Are Watches going to become unaffordable?

Sadly, Im with you..the inflation is affecting everything in life..even food...Making my hobbies alot harder to justify...

I think they will. As new. The price increases last couple of years in every price bracket gives me that impressions. Pre loved prices will more describe real value imo.

The middle market gets squeezed. Go high or go low. The Swiss go high.

It’s fun watching “best watches under $X” videos from just two years back. Most things have doubled.

Is one of your hobbies eating food , sorry couldn't resist

Sadly, it is about my last vice!!! LOL

Not everything is made for everyone.

There are other options available, but @OscarKlosoffWatch nailed it. The Swiss will go premium, because it allows more profit for less production cost.

Short answer yes:

The established brand are all trying hard to rais their prices.

It's also a question of surviving.

The watch market is as small market actually.

Every affordable brand tryes to cross the 1K limit.

Even Casio uses every little change on their watches to tribbel the price.

But there will be other newcommers or less known brand which are will offer affordable watches in future.

I must admit , after I have a few more high end watches I dnt think I will be able to justify the cost.

its getting to the point where they will be so costly that people will stop wearing by them for fear of theft.

I'm a Timex guy, so I think I'll be good for a while. lol. Sorry I couldn't resist, but it's true. My life philosophy was never set your expectations too high so you will never be disappointed. I did that with everything in my life except my wife. For an Average Joe, I married way above my pay rate.

Companies that don't keep pace with the needs of their consumers are ripe for the types of innovative disruptors that hollowed out Kodak, Nokia, Xerox etc. and often result in better products and/or services at competitive prices. For example as Seiko moves it's pricing up market from the "affordable" tier that space gets filled by products vastly superior to what Seiko offered when they dominated that price point. Seiko will most likely never be dominant in that entry level affordable tier again so while Seiko pricing will rise you'll still be able to buy a $200-$300 watch that will be arguably better than what existed in that space before. As you move up the tiers you'll find that if a tourbillon, titanium case or ceramic bezel is your jam they just keep getting cheaper as well. All is not lost.

Last vice… shit, by far my safest!

Lots of lower price fun watches. Rich idiot watches certainly.

I agree that luxury watches have become prohibitively expensive for many enthusiasts. It took me a few years to save up for an Omega Seamaster 300 and, by that time, the price had increased by almost 50%. I had to buy pre-owned. I wish I could afford a Tudor BB chronograph, but that will probably never happen.

Currently, I honestly cannot justify buying anything beyond Islander watches (I own two). My latest, the Republic ISL-139 is a case in point: Swiss-made Sellita SW330-2 automatic GMT, consistently accurate between 3 to 5 seconds per day, 40mm case, less than 12mm thick, saphire everything, 200m WR, can actually track three time zones, incredible lume, etc... all for under US$700.

Buy used!! Tho prices are creeping up there too.

Used buys - SM300 - £3200

Willard £650

Quartz Aqua Terra £1300

1959 Alpinist reissue £350

All considerably less than RRP!

Pays to be patient, buy used.