Your 2023 Handheld Watch Industry Guide
Some cheap luxury watches brands clearly like to start the new year with a short but sharp shock, which is exactly what Rolex did, raising the prices of its watches by an additional 3.5% (on average). Yep, the biggest players in the watch industry kicked off January with price hikes - already the dullest month of the year for most of us, and Tudor isn't far behind.
Thanks, Rolex! Wishing you prosperity and happiness in 2023 too!
This is bad news. Where's the good stuff? What watch events will be of interest to watch lovers in the next 12 months?
Apparently, the annual and much-anticipated cheap watches for sale& Wonders event is just around the corner, this year running from March 22nd to April 2nd. This year's event includes two designated days of public engagement, so it's not closed shop like previous events. Mark it on your calendar.
Here are some other possible highlights we're excited about...
Rolex Party Time Maybe Rolex raised their prices to cover all the birthday candles they had to buy this year. Some important milestones will be celebrated in 2023. The Submariner celebrated its 70th birthday, and the Daytona celebrated its 60th birthday, marking the 70th anniversary since the explorer summited the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest, in 1953.
Would it be too much to expect Rolex to add new models to all three collections? Almost certain. But they're sure to pull something out of the hat, and Watches & Wonders could be where it happens, especially considering its GMT-Master II "Destro" curveball launch at last year's event.
Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary The Submariner isn't the only exact replica watches celebrating its 70th anniversary. Released the same year as the Submariner, Blancpain’s magnificent Fifty Fathoms is an iconic diver’s watch in its own right and the brand’s most famous model.
Recognizing this, Blancpain’s website promises an unforgettable 2023 “full of celebrations” and “interrupted with timepieces and exclusive experiences.” Definitely a brand to watch this year.
Swatch won 4-0 After the huge success of the Moonswatch with Omega in 2022, how does Swatch surpass it on its 40th anniversary? Yes, the brand that saved the Swiss watch industry was launched way back in 1983, and we're expecting something special from it this year too.
Perhaps Swatch Group plans more collaborations with its luxury brands. Teaming up with Swatch and the likes of Blancpain or Breguet is highly unlikely, but we can expect the brand to release some interesting memorabilia.
Meanwhile in Japan... Japanese giants Casio and Seiko are having a bumper year. The former is celebrating the 40th anniversary of G-Shock, while the latter is celebrating the 140th anniversary of founder Kintaro Hattori's watch shop in Ginza and the 110th anniversary of his first watch.replica Breitling Endurance Pro
Seiko is already getting in on the action with the release of a limited-edition Prospex dive watch last month. More special editions are sure to come.
Changing of the Guard at AP Finally, longtime Audemars Piguet chief executive Francois Bennahmias is leaving the brand at the end of the year. After 28 years and seeing the brand's sales reach CHF 1.6 billion – ahead of Patek Philippe – Bennahmias left AP jubilant.
Financial success aside, Bennahmias' time at the helm saw the launch of the futuristic AP Royal Oak Concept Collection, the first Royal Oak Tourbillon and the Code 11:59 collection.
Bennahmias also helped establish the Audemars Piguet Museum in the company's birthplace, Le Brassus. No doubt his successor will be announced with much fanfare later in the year, but they have a lot to fill.Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino