Dje:
I have great respect for you because of your thoughtful, intelligent posts on the Lange forum. I certainly respect your opinion, but I do have the right to respectfully disagree with it.
I never said that Patek owners are generally so stupid that they can be manipulated for 20 years as you stated.
Patek is great at what they do. If you are offended by my use of the word manipulation, I can tone it down to "shape" and have the same effect. That Patek's marketing department has very successfully "shaped" the perception of the Patek watches and bolstered their image as very scarce commodities is pretty amazing.
To "promote" their 5070 (try a movement that actually fits in the case) and 5970 watches (BTW, I happen to really like the 5970 in PT very much) as something very valuable and "hurry up and get 'em while their still hot" because we are replacing the inferior movement with our new and improved superior "in house" movement is pure genius. Considering that the people at Lange will eat the Pateks for breakfast is something that also shapes my opinion of Patek.
To have to fill out a questionnaire and sit and wait for Stern or his staff to deem one worthy of having the honor of spending more money on a watch than most people spend on a car is sheer genius. That is total manipulation of the marketplace. It is in fact complete and total control of the market place.
And then there is the issue of the Patek seal vs the Geneva seal. That has been covered ad nasuem in very great detail elsewhere. What total arrogance on the part of Patek.
Maybe it is because when there is nothing new on the Lange forum, I stop here to read the posts. It seems that people here are more concerned with their rate of return or return on their investment when buying a Patek as opposed to the Lange Purists love of the watches and the genuine warmth and happiness for their fellow Lange Purists when they get a wonderful new watch.
It seems that more people here are more concerned with, "which watch do you think will appreciate more and faster, this reference or that reference?" But maybe that is good for Patek - you be the judge.
Sincerely - Mark

