Boot Dusseldorf, the world’s largest maritime fair held on land, is getting ready to open its doors. The heart of the maritime world will beat at the giant fair, which will open its doors on January 18, and sailboats, motor yachts, catamarans, sea toys, water jets will welcome participants and boat lovers from all over the world at the closed fair. Trainings such as diving and surfing will continue to be given in the indoor pool.
The participation of Turkish brands is also important. Sirena, Turkey’s brand that produces the most mass-produced motor yachts, will once again stand opposite its foreign competitors at the most eye-catching stand at the fair. Anadolu Group’s new project AIATA will have its world premiere in Germany. Italian and French brands will once again exhibit their brand new sailboats and motor yachts. I will also follow the fair from the ground and share my observations. Although it is always interesting that such a large land fair is being held in a landlocked country other than Hamburg, tourism and superyacht production are always important for Germany. Germany is a very experienced country, especially in the production of superyachts over 50 meters. On the sailboat side, there are well-established and mass-produced brands such as Hanse and Bavaria. For this reason, while the momentum of fairs around the world is decreasing, there has been no significant decline in the maritime fair in Germany so far. Boat owners want to see and feel before buying. Of course, as a sailor, although there are maritime fairs such as Istanbul, Cannes and Fort Lauderdale that always come to our mind, Germany does not seem to change this habit.
Name war between Porsche and Peugeot
There are very interesting developments and anecdotes in world automotive history. For example, the name of Porsche 911. While the German brand was making intense efforts to develop a new model in the late 1950s, it was looking for a predecessor to the current model 356. Prototypes never stopped. Everything was ready for the new model to take the stage. Introduced at the fair held in 1963, the 901 became the namesake of today’s 911. How? The German brand, which took the stage with the 901 and attracted a lot of attention, received a warning from the French Peugeot. At that time, Peugeot was producing cars with zero numbers among their model codes and they claimed that they had the right to use the 901 name. The Germans found a quick solution and added the number 1 instead of 0, and today’s legend, the star of wallpapers, 911, emerged. Although there are 911 models with different body codes produced since 1964, they all continue to be called 911. By the way, if you are a Porsche enthusiast, it would be beneficial to visit the museum in Stuttgart if possible, especially seeing the production phase of the specially produced models will increase your admiration.
Hours are increasing
Watch enthusiasts have become accustomed to the increased prices of brands in the last few years. Relative inflation in Europe, production costs and difficulties, and new pricing policies of brands are driving up prices, especially in high-end watchmaking, causing watch lovers to think twice about their purchases. Rolex, one of the most prestigious and well-known watch brands in the world, entered this year with a price increase, just like last year. With the rise in gold prices, prices increase up to 14% for gold models, 1-2% for platinum models, and 4-5% for other steel models.
Women turned to smart watches and vintage
A very interesting study about watches was published in November. While Deloitte continues to renew this research, which has shed serious light on the watchmaking industry for the last 5 years, 6000 customers and more than a hundred serious watch collectors were interviewed for the research. The results are important for the Swiss watch industry. In the November report called Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Study, it was concluded that women who are rising in business life are more interested in wristwatches, and they especially like vintage watches.
In the research conducted in 2020, 40% of the participants wore traditional watches (mechanical, quartz), while this rate decreased to 22% in the 2024 report.
The share of smart watches increased from 18% in 2020 to 33% in 2024.
Even though the budgets have increased by 10% compared to the previous evaluation, women’s hourly expenditures are lower than men’s, but the average hourly budget is set at between 500-5000 Dollars.
The average of women purchasing watches worth between 50-100,000 dollars is 2%, and this rate will be around 5% in 2023.
Again, women are especially influenced by social media and like to buy watches online. According to the research, a significant portion of women do not feel comfortable in watch boutiques, and there is an increase in the habit of women buying their own watches.
Source: www.dunya.com
