I don't know the space, but my first guess is it's a market for people with money to spend on luxury items that hasn't seen "disruption" yet. I can see why someone would take a shot at it.
I've had a few friends who were really into watches, and not like the high end bling bling type either.
They reminded me a lot of people I know who are really passionate about computer hardware. They knew everything about certain brands and their lines, their inner workings, how to fix them, how to get really obscure parts for the them, everything. And they wanted to share their information and talk to other knowledgeable people as well.
It's a pretty vibrant and interesting community. I'm not surprised he chose to get involved in the industry.
I recently got into watches and have been following the company they merged for a the past year or so. It's been an awesome resource for learning about the community and the craftsmanship behind mechanical watches. I recommend them to anyone who has an interest in watches, or just wants to see what the fuss is all about.
You're right about the passion relating to that of computer hardware. The first thing that really intrigued me about watches is the amount of craftsman ship and engineering that goes into making a complicated mechanical watch. As a software engineer, I find similarities in the watch engineering world - so I believe thats why it pulled me in so easily. It truly is an amazing example of human engineering at its best.
They reminded me a lot of people I know who are really passionate about computer hardware. They knew everything about certain brands and their lines, their inner workings, how to fix them, how to get really obscure parts for the them, everything. And they wanted to share their information and talk to other knowledgeable people as well.
It's a pretty vibrant and interesting community. I'm not surprised he chose to get involved in the industry.