cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
20942
Hype + Watch = Fun ... and later, decent resale value (if timed correctly)
In 2006 I made a deal to buy this FPJ watch, using some money from a consulting gig. It arrived a few weeks later and was beautiful. I (foolishly) posted it here and was soon flooded with emails from a wealthy friend who wanted it badly.
While on my side, I took a nearly full-time job (giving up most of my consulting business) and was forced to contemplate a 50-mile round trip commute at least 3-4 days a week. I had several cars to choose from but none of them were really up to the task.
I asked my friend what advice he had to offer about the transportation dilemma. He immediately offered one of his many cars, a Honda Insight with ultra-high mileage capability in exchange for the watch. Soon I was on the train heading towards my new rig, wearing the FPJ and carrying its boxes.
The swap was made and I drove home in the sporty little thing, with F1 technology, alloy body, etc. etc. while he sported a new gold watch.
The job lasted about 10 years, and eventually eighteen years and over one hundred eight thousand miles later,
I sold the car for a pretty good price, about 35-40% of its new value, while the FPJ probably doubled in price over that time.
The plate reminds me that in addition to working, I was going whale watching 2-3 times a week (at least) and saw 1000 whales in one year... wrote a book about it, and sold enough to pay for another watch...
The plate reminds me that in addition to working, I was going whale watching 2-3 times a week (at least) and saw 1000 whales in one year... wrote a book about it, and sold enough to pay for another watch...
He kept the FPJ because he's only a buyer, not a seller.
Morale of the story? I dunno -- both my friend and I got lucky?
Cazalea
Postscript:
FPJ the Man (red) and my friend with the Honda (yellow), on our visit to Switzerland, three years before this deal happened
“All the hype, none of the fun.” Discuss.
Curious to hear how anyone reading this might interpret my title above. There have been lots of posts about the Swatch x AP release this past several days. And many comments about the MoonSwatch and Blancpain x Swatch alongside. To me, each of these Swatc...
Yeah, that Resonance though !
The “fun” however gets taken away from the Resonance when one is not a billionaire.
Very sensible post, Jay.
I believe you are viewing the Swatch collaborations through the correct lens. Given this community, and the watches we all generally like, it is easy to see where much of the negativity comes from. But Swatch / AP did not have us in mind as the target aud...
Thanks for your thoughts Michael.
That was definitely one point of my post. And I personally get a lot of mileage and fun from a simple Swatch (not even getting to the MoonSwatch or these AP). The other point was a comment on where certain indies and other watches sit now in terms of valu...
My feeling is that I don't like hype, with or without fun.
That's all I can say, unfortunately… Not very funny, original, or even intelligent. Just a knee-jerk reaction. Best, Emmanuel
Haha, I’d be somewhat with you.
But as a sneakerhead in my youth, and still hanging on to that a bit, the hype is not something I necessarily oppose. Rather, it’s when that hype takes pricing to a level beyond the comfort of a regular guy some of the “fun” in the affected watches is tak...
I agree that it becomes less funny when
the watches you like are no longer affordable! 😊
why not both? 😂
My take is more cynical - They are exactly the same thing. One is fun for billionaires and the other is fun for everyone else. I would add on a layer that both demos are dominated by unsophisticated consumers so both are driven by brand / hype (fun?), nei...
That’s fair.
If I were a billionaire then my view stated above re the Journes would indeed be different. Relatively, they would be my Swatch. And the “fun” would be unaffected or not compromised.
Hype is not bad.
I’m not against hype, but I’m not particularly for it either—it doesn’t matter that much to me. That said, I do think it’s generally a positive thing, because it likely attracts a lot of new customers. People might initially be drawn in by so-called hype ...
"Marketing" and "Hype" are not necessarily mutually exclusive...
Pure marketing is generally defined as an honest way to represent a product and hype is seen a deceptive practice. ...
I try not to overthink these things.
When all is said and done these are all discretionary, non-essential purchases and we all come at this from different angles. Given the production numbers of FPJ and the personal involvement of FP in allocation (possible due to the small numbers) control ...
Thanks for sharing.
It is good to report that article, this is my understanding of how allocations work too and the view held by the company as a whole. For me, my quest of late has been to identify and purchase what I would consider an every day Journe. If I were full time ...
Thanks Jay.
I was fortunate in that the Assistant boutique manger with whom I have the relationship in London I had known for some years and followed him through a few Richemont brands prior to his move to Journe. My first two Journes were purchased in the pre-owned ...
These are wise thoughts
Hype is fine, speculation is not, but that's unfortunately the main result of such a phenomena. Swatch doing Swatch things is a great sentence, but I think we all agree that the Swatch group sometimes doesn't seem to follows a clear long term strategy. Jo...
Hype + Watch = Fun ... and later, decent resale value (if timed correctly)
In 2006 I made a deal to buy this FPJ watch, using some money from a consulting gig. It arrived a few weeks later and was beautiful. I (foolishly) posted it here and was soon flooded with emails from a wealthy friend who wanted it badly. While on my side,...
Love the silver green combo❣️🍀🤩
Well, the question is, how do you define „fun“? Personally I am not the „plastic watch“ guy. Never really was, although I participated partially in the „fun“ in the 80-ties. The watches you post here are more in the region of „awe“ - at least to me! As wi...
I suppose it all depends on perspective as to if it is fun or not or just hype and a rush of blood to the brain.
As someone that really doesn't get caught up in hype or trends I follow the old golden rule of buying what I love and that I can comfortably afford at any given time. For me it is the hunt and discovery of something that is truly rare or special that drov...
I love these FPJ watches
As far as swatch, I like swatch. I used to wear them. Now my 9 year old son has a couple. But I do not like these collabs. I think it cheapens the more serious brand. Bc the person wearing a plastic omega thinks (and says) that it’s an omega. No, it’s a s...
Hmm, I don’t know if that is how I feel exactly….
I’m still getting a lot of daily pleasure from wearing my watches but since watch collecting became known to everyone and prices hiked it is less light hearted. I’m still wearing a Journe 5/7 days. I think some of your headline could have to do with conte...
I agree completely.
I’ve been into watches for about 30 years - a bug I caught from my dad. And I’ve seen trends come and go. I think sticking to what you love and appeals to you is what really matters. Everything is pontification (on my part). Harmless banter, really.
Pipe dreams and Only Fans
(Continuing with the somewhat provocative titles! LOL) Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts Christian. Myself, and I’m sure everyone here, value your input and perspectives. First off, as I sometimes do I was trying to be a little provocative...
LOL love the headline 😂
I used to be able to wear any watch pretty much anywhere I would go. Watches was simply not a hobby in most people’s eyes and an expensive watch was a Rolex. I agree that the light heartedness was so much more charming. You and I have been fortunate with ...