Is the “Waitlist Era” Collapsing?
A Quiet Shift in the Luxury Watch World
A bit of a different blog flavour today.
I was working when a rogue thought popped into my head: is it just me, or has the watch market been quiet lately? I feel like I’m not hearing as many horror stories about people chasing their dream watch, sitting on waitlists for years, or playing the whole AD relationship game.
So what’s going on? Has the waitlist era finally started to crack? Or is it simply because we’re, for lack of a better word, economically f*cked?
Economic Factors Affecting Watch Prices and Buying Power
There’s no question about it - inflation is still lingering, interest rates are higher than they’ve been in years, the cost of living has gone up pretty much everywhere, and discretionary spending has taken a hit. Add tariffs, currency fluctuations, and luxury brands pushing price increases year after year, and suddenly a steel sports watch doesn’t feel quite as attainable or justifiable as it once did. When rent, groceries and energy bills are all more expensive, a £10k–£15k watch quickly drops down the priority list.
To be fair, the market has slowed down. We’ve seen luxury watch prices fall noticeably from their post-pandemic highs, especially on the secondary market. Models that were once trading well above retail have come back down to earth and, in some cases, below it. That alone tells you demand isn’t what it used to be. So the question becomes: can people not afford watches anymore? Or maybe, more interestingly, do they just not want to play the game anymore?
Note: The index reflects luxury watch prices on the secondary market based on 300 models from the top 10 luxury watch brands, weighted by transaction value.
Source: Business Insider
Artificial Scarcity and Consumer Fatigue
I think there’s been a genuine shift in mindset. And full disclaimer, I’m not an economist, so this is very much a vibes-based analysis. But it feels like years of artificial scarcity, combined with rising prices, have slowly worn people down. If you tell someone “no” long enough, eventually they stop asking.
When the “big boy” watches became impossible to get unless you had history, connections, or blind luck, people started looking elsewhere. And that’s where microbrands really stepped in. Instead of chasing logos and status, consumers began prioritising value, design, and the experience of buying and owning a watch. With microbrands, you can usually buy the watch you want when you want it. You get strong specs for sensible money, interesting design, and often a real sense of community around the brand. That feeling - being acknowledged as a customer rather than tested as one - is something luxury brands have largely abandoned.
Now, don’t get me wrong, microbrands aren’t perfect. Some lean heavily into limited editions and artificial hype themselves, and yes, that can get tiring too. But at least the rules are transparent. You’re not being told to “build a relationship” or spend money on watches you don’t want just to maybe earn the right to buy the one you do.
Emotional Burnout in Watch Collecting
Another thing I think doesn’t get talked about enough is emotional burnout. The chase used to be part of the fun: the hunt, the anticipation, the payoff. But somewhere along the line, it stopped feeling exciting and began to feel exhausting. Constant price hikes, endless waitlists, and the subtle implication that you should be grateful just to be considered…that wears thin.
At the end of the day, most of us are simply looking for something we can buy, enjoy, and love. A watch that makes us feel good when we put it on in the morning, not one that reminds us how difficult it was to get. I think luxury brands have made that experience unnecessarily laborious, while microbrands have quietly capitalised on what people actually want.
Is the Waitlist Era Really Ending?
Maybe not completely, but it definitely feels like the spell has been broken - and once that happens, it’s very hard to go back to how it was, for better or for worse.
