The internet is just a passing fad too! 1000 years from now, none of us will need it...

(tongue firmly planted in cheek)

this is an ongoing discussion amonst a lot of us.

JCK magazine had a cover story "Are wrist watches dead" or something to that affect last month.

One prevailing theory is that while over all watch sales are down, this includes very very cheap watchs, quartz and such.

Many watch companies find sales very robust and many companies are so successful they cannot get enough movements from ETA, who more or less ration 2892A's and Valjoux 7750's.

Also, National Jeweler suggested just last month that steel watches were sharply UP!
"Sales of stainless steel watches within the $1,500-$9,999 price point jumped 22 percent from August 2005 to August 2006, creating a $1.2 billion market, according to information from the Luxury Goods Index (LGI), which tracks sales data from 6,800 retailers across the country.

"Steel has really picked up, and at this point, it is, by far, the biggest category in size and volume," LGI Chief Operating Officer Andrew Talbert says.

By contrast, gold watch sales in the same price category lagged behind, with 14-karat-gold watch sales decreasing 30 percent to $21.6 million, and 18-karat-gold watch sales dropping 7 percent to $70.4 million.

Talbert says that 14-karat-gold watches have declined for years, prompting several watch manufacturers to get out of the market altogether. Rising gold prices may have even pushed some 18-karat-gold watches beyond the study's $10,000-price-point threshold, he adds"

Jeff Hess