I sometimes wonder just how much of a broken record I sound like on these Audicles, because the same themes keep popping up over and over, and I’m back again to say that while I understand how and why the luxury watch industry is going in this direction, my hypothesis is that this is detrimental to the long-term health of the business.

Going forward, I do believe that the watch industry will face a contraction. However, this does not mean the luxury watch industry is going away, but rather that brands will have to be hyper-focused on the return of their marketing spend.

It seems to me that WRC is an untapped market and presents a favorable test-bed for the development of new markets and customers.

I have not tried all of the world’s hobbies, but I have a hard time thinking that many of them could be more addictive and bottomless than watch collecting; one day you’re thinking “I’m looking for a nice watch, that’s all I’ll need”, and the next you’re weighing out different GMT options because you’re driving over to your in-laws’ place for the weekend.

Luxury watches have an undeniable appeal that goes beyond their mere functionality, and that appeal has only grown with the rise of social media and its associated “flex culture”. Supply and demand considerations aside, the inherent qualities of craftsmanship and timelessness mean that the price tags that accompany them often make them seem out of reach. Fortunately, purchasing a luxury watch pre-owned can be a smart alternative that offers several advantages over buying new.

The One Watch is the endpoint somewhere off in the distance of a journey that is highly personal, but for me, I think I've gotten as close as I may ever get with the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600 m in 39.5 mm sizing, with a black dial (reference number 215.30.40.20.01.001).

Tudor DID do everything right with its North Flag, and yet this is a model that went nowhere. I’d go so far as to say that there is Tudor “pre-North Flag”, and Tudor “post-North Flag”, and the current trajectory that Tudor is on is almost entirely due to this model not taking off, when in fact it objectively had everything going for it.