Great questions Jeff. My perception is that reissues are a way for the brand to take advantage of the popularity of their old and discontinued models that are commanding incredible prices in the market. There's nothing inherently wrong with that and it allows new watch enthusiasts/non-purists to buy a beautiful, new piece with confidence, a warranty, and without going through the eternal search and homework necessary before buying vintage. For enthusiasts, that search and the homework is half the fun, but not everyone shares that view. Some people just like the way a watch looks and want to get one as inexpensively as possible and with minimum effort. There will probably also be instances in which reissues will be a "gateway drug" for new collectors. On the whole, I feel like reissues are good for the industry and good for collectors.

Personally, I feel that if you are going to produce a reissue, you should probably stay fairly close to the original design aesthetic. The watch is being reissued because a substantial number of people find the design to be classic and appealing. Certainly, some subtle changes would be fine, but if the design strays too far, it's not really a reissue.

I don't worry about the reissue being too close to the original. A reissue will never be an original. What I do hope the industry avoids is too many reissues. Right now, JLC might be reaching that point.

Maybe the closest analogy for me is the Shelby Cobra. True collectors will never buy a "reissue" and I doubt they care all that much that the Shelby made some new ones a few years back, or that several other companies make clones. The folks who own the new ones love and enjoy them, and pay homage to the few true originals. They certainly don't seem to affect prices at all.