I am guessing some of it is artificial to increase prestige. I think there is also an influx of 'investors' trying to buy up the supply in hopes of flipping for a payday. A slice of the market is probably fed by a cycle of speculators, reinforcing each others hype until the dominoes eventually fall.
I don't usually consider "Yahoo" as a source of useful or reliable information, so I will skip any reference to that, and simply note the obvious--watch prices, like just about any commodities these days, have gone up.
Why prices go up have a lot to do with the context in which a given market is operating--the current context has been dominated by COVID, which has affected every aspect of the production/sales chain, from sourcing base materials, to staffing key workers, to accessing reliable marketing and distribution networks--all have been impacted in a mostly negative way, and whenever that happens, prices go up.
So, so tired of seemingly every other thread being about how hard it is to purchase a Rolex. If you still give a crap about this, you lack the ability to think independently.
I agree- we should be doing more work here to promote visibility of brands with higher value-to-dollar to counteract the market fluctuations. I think it's important to the future of this hobby and we shape each others' preferences.
Some say that with the collapse of the Real State in China people there are finding it safer to invest in watches. If this is true, the scarcity will be very real. It is paradoxical the situation we live in, we have the illusion that we know what is going on, we have a lot of information but almost nothing that reaches us is that reliable, there's so much disinformation, propaganda and shady agendas behind the news, it's complicated.
I used the article as a reference. I'm also aware it's very tricky to get your hands on an Audemars from the boutique stores, as well as other luxury watch brands. Just wanted to see others thoughts and opinions. Thanks for yours!
Its a farce, Rolex were creating this artificial shortage illusion long before the pandemic, with placing demands on you to buy 2-3 gold Rolex pieces before being offered a highly prized steel model etc... They make over 1 million watches per year and can produce more.
What watch shortage? There is no shortage of watches I'd like to buy. Only limited funds on my end,, and a quantity ceiling on how many I prefer to own at any given time.
Did you look at how many brand new, unworn Rolex are being offered for sale everywhere EXCEPT at AD? There is no actual Rolex shortage IMHO. (MAYBE except for SS Daytona, they have been a bit more scarce considering that you had to wait a few months at the AD to get one even before pandemic)
Now, AP/Patek/etc.. maybe. They always have been rather scarce even before the pandemic. (SOME models).
From what little experience I have looking at Rolex, I have to agree with hpark21. Both my local grey dealers have dozens of Subs and a bunch of OP’s. Last visit, this past summer I was surprised how much new stock they had as well as used. They wanted $10,000 for a very used Sub 16610.
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