Bhanu Chopra is Senior Editor of Watchuseek
From the 70's till tomorrow.
1970's Disposable Quartz
I am a 70's child, born in late 1970 and my childhood memories were of two type of watches - quartz LED/LCD and dad's Rolex. This is pretty much in-line with the state of affairs in the watch industry with the quartz movements dominating the Seventies. One thing I always remember is that quartz watches after a couple of battery changes always broke, and since they were low cost, they were easily replaced with another one with even more functions.
1980's to mid-1990's Vanity Affair
The Eighties were all about vanity and materialism. When it came to watches, it was about the design of the watch, and with financial markets soaring, it was about the more for the watch than what your colleague or neighbour paid for his watch. But this was the time to shine for watch designers like Gerald Genta.
Mid- 1990's - Early 2000's Supersize Me
It was the era of supersizing - McDonald's french fries, stuffed-crust pizzas, and hideously large watches. Thierry Nataf and Zenith watches. It was also the time watch enthusiasts and collectors began to discuss horology and share their thoughts on watches and watch brands. Forums like PuristPro, TimeZone, and Watchuseek were engaging where raw ideas were discussed without much of moderation.
Mid-2000's to 2010
Rise of the Independents Watch enthusiasts and industry, in general, were frustrated. Hence, within that vacuum was born the innovation and creativity of small independent brands like Urwerk, MB&F, Speake-Marin. With the advent of social media like Facebook and My Space, watch enthusiasts and watch experts started their own blog sites with a wealth of information and their opinion.
2010's Pump It and Dump It
After the crash of 2008, as the economy recovered, watch companies became smarter in the operations. They lowered the cost of operations and parts by making them in Asia; they hyped the watches with advertising and celebrities - all the while raising the prices. Omega Speedmaster retail price was $3,500, and now the same watch with moon landing story being retold was $6,500. Watch brand pumped up the price and dumped them on retailers to sell. Eventually, all that access inventory began to make way to grey dealers. As the blogs became popular, the ones that rose to the top started to think of monetizing. Watch brands saw an opportunity and blogs became an extension of a watch brands' marketing. End of the 2010s And Future Big brands realize the need for change. Going direct to customers through e-commerce and boutiques. Online blogs are becoming resellers by curating selective watches. Vice a versa, resellers are acquiring blogs to build content. Watch sizes and pricing is becoming normalized.