TECH VS CRAFT
Future watch tech is a mystery, so makers are looking to the past for inspiration
Why do you want to go spending all that money on a watch? It’s a question that would probably come from the sort of person who can’t understand why you would pass up the fuel economy of an entry level Honda Civic for a thoroughly irresponsible Type R But in case you do ever feel the need to justify your choice let’s have a crack at the question in light of recent developments in the industry
Watch companies often disagree over what constitutes value Every new upstart brand talks about inflated prices among “certain watch companies” But despite the infighting people are buying watches like never before just with an accelerated shift online Strong sales across the board indicate that the public perception of value is still strong
Current success however is no guarantee things will stay that way in the long term so the industry is eyeing the future with caution A few years ago a head watchmaker with one of the big Swiss firms told me that within a generation we will likely be able to D print luxury watches at home Choose click and in a couple of minutes your watch appears like magic in a little box where you used to keep the fax machine
Developments like this will make the current shift away from going into physical shops seem like a minor blip If we can make anything we want at home where is the value of craftsmanship? We shouldn’t be too quick to write it off though because even if you can run off a watch at the click of a button there will always be someone who can tell the difference
For now watch companies are keeping their options open The future is a mystery but the past remains the moneymaker That’s why companies continually mine the archives for ways to add value A fashionable move in recent years has been adding in bits of unique material to give the watch an extra twist We have seen parts salvaged from old clocks boats planes cars and motorbikes then moulded into dials cases and crowns They don’t make your watch do anything different but they give the watch something that can’t easily be replicated no matter where the tech takes us
A watch is a consistent companion a tangible long lasting object in a world of increasing fleetingness And if it’s got some cool stuff worked into it all the better it’s hard to put a price on little bits of history