One could almost see the
steampunk style as a kind of status symbol. For instance, in
Neal Stephenson's
Diamond Age, only the very rich could afford
real paper, let alone own
bespoke,
handcrafted clothing. Everyone else made do with
nano-assembled,
mass-produced materials which, while functionally equivalent and in some cases superior to a
handmade product, lacked the same sort of
status and
elegance.
WyldWynd pointed out to me that this is already true, to a certain degree. "Automatic" watches cost upwards of US$1000, whereas quartz movement watches are so cheap as to be nearly worthless, yet are smaller, more reliable and more accurate than a clockwork timepiece.
Why would anyone want to use a timepiece with an automatic movement, when quartz movement is cheaper and superior in every way? Simple -- status, and the knowledge that true artistry went into the making of that watch. The desire to keep craftsmanship alive is essential to the steampunk ideal. After all, if one makes use of mass-produced junk, why, one is no different from (and no "better" than) the rest of the rabble. Hence bespoke. Hence the reason why followers of the steampunk and NeoVictorian styles comb through vintage clothing stores, searching for unique (and genuine) relics of a bygone age, trying to find items which bespeak elegance, grace and individuality lost in the modern age. These same people occasionally, when they have the money, go to great expense to have items crafted specifically for them.
I'm going to Ecuador in March to pick up a trenchcoat and vest that I'm having made; one-of-a-kind items, made to my measurements. Here in the United States, this would be astronomically expensive, perhaps even impossible. In Ecuador, bespoke craftsmanship still lives, and for rather more... realistic prices. Gotta love those Third World economies.