redroom Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 I'm still yet to understand why gen parts (particularly dials, some bracelets etc.) are so dang expensive on the bay. Can someone provide some insight? I understand that they are rare but who else out there is buying these things besides us?? Most of them don't contain any rare metals or jewels. It blows me away that a damaged dial from a relatively unknown watch will fetch upwards of $300. The market for these items must be incredibly small. I was just looking at a damaged Ingy dial on bay for $250+ and I was thinking to myself The average person walking on the street wouldn't take the time to bend over and pick it up! Most people think I'm nuts spending good money on watches, they think I'm extra nuts on spending good money on replica watches, I can't imagine how they would react if I told someone I bought a dinged up dial on eBay for a few hundos so that I could stick it on my replica watch! Besides watch parts, what other man made items like this hold so much value? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highoeyazmuhudee Posted May 29, 2014 Report Share Posted May 29, 2014 availability and demand of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymanmatt Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Several years ago, and I mean several, when rolex was in new york, I could by anything from them. The prices were reasonable at that time. Flash forward 20 years. Rolex moved to Dallas, and everything changed. Couldn't buy a piece for a rolex. If you were not an authorized dealer, you got nothing, just s dial tone. That is when prices started up, and they haven't stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droptopman Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Smart marketing and business 101, supply and demand. Shrink/limit the supply and demand is going to go up;therefore prices go up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero_Dave Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Smart marketing and business 101, supply and demand. Shrink/limit the supply and demand is going to go up;therefore prices go up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk But this really doesn't do much for Rolex. Since they don't sell parts to anyone but AD's, the high priced secondary markets (ebay etc) doesn't do them anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droptopman Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Very true but does add to their branding/status. And I think prices have increased considerably even for the AD's at least that is what I have been told. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why are gens so expensive...? Because they can ask for that kind of money.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redroom Posted May 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Gen watches I get. That's all brand, marketing, prestige, the luxury experience in the boutiques etc. I'm more puzzled about the second hand market for just the parts. At this point all the smoke and mirrors of the luxury are gone and you just have this manufactured part. Besides people on forums like this who mod, who else is buying these and driving up prices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 The only brands I know much about are vintage Bulova and rolex. I have noticed rolex parts are up maybe 50% in the past few years on eBay. I bought a new in original package 1570 winding rotor with axle on eBay a year back for $25.50 (!!) and now I am seeing old ratty examples for $150 to $200. I bought a few new 1530 reversers for $125 for two (full set) and now they are around $200. They were $25 each new in 1995. Rotted out rolex cases actually worth maybe $35 are priced for $300 and just one movement screw might be $25. Rough Air Kings like I used to buy for parts are now going for $1500+. I did buy a slightly rusty looking 1530 autowind assembly for $100 on eBay that turned out to be just fine though. At the same time I see rusted solid rolex movements going for $600+. Total junk. Because of today's prices, I'm seriously considering taking my Frankensteins apart and selling the genuine movements. I feel much more comfortable with Eta movements anyway. About the only vintage mechanical Bulovas that have gone up are Oceanographers, military watches, and solid gold stuff. Movements and parts are still fairly cheap. Bought a 14k Lady Hamilton with 10 diamonds last week and the cal 911 movement was rusty, I found a running replacement with dial and hands on eBay for $16 delivered...less than one rolex screw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero_Dave Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Why are gens so expensive...? Because they can ask for that kind of money.... Exactly. Have you heard the news, Apple just bought Beats for 3 Billion Dollars. http://www.cnbc.com/id/101710643 Why, because: Beats' profit margins in the headphone market may be substantial. A pair of its high-end headphones retail for as much as $450, but production costs across the brand run only about $14 a pair, according to The New York Times. Dave... