closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Results 1 to 23 of 23

Thread: It's not all divers and sports watches is it?

  1. #1
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Burscough, UK
    Posts
    9,573

    It's not all divers and sports watches is it?

    If we went purely off watch forums then it's clear that divers and sports watches account for the vast majority of watches except... all the major brands have a whole series of dress and 'smart' watches - Omega's De Ville line is clearly popular but we never seen many here nor really much discussion of such, the Rolex Cellini similarly rarely gets a mention here.

    So I'm curious - out in the real world, do we have what the ratio of sales is for the stuff we are all obsessed with and what actual real people are buying when they buy the one expensive watch they will have forever?

  2. #2
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Somewhere else
    Posts
    12,336
    Blog Entries
    22
    I don’t think certain brands I can think of release their sales figures. So almost impossible to work out.

    But ‘out in the real world’ I mostly see people wearing quartz watches mostly Casio, Seiko with some type of bezel or chronograph function. And now more predominantly ‘smart’ watches, also produced in the Far East.

    I do question the assumption that you make that the majority of watches on fora are dive style? Check out timezone.com. They have whole sub forums by brand such as Patek - not many dive watches there? Check the watches on SC - there is a decent spread of types of watch there?

  3. #3
    Master
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Maidstone
    Posts
    1,384
    I kind of agree with the OP . I've put together a 5 piece collection - the top three are a 2254 on its original bracelet, a Speedmaster on a black leather strap by Steveo Straps & a deployant clasp and an SS DJ41 (smooth bezel, Oyster bracelet, rhodium dial). Those are my top pieces, a CWC RN Diver & an RN marked G10 are the others, used for site visits etc.
    Of them all, the DJ41 gets most wear by far, I think it's the most versatile, it transitions from smart to casual and back again in a way that the others can't pull off.
    Yes I've got a chrono & and a diver, yes I had them both before the DJ41, but it's the DJ41 that I get most use from.

  4. #4
    I thought in the real world it was all smartwatches, fitbits / sports watches, gshocks, designer watches and various other quarts based high street stuff.

    Mechanical watches are not the norm, every time I tell people I have a hand wound watch they look at me like I have 2 heads.

  5. #5
    From what I have seen in work, G Shocks, smart watches, basic Citizen quartz watches, the odd Rolex and Omega those being the seamaster and submariner. Dont think I have ever seen any other Omega or Rolex for that matter. Saying that though I dont think anyone really cares about what watch people are wearing

  6. #6
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Burscough, UK
    Posts
    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by xellos99 View Post
    I thought in the real world it was all smartwatches, fitbits / sports watches, gshocks, designer watches and various other quarts based high street stuff.

    Mechanical watches are not the norm, every time I tell people I have a hand wound watch they look at me like I have 2 heads.
    I'm not asking about the widespread of what the public own - especially given the average ASP in the UK is £85. I'm asking within the major makers portfolios how popular non-sports and divers are - they might be more popular for all we know.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Alansmithee View Post
    I'm not asking about the widespread of what the public own - especially given the average ASP in the UK is £85. I'm asking within the major makers portfolios how popular non-sports and divers are - they might be more popular for all we know.
    Not sure too many of us know what major watch makers portfolios are.

  8. #8
    Grand Master RustyBin5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Scotland central
    Posts
    13,190
    Always had a liking for really nice dress watches - but I rarely justify them with enough wrist time. The exception would be Glashutte which does get worn frequently.

  9. #9
    Master earlofsodbury's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Tether's End, Lincs
    Posts
    4,848
    I think the output of the plethora of burgeoning micro- and nano-brands speaks volumes: the vast majority offer divers, slightly fewer offer sports chronos, and slightly fewer again offer flyer, military and field watches of various sorts. Quite a few offer nothing but loads of different diver-style watches. Very few offer any dress watches.

    I do wonder how region-specific this is, since the more traditional Swiss and German houses mostly offer more dress / trad watches than sports.

  10. #10
    Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    3,785
    when should we start "collecting" mobile phones?

  11. #11
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Charlotte, United States
    Posts
    512
    Quote Originally Posted by BillN View Post
    when should we start "collecting" mobile phones?
    All I have to say is "Can You Hear Me Now".

