[F]Retro watch stays here: Here’s why

There is a strong demand for products and experience from the past. Nostalgia longs for the good old days. The word “nostalgia” comes from the Greek words nostos (return) and argo (pain). That “pain” is felt today virtually everything from the baby boomer generation born between 1946 and 1964 to the alpha generation born after 2013. Reminisce and share memories. The nostalgia of vintage clothing, music, furniture and watches may have lived for a long time, as General Alpha is influenced by a melancholic family. But there is another possible scenario.

What does Generation X Watch Rubber have in common with Generation Z individuals? Perhaps it is fascinated by 1990s watches. According to market research firm The Harris Polly, Gen Z has been fascinated decades ago, especially in the 90s. My charm has come from that era, and it is a time when my interest in watches blossomed. I lived in a melancholy when I wrote the article “I want to go back to the 90s for a great watch,” and it made me feel better. It remembered all the amazing watches that helped me discover a completely new and endlessly fascinating universe. Does Gen Z nostalgic take a moment to nostalgia, a phenomenon sometimes called “faustalgia”?

Retro clocks are here to stay

Escape from reality is the answer. Nostalgia of the 1990s stems from a desire for a simpler, more internet age, a longing for reliability and concreteness, and a rebellion against the perceived pressures of a fast-paced digital age. The 1990s are an age of carefree fun in all fields, including fashion, film, television shows, design, culture, and we see it as an age of authentic and bold expression. What happened in the 1990s can now be used as a rebellion against the perceived conformity of the digital age. Back 30 years ago, Gen Z can find inspiration and create original personas without FOMO. Exploring financial difficulties and comfort can also be motivated. Economic difficulties, adaptation to adulthood, and global disruption lead to uncertainty. And that leads to nostalgia. This is a way to seek comfort and escape the harsh reality.

New vintage-inspired IWC Ingenieur

Another reason why Gen Z is Faustalgia in the 90s is that its products since then have a modern look and feel. The 30-year-old watch is considered vintage, but IWC Doppelchronograph Ref. 3711 or Omega Seamaster Professional 300m ref. 2531.80 is not quite different to the watches in the current collection either. That’s not what I can say about many watches from the 50s and 60s.

Tissot PRX 35mm

What about the 1980s?

As I witnessed at Fratero’s office, General X member elders also have soft spots for 1980s watches. However, 1980s watches are a little more camping, vulnerable, and less confident than the big, bold watches of the 1990s. This makes sense. Because the times were difficult right after the quartz crisis, mechanical watchmaking was working hard to create new identities.

Still, growing up in the 1980s was relatively easy. Capitalism in the second half of the 20th century reached its peak. People can easily find affordable housing, and the sense of belonging to the community remains strong, and benefited from steady technological advancements. The world shifted to peace with the end of the Cold War. If you’ve experienced this extremely vibrant era, will you feel positive again when you see a new watch with a 1980s vibe like a steel 34mm Tudor Royal or a golden 1980s vibe with a brown dial or a Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 35mm gold PVD?

Tudor Royal

#TBT

As mentioned earlier, the digital tools that millennials (also known as Generation Y) and Generation Z use to unravel, rediscover and share memories are a key factor in why they are often considered the most nostalgic generation. They grew up in technology and used social media to express their depressing feelings with hashtags like #TBT (Thursday’s throwback). Gen X lived in an age of positivism, but Millennials and Zers are the first cohort of modern history to inherit a world that feels brilliantly worse than what their parents and grandparents knew. Optimism was hit hard in the early 21st century. The September 11 attack shattered security ideas, and the 2008 financial crisis caused many to lose faith in economic stability. The rise of social media also created new forms of addiction and isolation, but political polarization intensified the division that began in the mid-2010s.

Blancpain Air Command

There are many reasons why millennials and Zoomers often feel nostalgic. It’s not because they make their distant past romantic or live in Faustalgia. No, that’s because the 1980s and 90s represent a time when life felt more hopeful and connected. Nostalgia is a response to a living experience of decline and uncertainty. It is a longing for stability and optimism that we think were once inevitable.

