‘Affordable Luxury’ Watches
Daniel Wellington Classic Black Durham
Hated by watch collectors but beloved by the masses. Is it a case of real value for money or just a marketing scheme? We recently entered a new epoch in the watch industry, one that, although largely (and rightly) ignored by collectors, is surely worth noting in the context of watchmaking history. The Affordability Era is defined by an over-saturation of brands competing in the lowest segment of the watch market, particularly those brands that market their products as ‘affordable luxury’ or ‘value for money’. Nevertheless, it begs the questions: how did this phenomenon come to be? And are these brands sustainable?
Daniel Wellington, the most prominent of the ‘affordable luxury’ watch brands, was founded by Swede Filip Tysander in 2011. Tysander met an Englishman named Daniel Wellington during his travels and was struck by the simplistic beauty of his Rolex Submariner in combination with a NATO strap. This inspired Tysander to launch his own watch brand, producing high volumes of cheaply made watches and marketing them as ‘value for money’. Daniel Wellington was one of the first to capitalize on this consumer trend and has been very successful since; fending off acquisitions and expanding globally. However, unlike conventional watchmaking houses, who justify the cost of their products based on the mechanics of the timepieces, companies like Daniel Wellington don’t really have a justification for their markups – apart from aesthetics.
In any case, Daniel Wellington’s massive financial success naturally prompted dozens of copycats to try the same; companies styling themselves and their products with titles that carried an air of luxury, and entrepreneurs looking for a get-rich-quick scheme.