Why are designer watches so expensive?

There are all sorts of reasons that a designer watch might be more expensive than something you might be able to find on the high street. There’s the time and effort that goes into such a piece, the heritage that comes with the brand name and the years of craftsmanship and research that have gone into creating the watch. Not to mention, of course, the consumer demand for such items, which influences the price tag.

Heritage and prestige

Brands such a Rolex, Tag Heuer and Michael Kors have their name behind the watch. They’re known for quality and have been making watches for years. You know that when you buy these brands you’re buying something that has obvious quality and history.

When it comes to designers that also have clothing ranges, you know you’re buying something that is bang on trend and has the entire fashion industry already well behind it.

The crafting process

The materials, machinery and intricacies of the design that go into a luxury watch is far beyond what you’d find in anything under £500. Not only is a lot of time spent refining the manufacturing process but the luxury brands also employ highly skilled workers who have many years experience in crafting the finest timepieces. This skill, of course, costs money.

People are prepared to pay for quality

If no one was willing to pay thousands (or tens of thousands) for a watch then the highly priced brands would never be able to sell them for that much. All those years of history and a finely tuned manufacturing process – not to mention the style factor – obviously means a lot to consumers who are willing to pay for it.

With limited editions of these spectacular watches being launched, this just goes to show how much people will pay to get their hands on the latest, most in demand timepiece.

They cost more to make

The simple fact of the matter is that these watches cost so much more to design and make. Years of knowledge have gone into designing the timepiece, sourcing the materials and finding staff capable of doing the job.  It’s a skilled and respected profession.

Consider the watches made from carbon fibre: this material alone probably costs more than your average high street watch.

The overheads for producing a watch are a lot more than you might think and while there’s a significant mark up on designer watches, the price is relative to the cost of producing one. Many of the luxury watches on the market are handmade. It’s not as if these watches are produced by machine, there’s a lot of skill and time that goes into making each and every designer watch.

The latest technology

Designer watches are going to embrace the latest technology from the best materials to the most accurate parts for unrivalled time keeping. Rolex, for example, has its own foundry to alloy its own gold and create its own cases. They control every element of the watch-making process, including research and development of the latest techniques.

So, while you will inevitably pay more for a designer watch, you can justify the outlay by knowing the time and expertise that has gone into creating your timepiece – and that you have purchased an item which should be a worthy investment.