The market for them says otherwise
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**“L’Internationale” intensifies
I didn’t say people weren’t buying them. I’m saying there’s no way on god’s green earth that there is $20,000 worth of materials and labor in a single wrist watch. Are they made out of some kind of alien metal that I’m unaware of? hahahaha - it’s just an insane thing to me. A twenty thousand dollar- OR MORE- watch. That tells you what time it is. Like my phone does. 
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The engineering and craftsmanship that goes into some of these watches can be absolutely mind boggling. $20,000 is of course still a substantial mark-up, as you will find for all luxury goods. But certainly I can believe that these miniature mechanical marvels do cost thousands to make.
One of my favorite youtube channels of late has been Wristwatch Revival, it’s a hobbyist who’s been getting gradually deeper and deeper into the world of watchmaking and it’s really fascinating - mesmerizing, even.
If I had money to burn, you bet I’d spend it on an awesome wristwatch long before I’d buy designer clothes, or even before I’d choose to spend my money on a BMW instead of a Toyota.
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Watch labor is actually quite pricey and it’s all about accuracy over time. Was listening to a podcast about a watchmaker that went to school in Switzerland. Believe the accuracy can get to where a watch will be only one second off after like a million years. It was something crazy like that.
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That is pretty essential for those of us that will live to be a million! 
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But what altitude were they at?
Because the farther from the gravity source the slower time must move in order for the speed of light to remain constant as light travels around increasingly sharp space-time curvatures
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Same argument can be used for any other luxury items, designer handbags, Diamonds, NFTs, and what have you.
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You’re right. I buy/sell NFTs for thousands of dollars all the time without thinking twice.
Certain watches from certain brands can be considered an asset class. Same as art, automobiles ect. I’m a watch nerd so I get it, but I’m in the minority. Unlike an investment in a rare Ferrari for example, a rare watch investment is easy to store, no property tax, little maintenance. Most watches depreciate in value rapidly, but a select few generally rise in value over time.
Raleigh seems like an odd place for a service center, most are located the main cities of the world. Interesting decision.
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Raleigh = Main City of the World
CONFIRMED
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Exactly - the differentiator for watches from other jewelery is the engineering, and in cases like AP, the heritage. I cannot fathom how any diamond placed on a ring or necklace is worth tens of thousands of dollars, but I can definitely see how a precision crafted watch movement perfected over generations is.
Personally, I like watches from high quality microbrands that sell direct to consumer because you can skip the 100%+ sales markup from the authorized dealer stores and just get something for closer to the cost of production.
People may not like/understand/care for luxury watches, but AP is a very prestigious brand in this space and this is much much more than just a sales shop - it’s big for Raleigh. Also, very creative of Kane to fill office space with something like this that cannot be moved remote and will always have demand.
I’d absolutley love if they sold experience packages where you can shadow a master watchmaker who is servicing a watch. An insane process of disasembling hundreds of tiny pieces and having the knowledge of how to perfectly reassemble it. Amazing stuff.
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Maybe I missed something, but what’s Kane got to do with RIW ?
Watches and Crypto seemed to share a similar trajectory… my experience has been the same group of people are propelling both of these into the stratosphere. Most today claiming to like watches also only own new, modern timepieces and have a particular affinity for Rolex.
Meant Grubb** there. Clearly getting too comfortable talking about all the Kane projects 
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That’s probably because every regular person recognizes Rolex as a luxury watch brand and many people who aren’t “watch people” aren’t going spend that type of money on something that they think people aren’t going to recognize as a status symbol. The average joe wouldn’t recognize the luxury nature of a Credor or even a Grand Seiko, for example, even though they are arguably nicer watches, but everyone knows the five pointed crown when they see it.
50% of fake watches also happen to be Rolex watches, of which there are tens of millions of those floating around. At least the real ones hold value well as long as you didn’t buy in at the ridiculous gray market prices of the last few shortage years, which maybe a lot of the crypto investors did. Buying at the top, selling at the bottom isn’t uncommon for them.
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Shadowing a master watch maker would be incrediable. Sign me up!!
The number of folks who have taken apart an alarm clock, and thus truly appreciates how complicated time pieces are, shrinks ever year
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I will say I love my Citizen eco drive. Not pricey, but in an age of cell phones, all time pieces seem luxerious.
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A fellow horological aficionado. Well said.
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