Rise of fashion watches = Next generation of Rolex wearers?

[whan]

As someone part of the millennial generation, the rise and influence of fashion watches has become very apparent. Brands like Daniel Wellington, MVMT, and the like are all over instagram / social media, with a decent number of my non-WIS friends actually owning a watch from these brands. Movado purchased MVMT for $100mm last year, with MVMT booking $71mm in sales in 2017 alone which is quite a feat for such a young startup.

At the same time, I think we can all agree that these watches are highly overpriced with poor quality - a standard MVMT watch with a cheap quartz movement starts at just over $100, with mechanical variants at $300+. Hell, I just saw an influencer on instagram pushing a brand called "KO Watches" where quartz watches start at $300

But however poor the value is in these watches, the fact remains that there is an interest from the millennial and gen Zers in analog watches - enough that they'd pay over $100 for them, when they know they could just get by with their cell phones or a Timex alternative. In contrast with the rise of smartwatches, which I view more as a tech appliance vs. a watch, the boom of fashion watches must indicate some connection to analog watches IMO.

My thought is that at least some of these people will continue to delve further into the world of horology - potentially becoming the Rolex, GS, Omega, PP, AP, VC and JLC buyers of tomorrow.

[brandrea]

We can only hope

[jaySL350]

Sorry but those brands that you mentioned in the first paragraph , I have never heard of,,
My fault probably as I don’t do Instagram,,Face book,,,etc, etc
What’s a social influencer?,,,

[Peterandwatches]

My first two real watches were a blue dial Eddie Bauer and a Movado Museum watch.

I think this current crop of watches, and even the iWatch, can be a gateway in.

[whan]

Originally Posted by jaySL350

Sorry but those brands that you mentioned in the first paragraph , I have never heard of,,
My fault probably as I don’t do Instagram,,Face book,,,etc, etc
What’s a social influencer?,,,

Yeah - they're definitely watches targeting a very specific audience. A social influencer is essentially anyone on the platforms that have a large following, typically on youtube or instagram. People subscribe to their channel / page and see regular videos or posts, for a variety of topics including fashion, fitness, hot girls (instagram) and more niche things like watches and cars. Generally these influencers will do sponsored posts where brands ask them to essentially advertise their product.

Here's an example of an influencer that got a lot of flack for this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h69QxJMkPjw

He's got a large following (4.7 million!) primarily for fashion related topics but as you can tell also was paid to advertise for MVMT watches

[AK797]

TRF is now a real social influencer... and investment advisor now.