The appeal of the mechanical: Why is the luxury watch market still ticking?

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/movement-mechanics-automatic-watch-1392757/ 

It appears hardly a day can pass without an announcement about some new and advanced digital technology that promises to improve our lives in one way or another. Indeed, our infatuation with technology has become so pronounced that it has even become a source of entertainment, with 2 of the most popular television shows on our screens this autumn taking their plot lines from synthetic robots or ‘synths’ in Channel 4’s ‘Humans’, or a futuristic theme park filled with robots in HBO’s ‘Westworld’.

But whilst we can see digital advances being welcomed with open arms in many industries, I was reminded recently by this piece in the Guardian of one place where, rather ironically, time seems to have stood still. I’m referring of course to the luxury wristwatch industry. Whilst much of this piece echoes my own theories from a post I wrote in May titled Interesting Times: The Impact of Wearables on the Watch Market, it also highlighted the emotional and often ideological reasoning behind consumer behaviour, which is how sales of an essentially redundant machine like a Swiss watch totalled 21.5 billion Swiss Francs in 2015 alone. 

So in a digital world that has enabled us to be more connected than ever before, why are we buying timepieces based on centuries-old technology for vast sums of money?

The Appeal of the Mechanical

One thing that is clear is that the success of the luxury mechanical watch market lies in their ability to appeal to the emotions and desires of their customers. The moving mechanism is like the beating heart underneath the dial, creating a human connection that is much more appealing than a circuit board in a shiny case. The mechanical watch is crafted by skilled human hands, who have mastered a trade that has been passed down since the first self-winding mechanism was invented in 1770. This heritage and history is far more attractive to watch connoisseurs than controversial Chinese factories where employees are disposable, conditions are cramped, and regular product upgrades mean you will likely be pining after an updated model within 2 years. A luxury watch is a lifetime purchase, and something that will be left behind long after you are gone.

But it’s not only the heritage and craftsmanship that appeals to our fantasies - owning one of these feats of engineering art is a status symbol. The Guardian article goes as far as to compare the desire to own one to the human god complex. Life has been created from metal and screws, and its owner must use a manual or automatic watch winder to keep it ticking. And with watches like the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime being made up of 1,366 parts and costing in the region of £1.7m, it is easy to see how wearing a mechanical watch could appeal to our desire for power and to be in control.

In the modern world, where technology has given us the means to have everything we could ever need at the touch of a screen, it seems what we crave most is real human connection, and the time before the digital age. It might be idealistic, but appealing to this fantasy has proved to be the saviour of the luxury watch industry, which does not seem to be succumbing to the modern world any time soon.