Occupation: Vintage Watch Dealer and Curator
What are your thoughts on the collab?
I’m not really a fan of it but to each their own. Buy what you like. At this price point, a lot of people are going to get into watches, which is always a positive.
It also wasn’t what hypebeasts were expecting based on all the AI renderings floating around. People should’ve paid attention to what was actually being posted on the official Swatch and Audemars Piguet Instagram accounts. UPSET CITY.
One thing I do like is that it’s not necessarily a watch meant to only be worn on the wrist. You can wear it on a lanyard, clip it to a bag, or keep it in your pocket. It pushes people to think beyond traditional watch wearing. A watch doesn’t need to be only on your wrist.
It won’t hurt the value of regular APs. There’s an emotional attachment to the exclusivity of owning an actual Audemars Piguet watch. Royal Oaks are already nearly impossible to buy at retail. The waiting list alone creates a level of exclusivity that a $400 Swatch can’t touch. AP was smart: they gave us a “pop watch,” totally different from what most people expected. The buyers for these watches are very different. The price gap is huge.
Would you buy one?
No, I have a solid personal watch collection that I’m blessed and grateful for.
It’s not really for me. I prefer gold-tone watches. It’s like a cute toy though, basically the watch version of a Labubu. I’m sure a lot of the people planning to flip it were hoping it came on an integrated bracelet because that probably would’ve sent demand through the roof, but AP knows better than that.
Whatever I flip, I still need to actually like it or at least see myself wearing it. Otherwise, it’s pointless to me.
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