Great Q&A video 👌What makes you feel good and special is luxury for your life

I remember when Federico was fighting to get to 10,000 subscribers. Since you're as good and as honest as Fed, I’m expecting you'll have 100,000 soon enough.

Happy to see the channel doing so well so quickly. I think people can instantly recognize good content when they see it. I think your rapid increase in subscribers reflects this.

I like Oris’s concept of “inclusive luxury”.

You're a breath of fresh air in the watch community. Stay strong!

"I'm a generalist, not a specialist." I love this statement, never heard it put this way. Brilliant. Really reminds me of myself, as I have many interests/skills but mastered few. Love your introspective analysis.

The Mark XX vs. explorer 40 comments were so spot on. Incredibly versatile

I'd be interested to know, which criteria, if indeed any, you apply before purchasing a watch...

Most thoughtful watch channel on KZfaq. I always enjoy your videos, even if the watch(es) aren’t on my personal radar, because I know the content will still be interesting and thought provoking to me as a watch enthusiast. Best wishes for 2024.

Selling all watches just crossed my mind a few days ago and here you are saying it's a trend. I very much enjoy all the episodes explaining marketing, trends and the financial side of watch hobby. Thanks.

The Steinhart “Explorer II” homage made a lot more sense for me for an occasional wear. The Rolex O.G. Is 10k. The Steinhart was $550. It’s my weekend beater. We travel to Asia many times a year. I would never wear a 10k watch over there. Even Europe is getting risky. These homage watches are great for anyone who would rather put their money in more important things.

Excellent thoughts all around. Your discussion of good brands under $2000 was especially affirming, since 7 of my 16 watches come from the brands you mentioned (Sinn, Formex, Farer, and Casio). Monta is also worth a shout, in my opinion!

My Saturday morning ritual is hearing what you have to say on watches the broader questions that are rarely discussed. I know I like something when I'm interested to learn even if the topic of the day doesn't "grab" me by the title. Congrats again on 10K!

I own a Steinhart Ocean One GMT (Rolex 1655 homage), and I love it. It's no substitute for the vintage Rolex 1655, which ranges in price from $25,000-30,000. But Rolex doesn't produce the 1655 any more, so in this sense I have no problem with the homage's inspired design. However, I wouldn't purchase Steinhart's very obvious homages to currently produced Rolex watches. These types of homage watches simply don't interest me.

3 brands under $2k. Oris. Seiko. Christopher Ward. Special mentions for Sinn, Junghans and Hamilton.

There are levels to luxury. IMO when you are paying over $1000-$2000 range you have entered into the entry level luxury space.

Another thought provoking discussion Keep up the good work

Your the man Mike, best watch content on KZfaq. Honest, impartial, factual and reasoned. Bliv ved.😊

i think saying the explorer's gold framed indices takes it from toolish to premium is a stretch.......one could say the gold is more corrosion resistent and therefore more tooolish

This was an interesting discussion. I was dismayed at the JLC price hike particularly, which came when I was about to buy. I get annoyed when an existing model has a major price hike.

Luxury has to be based on individual circumstances for sure. I agree with you 100%

Which watch will become collectible. This question gets asked daily and the simple answer is collect what you want to collect. I think independent brands are stronger than ever in recent years.

I agree when it comes to the luxury definition, watch enthusiasts certainly have a skewed view of what is luxury. Most enthusiasts probably put Rolex as luxury but not lower-end Seikos. Whereas, I mentioned that I bought a $500 Seiko and my friend thinks that’s obscene! I think for me, if you don’t need it, it’s a luxury, thus all mechanical watches are a luxury since we don’t need them, along side a digital watch, out phones, and nearly everywhere we go having the time displayed.

For me luxury is not defined as inaccessibility or even solely price, but by a high amount of effort, skill, cost and attention to detail put into the product or experience. That is why I call very expensive watches not luxury but very expensive watches. Most are simple and well built mass factory products...and overpriced. A high end Lange to me could actually be classified as a kind of luxury because the movement is especially made according to the criteria listed previously.

I've just subscribed about seven-and-a-half minutes ago, but I've already seen many of your videos before this, and I'd say without a doubt they are absolutely worthy of my time. I really like your presentation style and your perspective on everything watch related. I like that I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. Also, I don't have any related skills of my own on this, but I'd say your editing is very good.

I always enjoy seeing your videos Mike! Congratulations on your continued success.

Growing by leaps and bounds: you're already half-way to 20k by the time you got this video out!

Teddy argues that these days because of cellphones all wristwatches are a luxury, we don't need to buy them.

I think that Rolex made bigger watches following that trend, but then when the trend reversed towards smaller watches, Rolex overshot a bit and now they are out of step with the market. Getting Rolex to change is a bit like trying to turn around a huge ship. It is not nimble. But the Rolex brand is so strong that they can afford to make these small mistakes.

