Watch prices over the years

[lowdrag]

I was reading through some old Motor Sport magazines and came across this advert:-



I expect it will appear all but unreadable but the next picture cropped from the above page will illustrate what I am about to say:-



Now all but 40 years back a Seiko auto cost a fiver less than a Breitling Chronomat, and half the price of the Heur Carrera. So, using the wage inflation tables the Seiko would now cost £733 and the Heuer Carrera £1,200.

Now you can still buy a Seiko automatic at the same price as forty years back (there is another thread currently running on all those "discovering" Seiko) but the Heuer Carrera now costs in excess of £2,000.

Who's fooling who, or put another way, are we all buying the king's new clothes?

Discuss.

[Gazzab]

Back in the mid 90s a Tag could be had for £100 ish (the colourful plastic ones). A bit more for the multi dial ones. What is such a watch now? A lot lot more I guess.
I remember colleagues buying new Rolex Subs for £1700 ish in 1998/9. What are they now? Over £3K?

[andy tims]

Gazzab said:

What are they now? Over £3K?

Yes

[Spice_Weasel]

Bought my SS GMT Master for (I think) £2050 in 1998. Think a non-date SS Sub was under £2K but the date version was more expensive than the GMT.

[Gazzab]

Spice_Weasel said:

Bought my SS GMT Master for (I think) £2050 in 1998. Think a non-date SS Sub was under £2K but the date version was more expensive than the GMT.

Yeah - in fact these guys who got date ones for £1700ish were looking at Dubai etc to get these prices (if recall correctly).

[Tabs]

I started work in an independant jewellers in 1970, aged 16, earning £450 pa, rising to £650 pa after 2 years! As a guide, petrol was .33p per gallon and a pounds worth lasted me a week in 1973!
Back on topic, I can still remember most of the Omega watch prices of the day.
Geneves started at £26.50, date versions £29.50
Dynamics £29.50
Chronostops £29.50
De Ville chronographs £46.50
Speedmaster Moons £59.50
Most Constellations were £59.50
Flightmasters £79.50?
I progressed to watch buyer in 1973 getting 40% staff discount, and owned 50 Omegas between 1970 and 1975! If only I could have kept them all!
As an aside, I used to buy French carriage clocks for £15 ish, and get them restored by my clockmaker mate for about a tenner. When I got married in 1975, I sold 8 of them which paid the £775 deposit on our house!

[NJH]

This was discussed over on TZ-UK as one of the guys has the original receipt for the GMT master he bought in the late 60's. ISTR he worked out it would cost about £1500 in todays money. Yes we are being fleeced especially when one takes into account the fact we should expect reduced production costs due to sourcing parts/materials from the east and improvements in machinery.