Does Anybody Really Care What Time It Is? Leica Sells Watches

[jsrockit]

Well, here is the answer. Leica is not a camera company. It is a "brand." Any questions?

They still make a pretty nice camera or two though, thankfully. BUT, you are right. They are selling that name now as luxury brand.

 

[hap]

I'm wondering if the mechanical-only movements were also a conscious design decision in order to carry the mechanical camera metaphor foreword. Mechanical winds keep you in touch with (and creates a more intimate relationship with) a watch; more-so than an auto-wind movement - (akin to an auto-advance or auto-rewind mechanism on a camera).

that observation has merit. Everybody uses some sort of Swiss movement, typically certified timepieces. Maybe Germans want home made movements.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

I'm glad that there are things in this world, like Leica's watches, that are exquisitely made, without compromise. In some sense, they embody our aspirations to beauty, and our desire to leave a legacy for the future. Would I want one of these? Not really. Could I afford one? Hahahahaha!
My compromise is my everyday watch, a 1926 Elgin pocket watch that I bought for $20 at a yard sale and had re-conditioned. Exquisitely made, and has certainly proven itself a legacy to the future. A total Retro-Grouch "statement".

 

[David Hughes]

Do a search on (say) ebay for Leica wrist watch and you might all get a surprise or two...

Regards, David

 

[Emile de Leon]

Base model Rolex around $5K..

 

[ptpdprinter]

I suppose there are a lot of things besides works of art that are works of art, and watches fall into that category. These Leica watches seem to me like conceptual photography, where the photograph itself doesn't look like much, but if you read someone's Ph.D. dissertation about it, you can sort of get what the photographer was trying to say. Maybe if you were an investor, you would buy the NFT for it, but hanging it on the wall would be out of the question. Anyway, if someone gave me a coupon for $14,000 which I could redeem at the watch store, I would not choose either of the Leica watches. Fortunately for Leica, there are a lot of people who will. I think they would either be Leica enthusiasts or watch collectors who specialize in German movements. I would not be in the target audience.

 

[boojum]

Factually, $15K is chump change for many folks. But not too many on this board I would guess.

There are written justifications here for Leica selling other than lensed gear. I think the camera is anachronistic. When you are the only person still making buggy whips you might want to ponder that. Granted, lots of folks here produce wonderful photos with Leicas. They would do the same with other cameras. It is them, not the camera. And yes, they are well-made, other than a shoddy, shoddy start with electronics. They plain fell in the staring gate there. But they have learned what the Japanese already knew. Perhaps Leitz sees diminishing sales in the future and needs to diversify.

I really shouldn't be too hard on Leica, though. Sony sells lots of things other than cameras. I am sure the other camera makers in Japan do the same, like Ricoh. It is an interesting news item, though.

 

[Ororaro]

Actually that’s true. If Leica kept pricing its MP at 2000$, the M9 at 3000$, its summilux 35 and 50 lenses within the 2-2500$ Bracket... well... they wouldn’t exist. And we’d all be crying a d hoping for a non-plastic Bessa to hit the market.

 

[David Hughes]

(Snip) ...For style, if I were to design my own watch face it would be bright white numbers on a flat black face, bright white hour and minute hands and a sweep second hand and nothing else, no day or date windows.

There's a lot of merit to simplicity; that's what I like about the M9 and cheapo watches.

Regards, David

 

[Bill Blackwell]

If they're going to charge 14 grand for a manual watch, the least they could have done was to make it a certified chronometer!

 

[mnutzer]

I've got my Leica wrist watch much cheaper.

 

[boojum]

I get the impression that we are considered inconsequential by Leica. Subsisting on the crumbs which fall from the table. One need only follow the M8 and M9 electronics failures and how they were handled to get an idea of what Leica customer support is because that was their customer support. One plus in buying a used Leica is that sending it to Leica for CLA or repair is not necessary. The time Leica takes for repairs indicates their level of interest. If they were interested the turn-around times would be days.

In another life I was working at a world figure skating championship. Canon had a facility there to loan cameras to pros and support the cameras. The also fixed for free cameras of folks at the championships, Same day. It can be done. No cavalier attitudes at Canon.

 

[james.liam]

I'm sure that Emperor Xi's nouveau riche Mandarins will swoop them up as sure as they have done with vintage 1er cru Bordeaux wine, the latter destined as a mixer for Coca Cola.

 

[boojum]

I'm sure that Emperor Xi's nouveau riche Mandarins will swoop them up as sure as they have done with vintage 1er cru Bordeaux wine, the latter destined as a mixer for Coca Cola.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." It is interesting to see how quickly Chinese Communism has reverted to a Mandarin autocracy. Personal interest is ineradicable. Russia, too, now a Tsardom.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

It’s too bad that Casio stopped making cameras. For awhile It was a brand that made both affordable cameras and watches. You could walk around with your Casio camera around your neck and also flaunt your Casio plastic watch at the same time - how cool is that!