Congratulations Mike, great content as usual, I can see you having 100K by the summer! 2024 is going to be an interesting year, and will be intriguing to see what manufacturer readjusts their prices....

17:49 the need for variety within a brand's range if you're sticking to one brand is such a good point. I'd add the need for a variety of sizes. For sub-$3k I would nominate Longines. Strong examples in most categories - Dress=Heritage Conquest or Flagship, Diver=Hydroconquest/Legend Diver, GMT=Spirit Zulu, Chrono=Master Collection Triple Calendar Moonphase. Plus exotic stuff like the Retrograde in the Master Collection though that is $4k not 3.

I’m currently binging your work! Really impressed by your depth of thought and breadth of knowledge.

Absolutely love your channel. I learn so much from you. Happy new year 🎊

perfect evaluated answer to my question, why rolex is not going to change its sizing anytime soon. i guess rolex still have a lot more informations about the future and where the sizing train is going to and why… looking forward to your next q&a and hopefully can surprise with another interesting ?😊

Congrats on 15k subs! :) It has been really cool to see your channel grow so much over just the last couple of months!:) I love your approach of giving your personal, down to earth, thought on all these different subjects! BTW, what is your favorite aircraft?

Good discussion to some interesting questions on a wide range of watch matters. WELL DONE.

Luxury is what later becomes common. Then there is a new form of luxury in turn.

Elegantly said & very concise. Keep it up!!!!

I don't really understand the question about Rolex and size trends. Rolex are one of the very few brands where many of their most iconic models are 36mm (datejust, day-date, explorer, OP). This is a good thing. Most other brands have very limited options in this most wearable of sizes.

Wonderful q&a and love what you have to add to the community. Thank you for your humility and insight. Keep it up!

Discounts are definitely on the way back as brands misjudge a market readjustment. Have been offered discounts on 2 major brands recently.

Very considered responses 👍 The only thing I’m really going with is the idea that despite the incredibly debt-burdened global economy that buying power will return to consumers who will be priced back into watch brands in two or three years. With things like keeping warm, feeding your family, getting to/from work, even taking your family on holiday, taking priority in the cost-of-living crisis, I could only dream that my income will catch up with prices in two or three years. If wages did rise to that extent, inflation would resume its upward trend as employers pass on higher wage costs to consumers and so interest rates would go even higher to combat it…and we’ll be back to unaffordable square one.

Awesome change up video. Love the content and congrats on the 10k

Like the simplified Q&A format; the repeating video clips can be distracting. Since much of your content is conceptual, I find myself rewatching your content. I must thank you for horological stimulation. Thanks Mike😊

3:23 the sub style is no longer a homage.. it is a style on its own, a genre of watches. if not then there are a lot of violinists out there with homage violins

Excellent! Watching from the Mall of Scandinavia, on the last day of my Christmas holidays...

COSC doesn't certify watches. They only certify that uncased movements have performed to a certain average standard over a period of 15 days while the movement was at their testing facility. The manufacturer doesn't pay for the certification - the customer does through the increased price of the watch. In other words, COSC says how an uncased movement used to perform once upon a time while it was being tested. Great video, as always!

Great commentary. Although we can agree to disagree about the world economy - the numbers are being cooked. Having said that the luxury watch segment won’t be hurt too badly given just how many HNWIs there are in the world, with more created every yr. The Rolex sizing question was humorous and I applaud you for actually discussing it. Rolex has no need to modify sizes at all. I’d actually say the Daytona could be 2 mil wider. Presence and readability. And great take on Steinhart. I love my Ocean GMT. And spot on - if Rolex were to re-release it and sell it to me I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

As usual a thoughtful take.Best new year wishes from India.

Thank you for supporting iwc. I had an Explorer 39mm briefly, but love my IWC Mark XVI more... and a bonus. Its much cheaper

Thanks for answering my question about explorer v iwc mk 20.

Subbed. Commentary was great. Well thought out.

Congratulations, and thank you for this Q&A. I am looking forward to the next vid. Chris

Before i did a deep dive into the homage concept, I ran afoul of oceanica. They do kickstarter, still, even though they have a site, and make it seem like they're painstakingly deciding on their designs when they're an homage brand with custom ocean based iconography. They use the same factories as the hong kong homage brands, but the watches tend to cost a bit more. Of course, the QC is great, and I ended up getting a Seiko 6105 homage for a buck and a half, the Reef, which actually has a seiko export mvmt. I'm happy with it, but i do feel ignorant for not knowing what i was buying.

I am Omega heavy in my watches but my GS sbgm221 feels much more luxurious.

