Why the new Leica watch is such a great move
Demand for luxury goods is very buoyant and growing.
Of all of the brands the world, there are a few (just a handful) that are really aspirational for us.
Leica is one of them.
Known best for making really good, but incredibly expensive cameras, the brand recently (we only heard about it recently) announced that it is now also going into watchmaking.
Two models, named L1 and L2 are on sale for US$10,000 and US$14,000 respectively.
Watches are a product category that increasingly is sparking our interest.
The birth of the smart watch, and in particular the Apple Watch, all but completely disrupted the entire industry. But (at least from our limited perspective) the market for non-Apple watches appears to be making something of a comeback as a symbol of individuality and value.
Also despite the doom and gloom of the world's Main Street economy, the world populated by the super-rich is doing better than ever. Demand for luxury goods is very buoyant and growing.
Spotting this - Leica decided to extend their brand - known for German excellence, quality and high-price - into this growing luxury market.
The traditional watch category is one that is largely dominated by old luxury brands like Cartier, Rolex and Omega; a new exciting entrant into the market that is supported by a brand well-known in an adjacent luxury category is sure to have an impact.
We'er sure that when those millions of Bitcoin billionaires go out and buy their new Leica watch, they'll also splurge on a new Leica camera just because they can - even if they've never taken a photograph with a real camera in their lives before.
For us though - our watch buying price range is more in line with this retro offering from Casio - the classic PacMan edition.
How cool?