Changing watches in vintage/grey windows...

[mongrelnomoad]

So I did today what I tend to do quite regularly, and walked down Burlington Arcade in London. It's gone through a bit of change these last few years, with many of the old-skool watch dealers closing, to be replaced by glitzy new stores specialising (only) in the latest hype references.

For a while, old and new co-existed often displaying the same half-dozen references (though the old guard would add in a Patek perpetual, or a Vacheron 1970s dress watch), but now I've noticed some serious divergence. Modern and neo-vintage Patek, AP and Rolex have either disappeared from the more established windows or had their inventory slashed, and brands previously unknown to the arcade are displayed prominently. I'm thinking Parmagiani and Breguet - the former of which now also has its own window at Wempe on Bond Street.

So, my question: have tastes changed? Or are these stallwarts sensing the top of the market for the big names, and turning to more unknown manufacturers to appeal to enthusiasts and, I assume, for greater spreads?