Should Horology love be expensive?

August 26, 2018

The popular saying "Keeping up with the Jones's" can adequately be used and referenced into any hobby and passion especially in Horology.

Watch lovers from all walks of life can agree that they do have a particular "Grail Watch" that they want to own and enjoy one day. Unfortunately, it is something that they can't afford at this time.

Watch Daddy believes that enjoying and appreciating Horology may not be expensive if one truly understands what the real essence of Horology is.

Rise in popularity

Everyone has seen the prices of popular models from Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet steadily rise in the recent years. This is due to the high demand and popularity of these watch brands.

People see their favorite celebrities/personalities/peers sport these high end watch brands and they would like to own one as well. Because of which, this tends to push the already high retail prices into sometimes more than double the retail.

The point of this article is not to bash or put down the mighty watch houses from Switzerland. We believe that the Swiss power-houses absolutely make wonderful and fantastic timepieces. A lot of them have mastered the craft of watch making for centuries.

But we want to highlight that real Horology means that one can determine and understand the value of any timepiece regardless of brand, popularity, and price.

Factors for consideration

Several smaller or less popular watch houses from the West and a notable few from the East can go head to head with the likes of the Big 3 from Switzerland.

Solid contenders like Omega, Longines and Oris are releasing reissues of their past big sellers to boost their popularity and fame.

From the East, it is Seiko that has the best chance to be at par in terms of craftsmanship, technology, and longevity if compared to the Swiss giants.

The Horological choice

At the end of the day, it would be the End-consumers or customers that dictate what/who should be a truly Horological choice. Horology is defined in the dictionary as "The study and measurement of time".

WIS (Watch Idiot Savant) and your average watch consumers would agree, in the simplest terms and definitions, that a watch would be a fantastic choice if it functions and looks well to show the measurement of time.

Given this, we believe we can simplify what truly makes a watch great with the two points below:

Movement (Functionality)
Craftsmanship (Aesthetics)

Horology love need not to be outright expensive and unattainable. If a watch is built to last (crafted with passion) and has a reliable and dependable movement that does not hinder its functionality to tell time; then that my friends is one hell of a watch!