The New York Times

To Enjoy a Luxury Watch, You Don’t Really Need to Own It

To Enjoy a Luxury Watch, You Don’t Really Need to Own It

A watch rental market is emerging among major brands as a way to engage with a younger generation that is squeamish about buying.

  • June 18, 2021
  • min read

The New York Times

To Enjoy a Luxury Watch, You Don’t Really Need to Own It

It’s early days, but there are signs that a new luxury watch rental market led by the brands is coming. According to the market research company Bain & Company, rentals could account for 10 percent of luxury brand revenues by 2030. Now, it says, is the time for brands to engage with subscription culture and “generation rent,” a growing number of young people less inclined to spend money on high-priced luxury goods.

“Something is changing in the way consumers think about and interact with luxury products,” said Claudia D’Arpizio, a partner at Bain and co-author of LuxCo 2030: A Vision of Sustainable Luxury. “The willingness of the younger generation to embrace renting and secondhand is very high. The shift from owning to having an experience is super strong.”

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