I’m revisiting this post from 2021 to add a reply. Back then, 8,000 could actually buy you a fantastic, high-end Swiss automatic watch with complications. Fast forward to 2026, and that same amount barely gets you a quartz watch from certain Swiss brands. Automatic watches from even slightly upmarket brands now exceed 10,000, while the prices for automatic chronographs are staggering. Looking back, the watch world used to be genuinely fun and engaging—offering high quality at reasonable prices and a constant stream of watches with diverse functions and unique character; buying a watch was an experience to be savored. Today, almost every watch is produced as a replica or a "homage"—it’s either a standard three-hand design or a lookalike of a Submariner, nautilus or an RM. Without looking at the brand name, it’s nearly impossible to tell one from another. Functional variety has vanished, yet prices have surged like a tsunami.
