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While the price hike is clearly not relative, there is no doubt the craftsmanship and metallurgy in a marque time piece is above and beyond cheap manufacturing techniques.
You like F1.
It will still get you to the shops.
Similar non?
Ordinata-
I can understand the craftsmanship element. But if you put a pair of similar models from Rolex and Steinhart, I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart on quality. Certainly not to the extent that one would likely cost 10x the other. Obviously the advertising costs are a factor for one and not the other, and there's a supply and demand element also.
F1 is at the cutting edge of many different aspects of engineering research. I don't believe watch manufacturing is on a similar level. I'm sure watch manufacturing makes use of advances in precision engineering, but I doubt that it's driving it.
On the car note, I do in general feel the same about expensive cars, but I can see where the increased value & cost comes from. But then again, the sum cost of my 2 of my 3 dream cars is about £25k (granted the other costs around £40k). I may well just be erring to far on the side of frugality on both the car and watch front.
mmccarthy
As a tangent to this point, with supercars, I can understand where their high price tags come from. I understand why people are willing to shell out so much more money than your average car to own one.
I don't understand the same feeling with regards to watches though. How do the manufacturers justify the cost and what is it that makes the consumer willing to spend so much? (Let's pick an arbitrary amount of £5k for example)
Is it that it's more an item of jewellery than a time-keeping instrument?
This is just a general question to anyone who fancies chipping in with some info, but I'd be interested to hear people's opinions.
P.S. I can't remember the last time I saw a watch that wasn't a Seiko/Citizen that I'd like to own. I am a heathen.