I have always asked myself why a good part of watch enthusiasts prefer luxury replica watches. Obviously, their price is the main reason. Moreover, everyone would buy authentic luxury timepieces, if they were more affordable. And yet, why exactly are luxury watches in high demand in the replica industry? There are so many micro-brands available that produce phenomenal watches. And yet, watch lovers look for those that come from the most reputable watchmakers ever.
While I always had some assumptions, I never had a structured answer to this question. Until today’s article. As such, I left aside all other tasks and delved into the dozens of reasons that drive watch enthusiasts to love luxury replica watches.
In this article…
I want to share the conclusions I reached. Turns out that not only the prices of replica watches are the reason why the public buys them. The main reason is, in fact, the tribute to luxury watchmaking. Through a replica watch, the buyer suggests that he greatly appreciates the history, ambition, and accomplishments of the genuine brand. The only aspect that prevents any lover of replica watches from buying an authentic watch is their price. Otherwise, the watch enthusiast is totally loyal to the luxury watchmaker who creates true horological epics. Thus, replica watches are only a tribute to the great luxury brands that have a fascinating history behind them.
With this introductory note, allow me to share some fascinating facts about luxury watches. These facts are part of the reasons why watch lovers love them so much. Stay with me in this article and comment below if any of the facts motivate you to wear a replica watch from the most beloved luxury watchmakers.
Why are luxury watches … luxury?
The term “luxury” does not refer exclusively to the price tag of these watches. Rather, the term unveils their complexity and the mastery behind their constructions. Many people wonder what the difference is between an ordinary watch and a luxury one. Therefore, it’s time to know that the difference is huge. This refers predominantly to the time it takes to create one or another type of watch.
If we talk about ordinary consumer watches, they are usually made with the help of conveyors and industrialized machines. On the other hand, it can take up to months to create a luxury watch. This is because handmade artisanal labor comes into play along with meticulous detailing that requires expertise and knowledge.
With these in mind, a replica watch somehow mirrors the entire art of watch manufacturing. Namely, this is one of the essential reasons that drive watch hobbyists to choose a luxury replica watch.
Let’s see what fascinating facts make watch lovers go crazy for luxury watches. The history of luxury watchmaking hides unique and extremely curious facts. It is possible that after this article, you will love luxury watches even more. And if their price is beyond your means, the AAAReplica store is here to help you with a replica alternative of the highest quality. So here we go!
#1#
Pocket watches, the predecessors of wristwatches, reached their peak of popularity in the 16th century. What is curious about them is that they only had an hour hand initially. Those who read pocket watches could determine certain hours by the position of the hour marker between two neighboring hour markers. The minute hand appeared only a century later, in the 17th century.
#2#
Matter-of-factly, the only target audience of the wristwatches had to be women. While they did not have pocket watches as men did, they needed an accessory to help them read the time. In this sense, men had to remain faithful to pocket watches. But something went wrong and wristwatches became popular accessories for both ladies and gentlemen.
Historical data assume that Elizabeth I was the first lady who had the great honor of wearing a wristwatch. Rumors suggest that she received a special gift from one of his lovers.
#3#
Patek Philippe was the one who designed the first “modern” wristwatch, also for … a woman. This took place in 1868 and the privileged one was the Countess Koscowicz of Hungary. The watch, however, did not look like the modern wrist timepieces of today. Instead, this was more of a piece of jewelry with time-reading functions.
#4#
Jean-Claude Biver is a resounding name in the luxury watchmaking industry. He contributed enormously to the success of Hublot, was the executive director of Tag Heuer, and finished his career as the president of LVMH. However, it turns out that he is not only a notorious authority in the world of luxury watches. Jean-Claude Biver is also a cheesemaker and owner of milking cattle in Luxembourg.
In a similar context, the master produces his own Emmental cheese with a floral and extremely delicious taste in the heart of the Swiss Alps. More than that, he donates his products to friends and colleagues, as well as to some restaurants in the area. Also, he categorically refuses to take a single penny for this cheese to remain in absolute control of his cheese distribution. He states that “he will be the master of his cheese until the last piece”. What a mindset, huh?!
