Bezel founder Quaid Walker discusses watch industry marketing and Rolex's major ambassador announcements.
Insight
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.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
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,…”
Prediction Held up
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.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
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…”
Insight
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…”
Insight
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…”