Apr 17, 2025 · 20m · tbpn
How Watch Brands Are Responding to Tariffs | Quaid Walker on TBPN April 10th
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
Bezel founder Quaid Walker joins TBPN to analyze the impact of newly imposed US tariffs, the ongoing legitimization of the secondary watch market, and standout novelties from Watches and Wonders. The discussion examines Swiss supply chain resilience, brand ambassador strategies, and the evolving economic forces shaping luxury horology.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →
The hosts as informed peer 4.6 Guest teaching 4.4 Guest disagreement 1.0 The hosts pushing back 1.2
speaking balance: gold is the hosts, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 10:30 Dismissing internet critics of Patek Philippe
The guest pushes back against mainstream online criticism of the Cubitus, arguing that people simply want elite brands to fail so they have an excuse to attack them.
Hardest push from the hosts ▶ 18:00 Sharpening the tariff impact metricThe host interrupts the guest's broad answer about tariff uncertainty to enforce a precise framing around listed retail price increases.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 1:15 Divergent primary versus secondary tariff responsesThe guest methodically breaks down how elite maisons wait out tariff uncertainty while mid-tier brands scramble to rush inventory into the US.
The host holds their own ▶ 15:09 Creator marketing analysis and Rolex phrasingThe host demonstrates deep marketing domain knowledge by identifying organic-looking celebrity placement deals and referencing Rolex's specific campaign language.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | The hosts as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | The hosts pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watch Industry and Market Reactions to US Tariffs | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | The host poses informed questions about the immediate tariff fallout, customs evasion, and niche American brands. The guest provides detailed industry analysis on how primary luxury players versus secondary dealers adapted to the tariffs. | |
| Swiss Supply Chains and Component Tariffs | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | The host inquires specifically about Holy Trinity parts manufacturing in Switzerland and pinpoints secondary market pricing for the Land Dweller. The guest elaborates on generic movements, in-house production, and auction mechanisms on Bezel. | |
| Patek Philippe Innovations and the Cubitus Discourse | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | The host asks about the negative public reception to the Patek Philippe Cubitus and panels at Watches and Wonders. The guest explains the nuances between the 40mm and oversized versions and articulates how primary brands are shifting their posture toward secondary markets. | |
| Celebrity Brand Ambassadors and Influencer Strategies | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | The host applies his background in creator marketing to analyze celebrity watch ambassadorships, citing Rolex family branding. The guest supplements with historical examples like Leonardo DiCaprio's disguised TAG Heuer and Tom Brady's IWC tenure. | |
| Watch Industry Forecasting and Annual Release Cycles | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | The host steers the conversation toward concrete indicators for tracking the rest of the year and compares watch release cycles to tech upgrades. The guest details investigative leaks, trademark filings, and calculated influencer spottings like Roger Federer. |
Statements from this episode (10)
Bezel logged its highest-grossing sales weekend following US tariff announcement
“So we saw the best weekend we've ever seen after the tariffs in the sense that there was a huge increase in demand and everything. Everyone was out trying to buy those watches. And then the prices, I would say a lot of them are 10, 15% more than they typically…”
Walker: Luxury watchmakers over $10K AOV manufacture everything within Switzerland
“I think for most of the brands that we're talking about, everything's made in house and even a lot of the brands that, that are, you know, using generic movements, like they're buying generic Swiss movements for the majority case. And like these, you know, 10,…”
Walker: Bezel sold one of the first Patek Philippe Cubitus at auction
“Like we sold, I think we sold, if not the first cubitus at auction, one of the first to go cubit eye to come out at auction.”
Walker: Initial Rolex Land-Dweller secondary sales will exceed double retail
“I imagine the premium for the initial examples will be certainly over double retail.”
Walker: Watch Community Roots for Patek and Rolex Missteps Out of Envy
“Patek tends to not miss, like they kind of bat a thousand when they do things. And I think everyone wants these big brands to catch an L so they can talk shit about it and feel like, you know, they're able to say that.”
Walker: Primary watchmakers are now actively embracing the secondary market
“We entered the space when the secondary market from a brand perception was kind of like, oh, don't dip your toe into it by primary only. And now to see that, you know, I was in a panel next to Vacheron, Constantine, I was in Sotheby's and you have, You know, a…”
Walker: Tariffs shrink the retail-to-secondary watch price premium gap
“If the premium from, you know, a lot of these pieces from the secondary market To retail is close to 30%. All of a sudden, if a primary market watches 31% up from a cost perspective, that Delta is certainly meaningfully decreased. Do I actually want to wait on…”
Walker: Rolex announces Leonardo DiCaprio as brand ambassador
“And they just announced Leonardo DiCaprio as an ambassador and they dropped the whole like Rolex family page where it talks about like all aspects and touch points of creative entertainment, sports, whatever.”
Walker: DiCaprio's Wolf of Wall Street watch was a modified TAG Heuer
“Like, there's that story where the in Wolf of Wall Street, he's wearing what looks like a, like, I believe it's like a vintage GMT Rolex, but it's actually a tag horror that they had, like, intentionally made to look like it was like an old eighties, not like,…”
Walker: Watch collectors reject exclusive ambassadorships for multi-brand collections
“I think there's undeniably a set of collectors that That don't want to be ambassadors because they want to wear a diverse collection, right? Like I, you saw the same thing I remember sitting down with some early investors in GOAT and they capitalized that in t…”