#5#
Men did not really consider wristwatches massively until the outbreak of the Second World War. Namely, the difficulties of the war made them revise wristwatches from another perspective. The convenience of wearing a time-telling accessory on the wrist proved to be much more strategic than a pocket tool. Also, this period gave birth to the idea of wearing a wristwatch with fabric straps that fixed the case much better and offered more freedom of movement.
#6#
The British had an acute need for durable and utilitarian watches during the Second World War. But the British watch industry was in a deplorable state. As such, officials requested support from neutral Switzerland to supply them with the necessary timepieces. The request was very narrow and sounded as follows: W.W.W- which meant the need for “Watch. Wrist. Waterproof” as soon as possible. In response, 12 Swiss watchmakers accepted the request.
The collectors who will ever be able to collect the 12 brands will enjoy a real horological Holy Grail. The 12 members include Lemania, Buren, Vertex, Cyma, Omega, Grana, Record, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Eterna, IWC, and Timor. Following the contribution brought to the British army, they all form the Dirty Dozen, which every collector would be in total ecstasy to own.
#7#
The year 1926 saw the first waterproof watch in history. The brand that proposed it is none other than Rolex through its Oyster model. Rolex managed to ensure waterproofness by integrating the screw-down crown and screw-in caseback, which it sealed with rubber gaskets.
In order for the watch to gain popularity and demonstrate its waterproof capabilities, Rolex partnered up with Mercedes Gleitze. This lady is none other than the one who swam across the Channel in 1927. Both the Oyster watch and the Mercedes Gleitze performed wonderfully, both reaching the front pages of the newspapers.
#8#
The replica watch industry dates back to the 1700s-1800s. According to existing data, it would have appeared in the areas of the Swiss-French border. Many of the local watchmakers earned a living by replicating luxury timepieces. They offered them at a more affordable price for a lower quality. The affordable price has remained available until today, while the quality has progressed enormously.
#9#
The capital of German Watchmaking is the tiny Glashutte village. It suffered enormously during the fall of the Berlin Wall and regained its strength only in recent years. This village hosts an impressive concentration of luxury manufacturers, including A. Lange & Söhne and Nomos.
This picturesque town square was a “victim” of WWII when it was bombed on the very last day of the war. Historical data indicates that the Russians took the production machinery, as well as the concepts of various mechanisms and watches. Today, many of the calibers of Russian watches are extremely similar to those of the classic movements of A. Lange & Söhne. Coincidence?!
#10#
Yuri Gagarin wore a Sturmanskie watch on his wrist in the mission of humanity’s first space flight.
#11#
Iconic watch manufacturers stand out by developing their own laboratories in which they produce their materials for watches. Seiko is no exception. This brand is so innovative that it has its own “laboratory” for growing its own quartz crystals. Better than that, this watchmaker was the first who managed to transform kinetic energy into electrical energy inside a watch.
#12#
Sturmanskie for the first mission in space, Omega Speedmaster for the first mission to the Moon, and Fortis- for the first mission … to Mars. Yes, the Fortis Swiss watchmaker will be the one that will ensure time-keeping in the first mission of mankind to Mars. By the way, this watchmaking brand also supports timekeeping for Russian space missions.
#13#
International celebrities stand out for their loyalty to certain watch brands. Brad Pitt, for example, is a big fan of Patek Philippe. It has several models from the Philippe collection, including a Nautilus, as well as a vintage Ellipse. The most recent addition to the famous actor’s collection was a 1952 Patek Philippe Chronometer in platinum. This is probably the most beloved model in his collection because he received it as a wedding gift from his wife Angelina Jolie. Or because it costs around £2m 🙂
#14#
Brad Pitt is not the only one who adores Patek Philippe watches. Elizabeth II also stood out for her loyalty to this watchmaker. As such, she has worn a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse with dignity throughout her years. Likewise, Audemars Piguet also found its place among the queen’s collection. However, the most remarkable model was the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 101 with the smallest mechanical movement in the world. Namely, this iconic timepiece was worn by the queen on the day of her Coronation.
Prince William, on the other hand, seems to have slightly more modern tastes. He often wears an Omega Seemaster Professional. Rivals in life, rivals in watches too. His brother, Harry, is a true Rolex lover, being often spotted with an Explorer II. Apart from this, the Breitling Aerospace watch is also a faithful ally of Prince Harry.
