poppydoodlesdad wrote:...But I'm not so sure it represents the absolute affordability which CW has stood for in the past and it worries me vaguely about the direction the rest of the range might take.
I agree with that logic - but think that perhaps there is a different slant...
If you consider CWL to be about
proportional affordability rather than
absolute affordability... then to me it makes sense
i.e. it is about putting out high quality items at a realistic rather than inflated price - about proportional prices (i.e. take the 'market norm' and show how the same quality can be produced for a proportion of the price) - this means it doesn't matter whether they are doing this at the lower end / middle / upper end - with any part of the market, they are demonstrating a different balance of price / quality...
If this logic is correct, then perhaps the C900 more than any other of their range proves this point - it is the first watch to significantly demonstrate that their theory (reasonable price / high quality) can work even at the higher end of complexity etc...
until now, it has been possible to look at their range and perhaps say that their theory is fine for mid-price / low complexity / off-the-shelf movement watches etc. - that you can keep the price low by making it look nice and having good customer service - but that the high-end watches can justify their inflated prices because ultimately they are better / more complex / more sophisticated watches / because they have bespoke movements / etc.
the C900 blows that theory out of the water - doesn't it kill off that line of argument - by demonstrating that they can sell at this price point the type of watch that others argue needs to be 3 - 4 x the price they are absolutely planting their flag firmly in the ground and showing that their logic is right - any type of high quality watch you want without having to charge the inflated prices others charge...
therefore the C900 is the same theory as their other watches - but with the message louder / more absolute... and for the first time really pushing strongly into the territory of companies who charge a lot more and debunking the price / quality myth those brands propogate...
so for me - def. the C900
Alasdair