Too much vintage/vintage inspired watch?
I really like vintage and vintage inspired watches.
I know dealing with vintage watches has its ownsets of problems as it may be franken or overpolish, which require a whole different level of skillsets to discover those faults.
Being attracted to vintage inspired pieces negates the problem of authentic vintage pieces issues. But you know it is not a “real” vintage and a just vintage inspired which kinda make it like a copy or a remake with those faux patina(imho).
Don’t get me wrong i don’t hate vintage inspired watches, i even own the hamilton khaki field, baltic aquascaphe and maybe even a longines bigeye *wink* if permitted.
We all know remake movies can or seldom beat the original oldies/goodies.
And with most big/micro brands vomiting vintage inspired pieces so very often.
Do you feel that these brands recreating those past legendary watches just trying to milk maximum cash out of us consumers/enthusiasts?
And by doing this does it show these brand has no/little creativity in comparison to those artist in the 20s-80s.
Not saying we all should convert to smart watches but instead have more innovative looks/functions at a none rm/urwerk/mb&f level of prices.
Even the bel canto i find it quite pricey for a piece that does a bing at every hour and the vulcain cricket that chirps(please don’t murder me)
Or
They are just making more vintage inspired pieces to make us happy and not let us deal with the pain of “real” vintage repairs? And at the same time make more money while people are still interested
Or
You have another conspiracy please do share with me😶🌫️
Please share your thoughts fellow watch people, i would like to know what is the general perspective! TIA🫶
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
TINSTAFL.
BLUFF, mid century romanticism sells.
Also for new "complications", outside of innovative bezels, you won't find much available in the affordable spectrum.
I will concede more micros need to start releasing stuff like Helm and Nodus. They kinda do their own thing, while maintaining their brand identity in the tool watch spectrum.
I'm not sure how to respond to the multi prong questions you have put forward. In cases like this I prefer to turn to the data, and examine one particular example in more detail.
For further examination, I choose the Seiko 6105 Diver. These were made 1969-1977 plus or minus. They were mass produced work watches with that original asymmetrical case. As a mass produced watch many were simply used up and tossed. As demand rose along with the price for good vintage examples, microbrands started producing homage pieces. Seiko, taking notice of this then started making their own reissues.
So the answer is demand in this particular example, I think the same result will parlay into other examples as well.
If it's a brand resurrecting an old model made to modern spec I'm all for it! (My most worn are both retro reissues, sm300 & Willard)
Im a fan of vintage too, currently wearing a Pogue, but they're not the most practical.
Dislike Microbrands that just rip off historic designs, that's just an unimaginative cash in imho, really not a fan of made up stories .
There are only so many effective and visually appealing ways to make a watch face. Oddities exist to be odd, they aren't the norm because they are less effective at their job. We have been using the standard analog clock/watch face for hundreds of years, that didn't happen by accident.
As @solidyetti said, right now mid-century style is in. Companies would be foolish to not capitalize on what people want.
No way, the people remaking classics for these of us with no so deep pockets are doing great work, Even if the rich ivy tower collector types can't see it.