land in the room.
Somebody gets me XX
Wow. Bamford’s Tag is an absolute stunner.
best ep so far
This GP IS a great example of luxury for sure guys. It’s sublime.
Great episode
You’re spot on! Luxury has to involve a luxurious experience. I hate the fact that I love the look of a Rolex, but can’t stand them as a brand. This is the sole purpose I will be purchasing a Grand Seiko SBGE285 vs the Explorer 2 or GMT M2. The GS boutique experience will be a definite deciding factor. Any thoughts? Have you ever been to a GS boutique?
So if you buy an AP from the grey market and they mail you the watch that you paid a 100% markup on, it's no longer a luxury watch?
Interesting debate on Luxury indeed, using the process I would move the Seamaster, Explorer together with the Std Blackbay. On the basis they are more normal version of a very similar product from the same manufacture, materials, availability, cost. Be interesting to know where the team see a GS would fit here, bearing in mind they offer a sub 3k and a plus 10k offering ?
Without a doubt, your most insightful and thought provoking episode so far. Keep up the good work👍. I’m now going to go and spend some quality time 💩 with my “luxury” bog roll 😆.
I have a tiny watch 18 in all collection. That range from £60.00 to £7,000.00 each and every one of these watches is Luxury, because I don't really need them it's more of a luxury to own them.
Great episode.
A very interesting discussion. We all have our own views on luxury and how we value luxury; you can’t be too definitive, one way or another.
As I put it, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then value is in the perception of the purchaser.