[Gixnic]

I still think we are nearing the bubble here. I don’t blame omega for testing the market. I am seeing a lot of nice watches including Rolex not selling in the classifieds. Smps and AQ are still sell but they don’t move as fast and from what I can tell sub 4000 is really the dividing line. Once a watch creeps past 4k and edges to 5k it takes a lot of us out of play. I think that’s why Tudor has been so successful. Great watches all at or below 4k.

It wouldn't be 5k anymore, an SMP with the new price (plus US taxes) would increase to a total of $6200.

 

[Tpp3975]

It wouldn't be 5k anymore, an SMP with the new price (plus US taxes) would increase to a total of $6200.

Insane.

 

[Tpp3975]

Insane.

For reference you are into GS spring drive territory at 6k. Love the SMP but I’d have to think twice or thrice at 5500 plus tax.

 

[Alex_TA]

Fake? How do you know? We have two different screenshots. Are they both fake?


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“Shop now” came from Omega?

 

[TJD925]

For what it's worth, I called two Boutiques and 2 AD's in New York and not a single one of them had any knowledge of another increase. They did caveat that with the fact that they're not always given advance notice but they said that they SHOULD know by this point. I planned to buy a SMP300m in the Spring and this would have accelerated my timeline. Not sure what to believe...

 

[Cod Holliday]

For reference you are into GS spring drive territory at 6k. Love the SMP but I’d have to think twice or thrice at 5500 plus tax.

GS is boring and dull IMHO. It also has no legacy (please save me that kimikata polishing and cool japanese breeze stories) I have never considered a Seiko when it costed more than 1K.

To each their I guess.

For what it's worth, I called two Boutiques and 2 AD's in New York and not a single one of them had any knowledge of another increase. They did caveat that with the fact that they're not always given advance notice but they said that they SHOULD know by this point. I planned to buy a SMP300m in the Spring and this would have accelerated my timeline. Not sure what to believe...

It could very well be that the US market won't see an increase. Who really knows at this point? But just as many people are now confirming the increase.

Usually used market prices start ticking up right before an increase (as dealers are in the know).

 

[kyle1234c]

For reference you are into GS spring drive territory at 6k. Love the SMP but I’d have to think twice or thrice at 5500 plus tax.

I think GS makes lovely watches but I see nothing in a spring drive that would make it more interesting than Omegas movements (which are a lot more attractive in my view to boot).

It sounds crazy, but has the seamaster just been a (relative) bargain for a while and omega believe that raising the price significantly is more likely to increase interest and raise its profile? It is certainly on the same par as the sub in my view but just does not have the cache. Will raising prices massively improve this?

 

[Tpp3975]

I think GS makes lovely watches but I see nothing in a spring drive that would make it more interesting than Omegas movements (which are a lot more attractive in my view to boot).

It sounds crazy, but has the seamaster just been a (relative) bargain for a while and omega believe that raising the price significantly is more likely to increase interest and raise its profile? It is certainly on the same par as the sun in my view but just does not have the cache. Will raising price massively improve this?

Long term maybe for the SMP but short term I don’t know how you convince educated buyers to pay 6k for something that could readily be had 4k 6 months ago. That said those of us here are the exception do I have no idea how the general public might value the watch or accept price increases.

 

[Tpp3975]

GS is boring and dull IMHO. It also has no legacy (please save me that kimikata polishing and cool japanese breeze stories) I have never considered a Seiko when it costed more than 1K.

To each their I guess.



It could very well be that the US market won't see an increase. Who really knows at this point? But just as many people are now confirming the increase.

Usually used market prices start ticking up right before an increase (as dealers are in the know).

Ouch. Grand Seiko, boring and dull? Have you owned one? The finishing is quite a sight to behold and the Spring Drive is mesmerizing. Sure to each their own but GS is on another level in my humble opinion. I love both brands. Getting off topic but those are fighting words!

 

[tasteless.beaver]

For what it's worth, I called two Boutiques and 2 AD's in New York and not a single one of them had any knowledge of another increase. They did caveat that with the fact that they're not always given advance notice but they said that they SHOULD know by this point. I planned to buy a SMP300m in the Spring and this would have accelerated my timeline. Not sure what to believe...

My AD in Canada didn’t seem to know about the last increase when I inquired by email in late November, as the US prepared for theirs. Canada’s was implemented January 1st, my AD told me in person in December that they heard about it from me first, and then gave me the reality about what future pricing was going to be in terms of MSRP and discounts. Not everyone gets the same information at the same time. But the SMP is going up 10% here in a 31-day period, yikes. That’s not inflation, that’s gouging.

 

[M.N.A]

I agree that a price increase sucks but if I wanted an Omega I will buy an Omega, and quite honestly I don't think that at current market price there are better value for money than an Omega which are readily available at retail. So a 5 -10% increase won't stop me from buying one and I don't know of other alternatives at lower price point that would give me the same joy.

I'm mostly a Rolex and Omega fan boy, and as we all know Rolex, AP, PP, VC are hard to get at retail, even Cartier and Panerai are getting more expensive.

As for Seiko, they sure make some nice watches but their expensive ones just don't sing to me and I believe that their SPB range which are mostly below $1.5k (which might actually be overpriced for what they are) is the max I'm willing to spend on a Seiko.

I would also point out, that the increased retail prices and lower discounts would help drive up Omega 2nd hand prices which as an owner of several watches I consider it a good thing however I do understand that some will be disappointed with this.

