Quote:
Originally Posted by GenXer
Who's assembling these watch parts under a microscope for $100 and still make a profit?
I'm lucky I bought my GMT Pepsi for $4k in 2003. The new pricing is rediculous.
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have you never heard of chinese labor?
It takes me, an untrained hobbyist watchmaker, about 2 hours to fully assemble and lube a rolex 3135 (standard 3 hand movement in subs) or a rolex 3185/86 (rolex's GMT movement) and case it up.
With the technology out there, these chinese factories can easily scan and manufacture even the smallest of parts for these watches for fractions of a penny. They have little R&D costs, unlike an actual brand, have small labor costs, since they arent paying swiss certified watchmakers, and dont have the added brand value costs.
Hell, go on ebay and you can find the clone 3186 movements, which are exactly like the rolex 3186 movements, selling for $150 or less. This price is 2-3 times what the factory sells them wholesale for, and is significantly higher than they cost to produce.