15,101 subscribers Congratulations! Winter greetings from Northern Germany.🎉⌚

Hmm, I've been skipping through (thanks for the effort in creating the chapter / subject marks) and haven't suffered any visually stimulated brain pain with the subtitles or other post production elements. Had high hopes of seeing you drop in on my San Martins, Steeldives and Orients. Ah, but, alas...I understand, those homages are probably too down market for your channel's biz plan. I just received an $83 Steeldive SD1953, and while the clasp is not built to fit the jubilee bracelet well, the rest of the watch is impressive for my plebeian / pedestrian taste, lol. $83 with an NH35; sapphire; screw down, applied i's and interestingly enough, the lume lasts loooong and has been applied to the bezel, which I've never seen before.

Wanted to say thank you for answering my question. As to Steinhart, I have two(but always checking the brand to see what they have to offer). Have ordered a Zelos Blacktip (MOP model) before they sold out. Point is,I'm the second kind of owner--trying to move up in brands . Waiting and considering CW as a near-future buy.

Excellent video as usual. Feedback - I would appreciate having the questions verbalized along with written. I was cooking breakfast for the family and kept missing the question, then stoping what I was doing to go back and read the question. I agree your sentiment about the Explorer’s lack of tool watch esthetic. Everyone seems to have convinced themselves it is a tool watch, but it isn’t anymore. Get the Explorer II if you want a Rolex tool watch.

That Chopard movement is so far ahead of the competition it is almost laughable, I've been looking for a good secondhand watch with it for a good while. Chopard (LUC range), Piaget and Bulgari make movements that shame a lot of the standard movements dished out by Patek, VC etc. There's some very odd reverse snobbery going on about these brands - their watches are at the pinnacle of luxury.

Great content. I particularly like your take on Rolex and their wrist presence - desiged to be seen ✨ I bought a Black Bay 54 (your BB54 video helped in my deliberations) and I'm smitten, the refinements over the BB58 are numerous and significant. Naturally, I have pondered if I would want a Submariner someday? And the truth is, I like the BB54 precisely because of it's inconspicuous-ness. The quality/price is arguably hard to beat, brass/guilt accents offer charm and the vintage sizing makes this one or the most compelling re-issue toolish pieces on the market. For that this is all the grail I need and shall remain welded to my wrist 😊 I still love your watch content though!!!

Boet, So glad to see you releasing this video as you are about to hit 15k subscribers! However, I was gutted you didn’t answer my question(s). Maybe they weren’t concise enough to be posted in the video? Probably. So Mike, could you give me an answer? Please 🙏:- From 2023’s GPHG prize winners, Were there any Watches that were in the categories that didn’t win that you thought should have deserved to win instead of the Watches that did? Also, Were there any Watches that weren’t included in the categories that you thought were worthy contenders or should have won a category? I just started my Hanhart stopwatch for an answer 😂

Thanks for the insightful content as always

Congratulations on flying through the 10k subscriber level..totally deserved. The Q & A format works well. Definitely a IWC Mark XX for me next.:)

Good stuff! FYI, nothing pops up in the upper R corner when you point to it referencing some previous vid you made.

I appreciate the way you maintain the position that horology is a passion / interest for everyone, irrespective of their financial might. If someone likes something and considers it to be of a certain value to them, then who is anyone to suggest otherwise, let alone chastise on the basis of one subjective opinion against another. If you love it, then I love it for you too. It's that simple.

Congratulations again Mike! Small question: really like the green strap matching with the watch you wore. If I may ask, Which watch is it? Intrigued by the versatility. Many thanks.

Those three brands your chose are great choices. Id take Casio, replace Seiko with Citizen, as for the last brand... Well that would be a bit more tricky. Maybe Longines. Hope you have a great weekend Mike!

Luxury is extremely relative as it depends on people.

Class like always. Where did you pick the Questions from btw? Enjoy this format a lot.

Great video, it's always fun to hear your perspective.

Luxury is having TIME to enjoy your family with extra Money and minimal to no debt.

Great video as always. Well done.

Grate Q&A, keep up the good work 👍

One of the more intelligent channels out there. Thank you

Mike - at this rate of change you will be celebrating 50k subscribers fairly soon

Great video again! I agree your definition of luxury. For example, It took me almost five years to save for getting my new Rolex DeepSea Sea-Dweller "James Cameron" watch. I believe is a luxury item. I go scuba diving with my watches, but some people here in Hawaii argue that is not a luxury watch like Patek Phillipe or Audermars Piguet. What you think? Thank You and Cheers!