 

[alexd3498]

Long term maybe for the SMP but short term I don’t know how you convince educated buyers to pay 6k for something that could readily be had 4k 6 months ago. That said those of us here are the exception do I have no idea how the general public might value the watch or accept price increases.

General public here, omega is out of my potential purchase list due to these price increases. 4k for a seamaster was great, 6k isn't. 6300 for the speedy seems fine though just due to the movement upgrades, but that's a whole other story because the movements have been so defective. Now onto grand seiko, what made gs great was giant discounts, but they're getting rid of discounts too.

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[Tpp3975]

I agree that a price increase sucks but if I wanted an Omega I will buy an Omega, and quite honestly I don't think that at current market price there are better value for money than an Omega which are readily available at retail. So a 5 -10% increase won't stop me from buying one and I don't know of other alternatives at lower price point that would give me the same joy.

I'm mostly a Rolex and Omega fan boy, and as we all know Rolex, AP, PP, VC are hard to get at retail, even Cartier and Panerai are getting more expensive.

As for Seiko, they sure make some nice watches but their expensive ones just don't sing to me and I believe that their SPB range which are mostly below $1.5k (which might actually be overpriced for what they are) is the max I'm willing to spend on a Seiko.

I would also point out, that the increased retail prices and lower discounts would help drive up Omega 2nd hand prices which as an owner of several watches I consider it a good thing however I do understand that some will be disappointed with this.

Nice watch collection. You clearly roll in a different income bracket than me. Prices still matter to me and 5 more percent on top of a prior 5 percent minus 10 percent discount adds up to a lot of scratch.

General public here, omega is out of my potential purchase list due to these price increases. 4k for a seamaster was great, 6k isn't. 6300 for the speedy seems fine though just due to the movement upgrades, but that's a whole other story because the movements have been so defective. Now onto grand seiko, what made gs great was giant discounts, but they're getting rid of discounts too.

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I’m with you brother. GS is on my bad list too. Same story. I was told by an AD that discounts are no longer allowed. But if I’m paying 6k I want a spring drive or high beat. I know this is an omega thread but for those who haven’t experienced a GS, they should. Biggest issue with GS is terrible resale. Like brutal.

 

[Nippero]

General public here, omega is out of my potential purchase list due to these price increases. 4k for a seamaster was great, 6k isn't. 6300 for the speedy seems fine though just due to the movement upgrades, but that's a whole other story because the movements have been so defective. Now onto grand seiko, what made gs great was giant discounts, but they're getting rid of discounts too.

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GS is flying up the price brackets even faster than Omega is. Although at least they're doing it with new releases and not just sweeping price increases.

 

[gyang333]

It seems strawberries go up in price every week now. I am not suprised at this.

It's also the middle of winter (unless you're in the southern hemisphere). Strawberries aren't exactly in season right now, are they?

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Wait and see how much they have to discount to move them when they’ve got ~$6,000 on the sticker.

I get what they think they’re doing with the price increases (assuming this other one pans out), but I doubt it’s going to have the intended result.

 

[watchik]

“Shop now” came from Omega?

Obviously not, this probably came from a dealer trying to make some extra sales. There are plenty of other reports confirming the price increase:

1 feb 2022 price increase

Is this confirmed? [ATTACH]

omegaforums.net

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[keerola]

For what it's worth, I called two Boutiques and 2 AD's in New York and not a single one of them had any knowledge of another increase. They did caveat that with the fact that they're not always given advance notice but they said that they SHOULD know by this point. I planned to buy a SMP300m in the Spring and this would have accelerated my timeline. Not sure what to believe...

I've heard about the price increase from an AD. Around 10% throughout the line. You can place your 10% bet now, i got my Seamaster Diver in advance because of this (pre-owned though)

 

[Kirkawall]

I agree that a price increase sucks but if I wanted an Omega I will buy an Omega, and quite honestly I don't think that at current market price there are better value for money than an Omega which are readily available at retail. So a 5 -10% increase won't stop me from buying one and I don't know of other alternatives at lower price point that would give me the same joy.

I'm mostly a Rolex and Omega fan boy, and as we all know Rolex, AP, PP, VC are hard to get at retail, even Cartier and Panerai are getting more expensive.

As for Seiko, they sure make some nice watches but their expensive ones just don't sing to me and I believe that their SPB range which are mostly below $1.5k (which might actually be overpriced for what they are) is the max I'm willing to spend on a Seiko.

I would also point out, that the increased retail prices and lower discounts would help drive up Omega 2nd hand prices which as an owner of several watches I consider it a good thing however I do understand that some will be disappointed with this.

IDK about that -- my MM300 made my similarly-coloured SMP expendable in pretty short order, with superior accuracy and bezel action, arguably finer finishing and a great pedigree at around half the price. But that model has some pretty exceptional history and now the materials and finishing to match, so perhaps it's an outlier until you get to certain GS pieces, some of which I love.

But yeah, Omega and GS are very different brands with distinct audiences in mind. And I don't really pay attention to GS pricing strategies. I imagine they're also pumping their prices where they can. Everyone's bloody at it.

 

[M.N.A]

Nice watch collection. You clearly roll in a different income bracket than me. Prices still matter to me and 5 more percent on top of a prior 5 percent minus 10 percent discount adds up to a lot of scratch.

Unfortunately everything is getting more expensive, I hear you and I agree with you but with this crazy market we are only left with few choices and Omega remains a great buy despite becoming more pricey.

Thank you for your compliment regarding my collection, I built it slowly throughout the years and I never sold a watch, I care about watches more than other stuff like cars, and I hope that one day my boys will be able to enjoy it and appreciate it.