Three predictions about watches: Rolex rolling, prices dropping, women winning
It goes without saying that the first lesson in this inaugural year of Trump is to avoid making predictions. It’s one I should have learnt early in the 1960s when, as a cadet journalist on The Age newspaper covering the Rolling Stones’ visit to Melbourne, I prophesied the band had no future. I had my reasons, but still … You might bear this in mind as I cast an eye over the horological landscape, one that appears to be undergoing some seismic shifts right now.
The numbers are clear enough: we’re spending less on mechanical watches than we were, the Swiss variety especially. Blame Brexit, terrorism attacks or the fall-off in demand in China. Swiss export figures show the world’s appetite for wrist machines has been dropping every month since 2015 with no sign of a turnaround. And while Rolex remains top dog for sales – an incredible feat for a luxury brand – that interloper Apple is now in second place, an equally incredible achievement considering it launched its Apple Watch barely two years back.
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