  12. #12
    Master TimeThoughts's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Southampton
    Posts
    1,177
    I believe the DJ is Rolex's biggest seller and we do see that on here but nowhere near as frequent as sports/professional type models.

    I also seem to see DJs a lot in the old real world.

  13. #13
    Journeyman
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Chicago USA
    Posts
    52
    I think the answer varies depending on the market. Where I live I rarely see someone else with any mechanical watch, and when I do it's usually a Rolex Sub. When I travel I see much more variety. I've read that Omega Constellations are good sellers in China, but I've never seen a modern Constellation on the wrist of anyone in 20 years of paying attention. Only the manufacturers know their true sales numbers.

  14. #14
    Master
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Maidstone
    Posts
    1,384
    Quote Originally Posted by Alansmithee View Post
    I'm not asking about the widespread of what the public own - especially given the average ASP in the UK is £85. I'm asking within the major makers portfolios how popular non-sports and divers are - they might be more popular for all we know.
    It's frequently trotted out that the best selling Rolex is the Datejust. I don't know the veracity of the claim but I hear it a lot (& have contributed to it). ETA Beaten to it!

  15. #15
    Grand Master Foxy100's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Die Fuchsröhre
    Posts
    14,926
    Rolex are at the point now where they sell so many Datejusts and similar dress watches they no longer bother stocking sports models in their dealerships.

    Grand Seiko are doing it well, with a few divers but mostly simple three-handers (well, four if you include the Spring Drives) and a few GMTs.
    "A man of little significance"

  16. #16
    Grand Master jwg663's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    21.5 km From Moscow
    Posts
    16,881
    Several years ago, it was always put about that the biggest-selling Rolex 'style' by volume was the ladies' Oyster Perpetual in its various guises/models.
    ______

    ​Jim.

  17. #17
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Burscough, UK
    Posts
    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by jwg663 View Post
    Several years ago, it was always put about that the biggest-selling Rolex 'style' by volume was the ladies' Oyster Perpetual in its various guises/models.
    I see a *lot* of these so I could buy that.

  18. #18
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Hampshire
    Posts
    14,535
    Christopher Ward seem to have quite a few dressier watches in their range, but I suspect the cheaper divers and chronos are more popular.

    Not holding them up as the model, but at fairly affordable prices they seem to be a brand non WIS people know and they presumably see a demand amongst their customers for dressier watches.

    M

    Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
    Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?

  19. #19
    Journeyman
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    London
    Posts
    175
    Quote Originally Posted by RustyBin5 View Post
    Always had a liking for really nice dress watches - but I rarely justify them with enough wrist time. The exception would be Glashutte which does get worn frequently.
    Interesting. May I ask which of the Glashütte brands you mean? Nomos?


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

  20. #20
    Grand Master RustyBin5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Scotland central
    Posts
    13,190
    Quote Originally Posted by WolfiesPapa View Post
    Interesting. May I ask which of the Glashütte brands you mean? Nomos?


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
    Glashutte Original

  21. #21
    Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Bedfordshire, UK
    Posts
    1,655
    By far the most common watches I see are fit bits and Apple. Occasionally a seiko, citizen or fashion watch like fossil or Michael kors.
    Very rarely I see something more horologically interesting and then it’s usually in the evenings when ‘out out’.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  22. #22
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Yorkshire
    Posts
    269
    I see more apple watches and Casio than anything else. I also find the dive watch obsession in the watch community amusing as I have found it hard to identify many dive watches that I have liked enough to buy and then I haven’t liked them enough to keep.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by RustyBin5 View Post
    Always had a liking for really nice dress watches - but I rarely justify them with enough wrist time. The exception would be Glashutte which does get worn frequently.
    This is very interesting.

    Enthusiasts who have a number of watches generally regard divers and chronos as being extremely versatile, capable of covering a broad range on the formality spectrum. Enthusiasts generally regard dressier watches as being "crowded out"to only the most formal of watch-wearing occasions.

    However, I suspect that the weirdos who consider one "nice" watch to be enough, think that dress watches are the most versatile. Case in point, my bro-in-law bought an Omega deVille on leather. To him it's his everyday watch. It's extremely smart and has made me reappraise my notions of versatility.

    Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
    Last edited by crimsondynamo; 17th January 2020 at 22:42.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information