Comments:
We bought the watches that actually worked! :)
There was a lot of overlap between Lange and Journe enthusiasts back then, with the common denominator for many of us being preowned availability of nearly all models at reasonable prices.
More reps to work out the kinks…
…I have the exact same problem looking at changing my car/SUV this autumn. New model, and I don’t want to deal with the manufacturer ironing out the kinks that exist on all new models. Best to wait a year until they figure all the stuff out.
There are two of this exact watch as far as I know.
1) platinum and gold case, 2) red gold dial.
This 1), 2) combo apparently only exists in one other watch. And that watch will never come to market.
There are very very few two tone Journe. If you recall some came up a few years ago at auction. There is also a modern two tone, owned by someone that owns one of the souscription two tone. I was fortunate to see and handle the modern watch.
As for the FFC, my point was the provenance is really of little worth “to me”. And contrasting that with a watch like this Resonance that is “one of two” and “one of few” in two metals the result for the Resonance seemed more than acceptable.
The Paul Newman Paul Newman I don’t see as really comparable. The FFC did not create an entire market, it did not and will not drive an entire market. Yeah, it’s similar. But to me it’s also pretty different and (the FFC is) nowhere near as significant.
The good news is that if you and I have $10-15m to spend on a Journe, we wouldn’t be bidding on the same watch !! 😂
(All in all, it’s still pretty nuts).
I heard a perspective the other day during an interview pre-auction...
...that gave some new perspective. Some of the new money in the collecting world is coming from collecting art. And in art, they long ago crossed the 100mm barrier, so 1, 5, 10mm for a watch is nothing in relation to that. And they are looking at it through that sort of lens, not through the passion of "collecting watches."
Watches are entering the world of art
Not all of them. But the handful or so of makers who are deemed historically significant are finally being recognized. This has been slowly happening for several years, so it's not at all a surprise. And we're just at the beginning of this chapter.
It doesn’t make sense to me because
Truly historic stuff like original Breguet pocket watches haven’t really moved?
This is where I think the comparison to art takes a leap. Almost all of these $1M+ pieces are series machine built watches not unique pieces of art from the hand of the artist. A Breguet or George Daniels seems closer to the definition of "art"
But I think it's my view is probably an antiquated one. Art or watches (or sneakers and ipos) society has decided that intrinsic value is not what determines collectability, only what profit can be made on the thing.
I’m not comparing these watches to hand painted
Masterpieces by the Masters. There are plenty of lithographs and prints that have fetched deep into the seven figures. And let’s be honest, there are plenty of examples of artwork that probably took the maker 30 minutes to make, and that sells for tens of millions.
This is all about supply and demand. I firmly believe that demand historically siloed in the art world is now seeping into the world of watches. And we have only begun to see this effect.
Wow, I so don't know the art world, seven figure prints are nuts also so I guess it's all good 😂
And since a lot of that art never leaves the free port...
...it isn't LIKE playing the market it IS playing the market. Portfolio building. I think you're right. The watch market is only at the beginning of this.
I'm excited what the future holds
because I have a few rare independents in my collection, including Smith, Journe and Voutilainen. One day maybe I could sell them and enjoy the proceeds in other ways.