4 ms·

Those holding companies encourage artistry, mechanical excellence and beauty; they also sponsor some interesting sports. Apple doesn't do any of these things, a

Those holding companies encourage artistry, mechanical excellence and beauty; they also sponsor some interesting sports. Apple doesn't do any of these things, and while I admire their apparent devotion to customer privacy -no comparison. Re: your lack of understanding -at least you admit it! I mean why would anyone buy a sailboat or hand crafted knife? You can always buy some mass produced thing which is "better." Why buy a sports car when you can have a reliable honda? Why buy a pair of $600 Aldens when you can wear crocs? Heck, why buy a meal made by a human when you can drink soylent and live in your cube at work for more hours? FWIIW I wouldn't buy any watches from those companies more or less because they're run by holding companies (maybe Jaeger), but they're a world cultural treasure for preserving this kind of artistry for middle class to upper middle class people to enjoy. Mostly subsidized by the Chinese trade, but whatever.

llampx 8y ago
Now you're implying that a bigger marketing budget or a different marketing approach makes a company more worthy of your dollar than another.
- scottlocklin 8y ago
  No, I'm actually telling you why people buy antiquated devices like wristwatches. Or air cooled porsches. Or wooden sailing vessels. Or nice shoes (alden has a marketing budget of approximately zero). Some people really like craftsmanship rather than mass-produced utilitarian disposable garbage! Just because Glashutte Original is owned by swatch doesn't mean a heck of a lot; it used to be owned by the East German government. Still the same creative small company with a dedication to craftsmanship and tradition (admittedly it sucked under communism), rather than a trillion dollar company with a dedication to vacuuming up as much of your dollars as possible on the backs of slave labor. FWIIW, as I said above: I do not buy watches from the "big" conglomorates (which, all together, are smaller than the ipad market). But I am glad they exist. BTW I have a pocket watch which has been in my family since 1882. Try that with an apple watch and let me know how it goes.

llampx 8y ago

Now you're implying that a bigger marketing budget or a different marketing approach makes a company more worthy of your dollar than another.

scottlocklin 8y ago
No, I'm actually telling you why people buy antiquated devices like wristwatches. Or air cooled porsches. Or wooden sailing vessels. Or nice shoes (alden has a marketing budget of approximately zero). Some people really like craftsmanship rather than mass-produced utilitarian disposable garbage! Just because Glashutte Original is owned by swatch doesn't mean a heck of a lot; it used to be owned by the East German government. Still the same creative small company with a dedication to craftsmanship and tradition (admittedly it sucked under communism), rather than a trillion dollar company with a dedication to vacuuming up as much of your dollars as possible on the backs of slave labor. FWIIW, as I said above: I do not buy watches from the "big" conglomorates (which, all together, are smaller than the ipad market). But I am glad they exist. BTW I have a pocket watch which has been in my family since 1882. Try that with an apple watch and let me know how it goes.