Anyone notice how cheap designer watches are nowadays? (cellphone, prices, discount)

[FreshFresh]

Watches with suggested prices of $650 and up are sold for $110.

I thought it was just a holiday discount thing. But now i'm beginning to think that watches are just always cheap now. Perhaps since theres so many ways to find the time (laptop/ipad/cellphone/any portable gadget).

Will watches become defunct?

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by FreshFresh

Watches with suggested prices of $650 and up are sold for $110.

I thought it was just a holiday discount thing. But now i'm beginning to think that watches are just always cheap now. Perhaps since theres so many ways to find the time (laptop/ipad/cellphone/any portable gadget).

Will watches become defunct?

I highly doubt it, at least as a fashion accessory. Even with today's technology, watches, especially high-end ones (Rolex, Omega, Oris) are still in high demand.

[smokingGun]

High-end watches (usually with mechanical "automatic" movements) are just fashion pieces now. That's the popularity behind blingy brands like Breitling or wallcock-sized Panerai's. No one under 25 wears wrist watches to actually tell time. Still, luxury brands will continue to do well with the exploding wealth in Asia & their insatiable appetite for American/European chic. On the other hand, I think that affordable watch companies like Citizen, Seiko, Timex & Fossil will need to reinvent their business model, maybe becoming pure offshore third-party manufacturers, designing for Burberry, Gucci, Kenneth Cole or whoever wants to enter the fashion accessories business.

[harry chickpea]

I do think wrist watches are already effectively defunct. They have been going that way for years. Pocket watches are fashion accessories too.