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I'm sure the complexity is not what drives the price so high...if you would replace Vacheron Constantin with Foxconn you wouldn't sell it for $1000 regardless o

I'm sure the complexity is not what drives the price so high...if you would replace Vacheron Constantin with Foxconn you wouldn't sell it for $1000 regardless of its complexity. Many luxury brands place ridiculous prices on specific items so that they can increase the sales of less expensive models.

handedness 9y ago
A five-year-long project involving some of the finest watchmakers in the world surely cost far more than $1m, and that watch will sell for much more than that at auction some day. If it was priced to reflect its complexity it would be probably more on the order of $10m or more. Much simpler movements frequently cost $1-2 million to develop, often higher.
- KGIII 9y ago
  Yup. They will be rare and fetch good auction prices. I gave my watch collection to my son, keeping just a Citizen. He had them appraised and they have all pretty much retained or increased in value.
  - stephengillie 9y ago
    Is there value to these devices beyond timekeeping and resale?
    - KGIII 9y ago
      Fashion, novelty, and conversation all spring to mind.
    - dsacco 9y ago
      No, and there isn't really value in its timekeeping either. It's designed as a form of art, not for practical utility.
    - kalleboo 9y ago
      It's jewelry
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      It's for one-upping your rich friends. And if Hollywood is to be believed, an expensive watch may be traded to a minor speaking-role character for a plot-necessary object in an emergency. By that theory, this watch is not only a watch, but also a canoe, a pair of shoes, or even a motorcycle.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
qaq 9y ago
Vacheron Constantin and less expensive in one sentence ...
Cookingboy 9y ago
Except Foxconn cannot make a watch like this for $1000, or even $10000. We currently do not have the infrastructure/tools to mass produce something like this yet. It's not just the parts, it's the assembly of hundreds of tiny parts to the highest precisions, the finishing details, the engraving. Modern assembly lines simply can't pull off something like this. And this is why even the cheapest Chinese Tourbillion watches cost about $5k USD.
- dsacco 9y ago
  I think this is an excellent point, but I'll add that we don't have the economies of scale for it either. If there was enough demand for a tourbillon, an Apple-esque company would emerge (maybe Richemont or Patek) and drive the costs down for manufacturing. Other than that, part of the appeal is the handcraftsmanship involved in these pieces. The engraving and setting work on my own Lange is a thing of beauty to look at under a magnifier, and it can't (yet) be achieved by a machine, even if the design and modeling can be done in software and the tools themselves can be mass manufactured.

handedness 9y ago

A five-year-long project involving some of the finest watchmakers in the world surely cost far more than $1m, and that watch will sell for much more than that at auction some day. If it was priced to reflect its complexity it would be probably more on the order of $10m or more. Much simpler movements frequently cost $1-2 million to develop, often higher.

KGIII 9y ago
Yup. They will be rare and fetch good auction prices. I gave my watch collection to my son, keeping just a Citizen. He had them appraised and they have all pretty much retained or increased in value.
- stephengillie 9y ago
  Is there value to these devices beyond timekeeping and resale?
  - KGIII 9y ago
    Fashion, novelty, and conversation all spring to mind.
  - dsacco 9y ago
    No, and there isn't really value in its timekeeping either. It's designed as a form of art, not for practical utility.
  - kalleboo 9y ago
    It's jewelry
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    It's for one-upping your rich friends. And if Hollywood is to be believed, an expensive watch may be traded to a minor speaking-role character for a plot-necessary object in an emergency. By that theory, this watch is not only a watch, but also a canoe, a pair of shoes, or even a motorcycle.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

qaq 9y ago

Vacheron Constantin and less expensive in one sentence ...

Cookingboy 9y ago

Except Foxconn cannot make a watch like this for $1000, or even $10000. We currently do not have the infrastructure/tools to mass produce something like this yet. It's not just the parts, it's the assembly of hundreds of tiny parts to the highest precisions, the finishing details, the engraving. Modern assembly lines simply can't pull off something like this. And this is why even the cheapest Chinese Tourbillion watches cost about $5k USD.

dsacco 9y ago
I think this is an excellent point, but I'll add that we don't have the economies of scale for it either. If there was enough demand for a tourbillon, an Apple-esque company would emerge (maybe Richemont or Patek) and drive the costs down for manufacturing. Other than that, part of the appeal is the handcraftsmanship involved in these pieces. The engraving and setting work on my own Lange is a thing of beauty to look at under a magnifier, and it can't (yet) be achieved by a machine, even if the design and modeling can be done in software and the tools themselves can be mass manufactured.