who's influencing who?
There was a lively discussion thread started earlier today, on one of the watch forums that I frequent, about why some watch collectors, hold certain brands in high regard, always seemingly clamoring to acquire the latest model, or variation of a previous model offered. And it got me thinking on the subject as well.
Throughout any watch forum, there will inevitably be a brand, or multiple brands, that garner extreme love, almost to a cult status; Boschett, NFW, Deep Blue, Bernhardt, and Orient, are just a few brands that come to mind, that developed meteoric followings within forums. Within a forum, where you've got an assembly of like-minded individuals, or at least individuals that share a common interest, just as in the real world, people will always tend to gravitate towards the hot, shiny, new product. It's no different than people waiting in lines for the next new smart phone release, or video game? There's a prevailing thought, that if the majority likes something, then it must be good. And watches are no different.
Many fledgling watch collectors tend to follow the herd, in the hopes that their collection will contain watches that are the most sought after, by the masses within a respective forum. Perhaps to achieve a certain level of status among their forum peers, or provide a little resale insurance, once the honeymoon is over between themselves and their recently acquired timepiece.
Big brands, pay big money to individual, online influencers to promote their products, and the watch collecting community has their own built-in influencers, as each wrist-shot, and "why did I buy" post, within the forums, is akin to a personal, 5-star customer testimony / rating, and that kind of positive publicity is invaluable to the watch brands, both major and micro.