100% on the IWC. Every aspect is superior over the Rolex. Here’s the strategy: Try to get the Explorer at AD, flip it and buy a used Mark XX at 40% off RRP 😂

Thanks for again a perfect video. Like very much your style and voice of presentation. And also your look at things. Looking forward to all your next content. Luxury theme is something that highly interest me. I think luxury has the next Pilars. 1. For most luxury means it that it is for your budget highly expensive. You have to save up maybe years for it or even never possible with your income. 2. But what if your income is that high that almost nothing is ‘luxury as in point 1’ then scarcity comes in to play with luxury. If you have the money for a Rolex but it is not to obtain then it becomes for that group a luxury. 3. But now the situation that you have enough income for the object and it is common available. Can it then be luxury. Yes because every item that you buy for a high price but is also obtainable for a much lower price becomes in terminology a luxury item. For example you can buy a Casio for 100,- it tells you perfectly the time and often even much more. But you can also buy a watch for 5000,- what can do nothing more then the Casio, often even less. That is also luxury because then (brand) feeling, art, craftsmen ship come into play. The 5000,- item does nothing more then the 100,- item but … give you a better feeling! So often luxury is a feeling with a lot of various reasons. 4. And my last point is that luxury has often to do with some kind of COMFORT. If the item or the service makes you life more comfortable that is often what we experience as luxury. Keep up that good videos / work. Looking forward to your next video.

Jack of all trades

Thanks for the thoughtful content. Can we keep Nomos a secret until I buy one though?

Great discussion, as usual.

Greetings from Norway. Can you comment on how Iwatch from Apple has taken over more and more wrist space/time? I’m a huge watch lover but after the introduction of “smart” watch due to the need to monitor activity etc. my Omegas gets less and less attention.

Thanks for making another insightful video. Firstly thanks for introducing the Nomos brand to me. I've never seen this brand before and there's a few designs there which are very tasteful, one to keep on the 'watch' list. I do agree that I'd rather have a Farer over the Nomos (My Pullman is probably favourite, I'm a sucker for a cushion case). I've never been very keen on Rolex as a brand, but I do own one, an Oyster 1926. The only one in the current line up I like is the 1908 and at £20K.... Yeah, that's sounding pretty luxury to me ! The rest of the catalogue just leave me cold. I was interested in your comments on the IWC, it's not a brand I've taken a huge amount of interest, mostly down to the fact that any of the models I like cost upwards of 10K, might be another one to scout out for in the future.

Stienheart are great watches well made and look great love them

Would love to hear your thoughts on some of the glasshute brands like go

Good video as usual. Enjoy the content

On what principle do you refuse to elect the "notify me" option? To stay off mailing lists as much as possible?

What watch do you wear when you are cycling, Garmin?

Nomos Neomatik is missing the beveled 6

I'm not sure that I agree that lack of accessibility is one of the pillars of whether something is deemed luxury. I'd consider that to be supply and demand imbalance, either intentionally created or otherwise by the manufacturer. Is a GPU or PS5 considered luxury because it was hard to come by during the pandemic? I'd agree that the cost and quality (fit, finish, choice of materials) of something would dictate whether something is considered a luxury. I would agree that if an item has a comparatively high cost, then accessibility becomes an issue for many, and that could lead into something being deemed luxury.

Another great video and quite a few interesting conceptualisations. My perspective on the definition of luxury or any definition for that matter, is that there must/should be a general consensus, so a broader definition that everyone can, more or less, agree upon, otherwise it defeats its own purpose. If a definition is relative to each persons understanding or perspective then it really can’t be defining anything, can it? That being said, I do agree with Adrian’s definition but I believe he is interpreting his own definition in the wrong way, particularly in relation to accessibility. In my opinion accessibility or lack there of, means it’s only accessible to some and the cost of a product normally determines who has access to that specific product. If we consider the average person in the so called “western world” any watch over 1 or 2k would be inaccessible.

For 90% all watches over 2000$ is luxurious 10000$ is crazy.

Totally disagree with Rolex size , they are generally bigger than they need to be . Not sure if this is by choice or design. Making smaller movements is clearly part of good watch making process, and if Rolex could do that then they should provide those options!!?

Those sukhois are just gorgeous tho

“Thank you for 10k subs “ On 15k subs by the time the video is released 🎉😅

It’s funny I don’t consider sports related items as luxury items. If a hideously expensive road bike is out of my price range I don’t consider or at least label it as “luxury.” It’s just a level of performance I can’t afford. Luxury to me is paying for aesthetics such as hand engraving or polishing or complexity. It’s not a black and white thing but more or less defines what I feel as luxury.

As a watch community, we should stop purchasing JLC. That price increase is ridiculous and for them to do that they think the consumer is a fool. Time for the fools to teach them a lesson.

It's cold and wet this morning in NC-USA. Thanks for getting me through. I watched with a nice cup of coffee within reach, and held the cup with my Hamilton Khaki Field on my keft wrist. I must say though that I haven't seen Sinn as a micro brand up until now.

Great content, I'm a fan already....