Omega Seamaster Professional 300m Ref. 2531.80 is a statement of design from the 90s

Future nostalgia

According to Harris polls, 67% of Gen Zers want to go back to the times before everything is “plug-in.” They go online, but internet fatigue is not a laughing matter. This is because it can have a negative impact on your mental health. But they search for items built to the end, such as cameras, record players, tape decks, and clocks. Buying a vintage watch requires a certain level of knowledge and a considerable amount of courage at first. In other words, it’s not for everyone. Fortunately, almost all luxury watch brands build on this by creating watches with past appearances built on modern standards. You give a name to the era. The 2025 catalog of self-esteem brands shows watches linked to it.

Can the Patek Philippe Cubitus be the ultimate generation of alpha nostalgic feelings watch?

Nothing indicates that the 2026 catalog is fundamentally different. Over time, people tend to become more risk-averse and think more traditionally. Now, Gen Z seems to be conservative before that time.

Longines Zulu Time Titanium

Generations unite!

In short, Gen Yers embrace hard work, career progression, and financial success. Generation Z continues to promote flexibility, self-employment and sustainability. This is an ambition that even millennials who are in touch with the times are talking to. With the creation of slow, but certainly retired people in the 50s and 60s, it’s up to millennials and Zers to set the pace for at least 20 years. A shared love for nostalgia may become an ideal pair for creating a better future for them. To do this, you first need to combine Generation Y’s work ethic with Generation Z’s efficiency, creativity and skills to maximize productivity from your home office laptop. The mix of sustainability care from both generations may bring great and positive things to happen in society around the world.

Frank/Futuristic Grand Tochio Tochio Lion Foldable

But it’s a tall order. Twenty years from now, the ongoing technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence and robotics, will likely shape the world. Furthermore, the continued impacts of climate change are also a continuing concern. That is, unless the Gen Y and Z Alliance finds a way to turn the ship around. A factor to consider is how various ongoing wars develop. And there are more things to consider. The US and China are probably still major global players, but will their strength balance 20 years from now? The political polarization and divisions promoted by social media platforms may continue to be challenging. It is an ideal climate for nostalgia to flourish, and therefore, for everything, including retro-style watches, it is all that comes with it.

Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT

Generation Alpha, what will happen?

What should we expect from our Generation Alpha members? If parents and siblings succeed in creating a stable and sustainable world where positivity rules, they don’t long for them to return when times get better, as they want to fully experience them, rather than run away from the time they live in. Optimism prepares them to enjoy, experiment and be fearless. The future is no longer a dark promise. Instead, it’s an opportunity to shape the world and everything in every way you want. It is an era of inventions that do not have the adverse side effects of addiction, and watch brands are trying something new.

The brand still preserves a century of watchmaking tradition, but instead of launching retro-style homage after another, it presents new designs that push envelopes. Fortunately, open-minded, optimistic customers want less. The black and pink TAG Heuer Monaco will do first.

Tags Heuer Monaco Chronograph Ref. CBL218B.FT6236

Alpha scenarios of another generation

But what if Gen Y and Z Alliance doesn’t succeed in creating a better place to live? In that case, generational alphas may turn out to be the biggest bundle of nostalgia the world has ever seen. Growing up from a young age on smartphones, artificial intelligence and social media, the immersion of the technology generation is deepening.

Heuer Monaco 73633b

The watch industry wants a part of it. Reaching digital native Gen Alpha online, continuing to interact offline without real voices and fake storytelling, providing qualitative, sustainable and engaging products is how to get it. Also, Generation Alpha has a solid shopping preference and knows that its members’ spending decisions are influenced primarily by parents who love retro watches, so the future of watchmaking is retro. Faustalgia will continue to bring “Fauxtina” to life.