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VAER RS1 Chronograph → https://vaer-watches.sjv.io/WO9k1Z
Why did people stop buying luxury watches? Swiss watch exports tell a strange story: fewer watches shipped, more money made, and the entire middle of the luxury watch market collapsing for the third year in a row. In this video we break down what actually happened to Tudor, Longines, TAG Heuer, Omega, and Oris — the brands that used to sit in the “maybe one day” part of every collector’s brain — and why the cheap end of the market is growing while the aspirational tier gets squeezed out of existence. We cover the Swiss Made 60% loophole, base movement sourcing, the Tudor Black Bay price climb from $3,100 to $4,800, the Rolex certified pre-owned pivot, the Audemars Piguet x Swatch $420 pocket watch, and why four brands — Rolex, Patek Philippe, AP, and Richard Mille — are winning so hard they make the rest of the Swiss watch industry look healthy. Jason also gets into the rose gold Rolex Daytona he bought for $40,000, why he sold it, and what that extra money actually buys.
Every watch guy has a ladder in his head — Seiko, Tissot, Longines, Tudor, then maybe one day Rolex. This is the story of what happened when the price climbed faster than the buyer.
In this video, we cover:
– Why Switzerland ships half as many watches as 2000 but makes twice the money
– The three price buckets — and why only the middle is losing
– Why “people ran out of money” doesn’t hold up against export data
– Why smartwatches crushed the $5,000 watch but grew the $500 watch
– The Swiss Made 60% rule and what it legally allows
– Sellita base movements: a $3,000 TAG vs a $7,000 Hublot
– Johann Rupert, Richemont, and why luxury prices never come back down
– How a $3,200 Tudor became a $4,800 Tudor — and got reclassified as “high end”
– Why Audemars Piguet released a $420 Swatch collaboration
– Rolex cutting storefronts and moving into pre-owned
– Four brands making almost half the money in Swiss watchmaking
– Omega dropping to fifth, Longines falling out of the billion franc club
– Jason’s $40,000 rose gold Daytona — and why he sold it
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DISCLOSURE:
This video is sponsored by VAER. Some links in this description are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro
00:50 – 30 million watches to 14.6 million
02:10 – Why $7,500+ watches are 80% of the money
02:51 – Theory 1: people ran out of money
04:07 – Theory 2: the phone killed the watch
04:30 – Why smartwatches spared the $500 watch
05:39 – Theory 3: “the watches just got better”
07:30 – What “Swiss Made” legally means
09:25 – Fewer buyers, more money
10:13 – Johann Rupert and why prices never drop
11:23 – How they actually pulled it off
11:48 – The ladder every watch guy is climbing
12:38 – The price bracket spreadsheet trick
14:26 – Audemars Piguet released a $420 Swatch
15:22 – Why AP wants buyers who cant afford AP
16:16 – Rolex moves into pre-owned
17:23 – Four brands, half the money
18:07 – Why nobody can actually check this
20:22 – Jason’s $40,000 rose gold Daytona
21:11 – What the extra money actually buys
Where does your personal watch ladder top out? Drop the brand in the comments.
A huge thank you to our members — The Connoisseur Club, The Collector, and The Enthusiast. You keep this channel running and the monthly watch giveaway going. Join us at https://www.thewatchbros.com
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