This is an interesting comparison, between the world of watches and the world of fashion. After all, the watches are a part of the fashion world, as none of us really need watches to know what time it is.

And, yes, those of us who live in this world, have some nice choices . . . at least if we have a budget in the $5,000 to $7,000 range, and can jump on the nice LEs, when they come onto the market . . . for example, the UAE, Siffert (Calibre 11) and Orange Boy (Hodinkee) versions. If he misses them when they are offered, he can find them in the aftermarket, in the $7,000 to $10,000 range.

It does seem strange that the average member of the public, walking into the mall this afternoon, will have only one choice -- the original black and white Autavia, introduced by TAG Heuer in March 2017. This shopper may have read all the hype about the exciting LEs, and be all pumped up about the new Autavias, but in the showcase, there will be only one model. But maybe this is the fate of the bricks and mortar retailers, and the poor soul who actually shops in a store.

Jeff

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: On the very high end, you go bespoke and can customize almost
: everything - a luxury very few people can afford at high price
: and something really unique. That's the Bamford option for TH
: watches.
: One notch down, made-to-measure and it's still exclusive but less
: so - and less pricey accordingly. Most of the important design
: elements have been decided by others though. That's the LE here.
: Finally the mass market for all: off-the-peg clothes, and
: run-of-the-mill standard production watches at regular prices.

: Market segmentation and something for everyone. Then you vote with
: your wallet, based on what you can afford and what you like and
: think is good value for money.
: Here, I think however that the distance in quality and price level
: is much smaller between the 3 categories in watches than in
: clothing, but the simile can probably still apply.
: I for one even if I had it would never spend Bamford-level money
: for a watch that's still basically a customized version of a
: standard production watch. The LEs make more sense to me - and
: it's everyone's call.
: IMHO it'll be the LEs (the good ones, I mean - likely not Harrods'
: ;-)) that will increase in value over time.
: Cheers,
: Fabrizio