Now that you have made some money from the stock market, you want to buy something for yourself?
Posted by Faioki Blog on
It's time to celebrate this success by buying something you like and I am sure this is some kind of luxury goods and maybe even contribute back to the economy. A perfect gift for oneself is the wristwatch.
As you know, a pure mechanical engineered watch without a battery is the only kind of watch that can be called a real watch, a watch with a soul and a heartbeat.
Which type of watch to buy?
Of course the Tourbillon....
Thanks to Abraham-Louis Breguet for inventing the complex function of the tourbillon in 1795 in France, and later adopted into many Swiss brands. The TOURBILLON watch has since became a highly sought-after complication watch purely out of its historic engineering and architectural background and the magnificent splendor provided to those lucky enough to afford one.
If you like watches, you will know what a Tourbillon is, basically a function to ensure the influence of gravity on the accuracy of the watch is eliminated. This is now basically been made obsolete by Quartz watches but they are called soul-less watches and not taken seriously, as the Swiss did not invent this and was a Canadian/American named Warren Alvin Marrison (1896 - 1980) back in 1927.
To come up with the perfect piece of machinery, Swiss companies invested millions into perfecting their own version and design and it became so expensive that no one really could afford one from the general public.
To tell the truth, watches don't have to be as expensive as they are marketed to be. They are well overpriced purely because buyers are sucked into the whirlpool since the beginning of Swiss watchmaking and the Swiss have a way of overpricing their products just because they are Swiss and funny enough everyone is going for it and no one wants to challenge it ! Why is it so expensive? How can such a small piece of machine cost so much even though its made of Gold.. how much Gold can one use in such a small item. A gold toilet will be a different thing! Just because you are rich, it does not mean you should be ripped off. Sure enough, one is now seeing many brands who can come up with watches that are so much cheaper. How do they do it? Well their margin is just much lower thats all! All costs being equal or even more expensive than the big brands. There has to be a discruption somehow like all industries and the watch industry is one of the oldest that has been affected the least. Reason: People are just conditoned to pay for an expensive timepiece ! well they dont have to !
Well, your argument is I buy for investment. then I have to ask, what is the definition of investment, is your home an investment? is your car an investment? I can tell you, they can be but only when the intention of buying it is to resell it in the future at a profit. e.g. Shares and properties but watches ?? I don't think so as your intention won't be to resell it thinking one will need to resell the watch when times gets bad. So in conclusion, I have to say watches are not an investment but a hobby to collect, a hobby is like stamps, one where one can buy as many of different versions as possible at the cheapest price. So if you agree with me, read on....
A solution is to find alternatives that are offering the same complications but at an affordable price and that is looking into watches from China. Many people have discounted Chinese made watches but to tell the truth, they have been making clocks and watches for a long time and the quality is world standard, maybe not the name. If you are just buying it for your own enjoyment, a global brand is not necessary, it is the complication that truly will make you happy. Your pocket will thank you later too.
Chinese manufacturers of timekeeping machines have the knowledge and skills and have been at it for a long time since the Ching dynasty. They were magnificent. One such example from the Qianlong emperor reign.
Some were made for use in the palace and then later made for export or gifts to visiting Royalties The natural progression into wristwatch or table clocks are just smaller pieces of the same machine. The Chinese definitely had the knowhow and experience. I think China will quickly become a world stage player if not already, in the horology space and I think one should buy them now before prices escalate.
So fast forward, for Tourbillons, China designed and made the first Tourbillon in 1990 and ever since been obsessed with it and became an important participant in tourbillon manufacturing globally in terms of volume output.
Two main names: SEA-GULL and Hangzhou Watch Co., Ltd. (HWC) are now selling to overseas buyers. One in final products and the other one in caliber movements respectively. Shanghai and Beijing watch companies are more for domestic consumption although they too are becoming famous overseas due to the internet.
Due to the man-hours needed to make Tourbillon complications plus the continuous improvement and R&D needed to stay ahead, it has made this type of watches the most expensive in the whole world. Some people call it the millionaire watch. Some are in the price range of houses or above. It means you are wearing a house, boat or car on your wrist.
Some of us do buy these. Here are some great examples:
USD 3.85-Blancpain Pain Le Brassus Tourbillon Carrousel
US$4.6 million:-Louis Moinet "Meteoris"
US$10 million: Bao gue Hora Mundi
Well, I think you have the idea. If you want to spend that much money on a watch, please go ahead and I will be proud of you, seriously.
But for the rest of us, don’t be disappointed, because you can buy a tourbillon made in China at a price starting around USD 1000 using HWC movements.
