Rise of fashion watches = Next generation of Rolex wearers?

[whan]

As someone part of the millennial generation, the rise and influence of fashion watches has become very apparent. Brands like Daniel Wellington, MVMT, and the like are all over instagram / social media, with a decent number of my non-WIS friends actually owning a watch from these brands. Movado purchased MVMT for $100mm last year, with MVMT booking $71mm in sales in 2017 alone which is quite a feat for such a young startup.

At the same time, I think we can all agree that these watches are highly overpriced with poor quality - a standard MVMT watch with a cheap quartz movement starts at just over $100, with mechanical variants at $300+. Hell, I just saw an influencer on instagram pushing a brand called "KO Watches" where quartz watches start at $300

But however poor the value is in these watches, the fact remains that there is an interest from the millennial and gen Zers in analog watches - enough that they'd pay over $100 for them, when they know they could just get by with their cell phones or a Timex alternative. In contrast with the rise of smartwatches, which I view more as a tech appliance vs. a watch, the boom of fashion watches must indicate some connection to analog watches IMO.

My thought is that at least some of these people will continue to delve further into the world of horology - potentially becoming the Rolex, GS, Omega, PP, AP, VC and JLC buyers of tomorrow.