I have quite a few watches, some are expensive. I consider a $600.00 dollar watch to be expensive. I had a couple of Omegas that I bought in the ‘80s. A Seamaster and a Speedmaster. They were really nice but I sold them last year to help fund my jump into Fujifilm medium format digital. As nice as the Omegas were to look at on my wrist, they didn’t keep perfect time. Despite having a drawer full of nice watches, mostly Orient Star and Seiko, my go to everyday watch these days is a G-Shock green analog style watch. Cheap (about $100.00), accurate, and I like the looks of it. How cool is that!

P.S. The new Citizen Attesa watch AT8185-89E is made for pairing with the new Nissan Fairlady Z sports car. It only costs a little over $1000.00 and it does a lot of cool stuff.
https://citizen.jp/attesa/special/fairladyz/index.html

All the best,
Mike

 

[Rob-F]

I get the impression that we are considered inconsequential by Leica. Subsisting on the crumbs which fall from the table. One need only follow the M8 and M9 electronics failures and how they were handled to get an idea of what Leica customer support is because that was their customer support. One plus in buying a used Leica is that sending it to Leica for CLA or repair is not necessary. The time Leica takes for repairs indicates their level of interest. If they were interested the turn-around times would be days.

In another life I was working at a world figure skating championship. Canon had a facility there to loan cameras to pros and support the cameras. The also fixed for free cameras of folks at the championships, Same day. It can be done. No cavalier attitudes at Canon.

If what you say here about Leica is true, then that feels very sad to me; like feeling abandoned by a lifelong friend. But it may not be the best explanation for Leica's slow service. It may not be easy for Leica to live up to our expectations. At the Leica annual meeting in St. Louis, now just about 20 years ago, Stefan Daniel (I hope I got his name right, I'm going by memory) explained in this way why this is true, when he said, "We are a small company with a big name." For that "small company" to have produced such a range of digital Leicas, as well a number of new lenses, in such a short time may have seriously strained their resources.

I think that if the production of luxury stuff helps provide extra income to keep Leica afloat, whether expensive watches or special editions of Leica cameras, it's a great strategy! It costs us photographers and photo hobbyists nothing, and keeps Leica going. The rich folks who support this line of luxury stuff are doing us a favor. I'm looking forward to a line of Leica $10,000 towel warmers. coffee pots, and solar garden lamps.

 

[boojum]

If what you say here about Leica is true, then that feels very sad to me; like feeling abandoned by a lifelong friend. But it may not be the best explanation for Leica's slow service. It may not be easy for Leica to live up to our expectations. At the Leica annual meeting in St. Louis, now just about 20 years ago, Stefan Daniel (I hope I got his name right, I'm going by memory) explained in this way why this is true, when he said, "We are a small company with a big name." For that "small company" to have produced such a range of digital Leicas, as well a number of new lenses, in such a short time may have seriously strained their resources.

I think that if the production of luxury stuff helps provide extra income to keep Leica afloat, whether expensive watches or special editions of Leica cameras, it's a great strategy! It costs us photographers and photo hobbyists nothing, and keeps Leica going. The rich folks who support this line of luxury stuff are doing us a favor. I'm looking forward to a line of Leica $10,000 towel warmers. coffee pots, and solar garden lamps.

They are a small company because their prices are way out of line with the product. And the service is appalling. That will drive customers away, other than masochists. If they were interested the service would be better. And I hate to keep bringing up the M8 and M9 but they really screwed the pooch with them. Both good cameras with crappy electronics and poor after-sale support. That's how you lose customers.

I sent an old Sony A7M II back to the designated repair facility. I got phone support, back and forth over the problem, and the whole deal, including CLA was $150 and less than a week. Are you getting an idea they need to sell watches to stay in business? I am so sick of reading endless excuses about poor Leica support. I like mine. But if I have to get it done, Sony A7M III. And if it breaks, one, maybe two week turnaround. Photo quality?

​

 

[boojum]

I don't want to sound like a total sour ball on Leica. But the company is acting half-convinced about being on the camera business. Kaufmann, pardon, Herr Doktor Kaufmann, acts more like a true Kaufmann than a fellow interested in selling the best cameras in the world. He seems willing to put the Leica name on anything all the while letting the camera business wither. They sure do not act interested in support for their product. I had to email New Jersey three times just to get a response. That's not customer support, that an FU. OTOH the Sony designated out-of-warranty repair service in Windsor Locks, CT, called me a few times and held my hand all the way through a $150 repair job. So, tell me, who offers the better service?

This is not rocket surgery. I do like the cameras, I have four, and am very fond of the M9, But I dread ever having to send it to Leica for repair. It will be arrogance and delay. I figure any repair will take 6 to 12 months. Six days for Sony. Do the math.

 

[MrFujicaman]

Real men wear an original model G-Shock....

 

[alan davus]

So Leica outsources someone to make them watches, puts their name on them and makes a tidy little profit without having to expend time and resources in doing so. I don't have a problem with that as it's no skin off my nose.