#15#
Can you guess which complication is considered the most prestigious in a watch? You can list many, but if you avoid the tourbillon, you haven’t guessed the right answer. This complication has an origin of over 200 years!!! It was invented without hundreds of modern technologies by the famous Abraham-Louis Breguet. Can anyone tell me how the classic watchmakers managed to invent such intricate complications?
Today, tourbillon complications no longer have that much functional value. Its purpose was to balance the operation of pocket watches when they were in one position in the pocket. In contrast, today all wristwatches are in constant motion and self-balance their internal operation without the involvement of the tourbillon. Instead, this complication adds several thousand to tens of thousands to the price of a watch for the prestige and hypnotic effect it delivers.
#16#
The watch industry evolves along with technological globalization. As proof of this idea, Zenith succeeded in creating its Elite automatic movement, which was the first to be created fully with the help of virtual design. This actually happened in 1991. I do not rule out that soon, we will see the first luxury watch designed in 3D.
#17#
Luxury watchmaking is all about superior refinement and perfect craftsmanship. Matter-of-factly, 30%, on average, of the production process of a luxury watch involves manual work. This is what makes them so fine and delicate both on the outside and on the inside. More than that, those who deal with watchmaking handmade labor learn mastering techniques for years. In this sense, patience and passion are the basis of luxury watches.
I dare say that this aspect is what differentiates the luxury watch industry from the replica watch industry. No matter how high-quality a replica watch is, it will never be at the highest level of perfection because no one spends hours on end processing it by hand.
#18#
The impressive “Guilloché” dial engraving appeared for the first time in the 19th century. Today, the great watchmaking masters still use ancient rose-engine lathes that were used in the 19th century. The reason is that these instruments are no longer produced. Luxury Swiss watchmakers have kept them since those times, protecting them vehemently. This aspect increases the value of luxury watches of traditional brands. In addition, this is another reason that justifies the craftsmanship and the price of luxury watches.
#19#
While technical progress seems to have reached maximum heights in the watch industry, luxury makers are looking to evolve in terms of materials. In this sense, Hublot is the one that stands out the most on this subject. It evolved gorgeously from titanium to carbon fiber. Then, it brought to the table totally transparent sapphire crystal, not to mention the spectacular variety of ceramics.
However…
All this seems insignificant next to the concept of scratchproof gold that it has recently presented. More than that, we talk about an entirely in-house material foundry here. So, the “magic gold”, as Hublot calls it, is a combination of Ceramics porous matrix with 24-carat gold. The result implies a much more resistant gold than the usual one that promises a virginal look for many years to come. Once again, Hublot demonstrates what “The Art of Fusion” means, in which it believes so loyally.
#20#
As controversial as Queen Marie Antoinette was, she had her loyal admirers. One of them, preferring to remain secretive, wanted to surprise the object of his pleasure. For this, he had turned to the great watchmaker Breguet. The task consisted of a timepiece that would include everything that the horological expertise of those times could offer. It seems that the admirer was wealthy enough to afford such a gift for the queen. But this is secondary in our history.
After hard work, Breguet managed to create the most complex timepiece of all time, calling it “watch number 160”. But the sad part of the story is that the French queen never got to enjoy her gift. The reason is that Breguet only finished it 34 years after she had passed away. As such, the “watch number 160” turned from a gift into a tribute in memory of the controversial personality.
Later on, the “Marie-Antoinette” masterpiece was stolen from a museum in Jerusalem. Many replica factories have tried to reproduce the horological work of art. In 2004, an imitation that closely resembled the genuine model caused difficulty for many experts. In 2007, however, the authentic watch was successfully found and today it is one of the most expensive horological masterpieces of all time.
Bottom line
Here we presented only a small part of what “luxury watches” means in their essence. As you can see, it’s all about history, accomplishments, celebrities, difficulties overcome with flying colors, technical evolution, and a lot, a lot of meticulous manual work. Namely, this set of values behind these watches makes the public look for their replicas. They want to be as close as possible to this luxury industry that is rich in historical events, relationships with sports or cars, or connections with iconic celebrities.
Can we judge those who want a replica watch for these reasons? Definitely not. We can only help them choose a high-quality replica watch. For this, we propose a wide range of imitations of different brands. Our replica watches honor the great manufacturers and their great history.