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 R&D, marketing, QC, customer service, maintenance of dealer networks & demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droptopman Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 I know much more about cars than watches. Saw the same trend over the years for muscle car parts. As parts became more scarce and demand kept increasing prices just kept increasing as well. To some degree we have done this to ourselves. Market prices are dictated by what we are willing to pay. I paid 1000$ 20 years ago for an original Holley 750 double pumper for a 70 Z28 when a new one at that time was <$500. Wanted the car to be all original so paid crazy money for some of the parts on that build. Car turned out great and won many awards but total value was less than sum of the parts. Much like we see with some of the Franken builds. Right now building a 16750 and in same boat. Parts hard to come by and since I really want them I am willing to pay premium price. Once completed watch will be worth less than the parts Sent from my droptop using telepathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcardoza Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 The perception of exclusivity allows the Rolex's of the world to apply huge mark-ups to their product. As many have said in here, Rolex makes a wonderful $500 watch. There's nothing that "stands out" to make any SS Rolex worth $5,000+. However, the fact that the name oozes exclusiveness and big $$$$$ self supports those crazy mark-ups. $10k+ for a DSSD? Really? The masses would look at that watch an NEVER understand how it could approach that value. Solid Gold and real gemstones actually do affect value, but for the more standard offerings from the luxury brands........ It's all perception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 I wore this watch for over 10 years like this: Then Natalie started making aftermarket bezels and I bought one. I would have paid twice her asking price. Much better: Now beat-to-hell gen bezels are over $1,000 if you can find one. A rep bezel for $250 seems like a bargain when your watch is naked without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GenTLe Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Here in EU (but I believe it's the same in USA and other countries too) a big problem is raising, in relation to gen parts. This has been told me from at least a couple of friends that work as independent watchsmith. Practically luxury houses are operating in 2 senses: 1) with the excuse to "keep reparation at high quality levels" they're more and more reducing the furniture of gen parts to independent watchsmiths... 2) ...this is causing them not to be able to keep their shops open and to be absorbed by official brands (i.e. like a generic automotive mechanic that suddenly becomes an official Ford mechanic) 3) Once they've been branded they have fixed fees. I don't have to say they're HIGH fees... 4) On the other side, the ones that remain independent have to look for gen parts in the wide black market, where these parts are present but are priced 1000% more than the officially supplied one... So here we are. You can read some newspaper article here about it: (in Italian) http://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/Economia/orologi-e-guerra-sui-ricambi-orologiai-contro-le-grandi-case_1056153_11/ (google translated in En) https://translate.google.it/translate?sl=it&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=it&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecodibergamo.it%2Fstories%2FEconomia%2Forologi-e-guerra-sui-ricambi-orologiai-contro-le-grandi-case_1056153_11%2F&edit-text= Not to add that the price of a good (of ANY good) is never related to its real value but to the money people are disposed to pay for such good... Ciao, GenTLe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I work on 1530 base rolex watches and parts in the USA started drying up in the mid to late 1990s when rolex USA closed all parts accounts with supply houses and shifted parts to Dallas TX. Rwc opened 'spare parts accounts' with many independent shops in the late 1990s then came back in a few years and closed a majority of the accounts out. Now most independent repair shops have lost their 'spare parts accounts' with rolex and are simply out of luck. Swatch (omega, tissot, longines etc) is following suit and it will not be long until omega etc parts take a big price increase because of no longer being available. I know that rolex is rapidly discontinuing parts for 1530 base movements but with the overall rolex parts supply down to a slow drip, getting movement parts for cal 3035 and 3135 base watches is also a hassle so modern watches are affected too. I have a few 'Frankenstein' 5512/13/1680 with rolex 1530 base movements but have already taken two apart and the others will soon follow because movements and parts are now too expensive (for me) to wear a watch with a rolex movement in it. Same goes for genuine rolex watches, I will not wear one for more than a couple days to see how it runs...then it goes into a box to be sold or parted out. Let someone else worry with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GenTLe Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I see a good market here for gen-clone parts ;-) GenTLe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalwise Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 I'm surprised to see this thread here at all. Why is a rolex worth £2K and a seiko worth £100? Both more or less the same technology - it's just the value end users put on the watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.