Coronavirus and Swiss watch makers

[grimps]

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ba...celed-now-what

I have just read this article on how the Swiss watch industry could be affected by the Coronavirus.

Over the last 3-4 years many on here have been calling for Rolex to open the floodgates and increase production to meet demand , maybe the Rolex strategy of maintaining their regular production numbers will leave them less exposed to this current crises.
On the other hand there might be some Grey dealers that are about to feel the pinch

[037]

If greys get fewer watches and their supply is more difficult to source, expect secondary prices to increase.

Buckle up.

[Old Expat Beast]

I wonder if, or when, the supply of Rolex boxes and/or other possibly Chinese-made accessories like hang tags will start to dry up at ADs.

[Jona]

If a Rolex watchmaker breathes a virus into the movement how long will the virus be viable?

[Pantheon]

If anything I see happening is the demand for watches have been waning. More and more people are choosing to stay home and also with the current financial markets in confusion people have started to pull back their spending.

The logistics and supply chain I don't see being affected in the long term anyways. More than half the factories are back up and running. Some companies like Apple are already expected to be back to regular production schedule by the end of March or Early April. We all know that just their watches alone beats out the entire Swiss industry in terms of units.

[PandaSPUR]

Originally Posted by 037

If greys get fewer watches and their supply is more difficult to source, expect secondary prices to increase.

Buckle up.

Originally Posted by Pantheon

If anything I see happening is the demand for watches have been waning. More and more people are choosing to stay home and also with the current financial markets in confusion people have started to pull back their spending.

The logistics and supply chain I don't see being affected in the long term anyways. More than half the factories are back up and running. Some companies like Apple are already expected to be back to regular production schedule by the end of March or Early April

I interpreted this the way Pantheon did. I don't really see why Rolex supplies would drop due to COVID-19. The watches and components are all Swiss made. The only dependence on China would be for raw materials I assume.

Demand on the other hand should be dropping significantly. I'm not sure what the restrictions on shipments to China is, but people aren't even going out to work in many areas. Even if someone there was willing to venture out to pick-up their watch from an AD, the AD probably isnt even at work.

The middle east and Italy (especially Milan) are being affected now too. I can only see that decreasing demand even further.

[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by Jona

If a Rolex watchmaker breathes a virus into the movement how long will the virus be viable?

I don’t care, as long as the oyster case does it’s job and stays sealed, the virus shouldn’t get out lol


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[bigrustypig]

Originally Posted by Jona

If a Rolex watchmaker breathes a virus into the movement how long will the virus be viable?

Easy. It will be equal to the remaining power reserve.


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[rallyx]

I heard there're wait lists for toilet papers.