Is it worth spending or owning a luxury watch?

[GencoOliveOilCompany]

It's your money, bro; do with it as you see fit. If it's going to make you happy, don't deprive yourself; live life and enjoy it.

[RaiserLiebe]

I too had a terrific almost unquenchable lust for a Seamaster. But I was undecided because there are so many beautiful timepieces out there, and I wanted the "best. There are just too many other things I would (much) rather have for the $2,000+ price and the desire just faded away. A carbon fiber bike, a new stone patio, etc etc. In the end I never did buy it, and I am glad I did not. I just could not see owning such an easily stolen, delicate piece of machinery. I would have always been worrying about it (think Gollum and his "Precious" from Lord of the Rings).

Cheers.

[gegarrenton]

Everyone has already made some very good points. I would just reinforce the notion that if you aren't sure, you probably should hold off. It's significant money that could go to any number of practical uses. And if the time comes, it will always be there for you to get.

[cb91710]

In 1969 I bought my Rolex GMT for $250.00 today that watch is worth $3,000.00.
You tell me...Is it worth it?
I have 9 watches in my collection right now.

Nice.

Even after allowing for inflation, that's a 100% valuation increase.
$250 in 1969 would be just over $1400 in 2010.

[cb91710]

I wasn't saying it not being a matter of affording it or not. You've made it known you can. What I mean is will you regret spending that much money on a watch. :) If not, go for it.

This.

It depends on your lifestyle, and your "look"
Personally, I can look "right" wearing a fine watch in the right environment, but not normally. Working in the industry and social circles I do, if I were to wear a Rolex, people would assume that it's a fake (and at my last job, all 5 of my coworkers wore fake Rolexes that one of the sales guys brought back from China). This is one reason my "nice watch" is an Invicta Submariner style. It says "Invicta" on the face, the bezel is different, and has a large "INVICTA" engraved in the side of the case opposite the crown. It's not attempting to pass itself off as a Rolex, and anyone who sees it from closer than 5ft can clearly see that it is not a Rolex or copy.

Of course, a 2nd reason is I would trash a "nice watch". My everyday watch is a G-Shock and it's showing it's age at only 2 years.


A luxury watch is indeed a piece of jewelry. It happens to be functional, but it needs to fit the wearer and the wearer's lifestyle or it will look as out of place as a 5ct diamond ring on a waitress at a truck stop... everyone will assume that it's glass. Jewelry is a statement of a person's social class, and an Omega or 5ct diamond on me or my wife would be as out of place as a Swatch and pair of cutoff Levis on Donald Trump.
For me, $600 would be my absolute limit for a watch, just as I stick with $200 suits and shoes, $30 ties, and $60 whiskey.

[gegarrenton]

just as I stick with $200 suits and shoes, $30 ties, and $60 whiskey.

Well played sir!

[oc_in_fw]

This.

It depends on your lifestyle, and your "look"
Personally, I can look "right" wearing a fine watch in the right environment, but not normally. Working in the industry and social circles I do, if I were to wear a Rolex, people would assume that it's a fake (and at my last job, all 5 of my coworkers wore fake Rolexes that one of the sales guys brought back from China). This is one reason my "nice watch" is an Invicta Submariner style. It says "Invicta" on the face, the bezel is different, and has a large "INVICTA" engraved in the side of the case opposite the crown. It's not attempting to pass itself off as a Rolex, and anyone who sees it from closer than 5ft can clearly see that it is not a Rolex or copy.

Of course, a 2nd reason is I would trash a "nice watch". My everyday watch is a G-Shock and it's showing it's age at only 2 years.


A luxury watch is indeed a piece of jewelry. It happens to be functional, but it needs to fit the wearer and the wearer's lifestyle or it will look as out of place as a 5ct diamond ring on a waitress at a truck stop... everyone will assume that it's glass. Jewelry is a statement of a person's social class, and an Omega or 5ct diamond on me or my wife would be as out of place as a Swatch and pair of cutoff Levis on Donald Trump.
For me, $600 would be my absolute limit for a watch, just as I stick with $200 suits and shoes, $30 ties, and $60 whiskey.

Good point. In my current job (simulator maintenance) I would have plenty of opportunities to tear a watch up. Now, if I get that office job that is coming up soon, well then all bets are off

[little Big feather]

A Rolex GMT is a tool watch. I wore it in Nam. I wore it SCUBA diving, in the jungles of S.America chasing Cubans for three months non stop.
A Rolex can take anything you can do plus some. They are the toughest watches on earth. James Bond wore Rolex in the books as did Ian Fleming,
He didn't give his spy a Rolex because they were a luxury watch...He gave 007 a Rolex because they are tough. Sure Rolex makes solid gold watches.
But what made Rolex is how dependable and rugged they are as tools. I now own a new GMT IIc, I gave my first GMT to my oldest son.
The Submariner was the first dive watch...The GMT was designed for Pan-Am pilots.The Oyster was the worlds first waterproof watch, and the list goes on.
Rolex was the first to offer a complete watch line COSC (Certified chronometers) Meaning super accurate watches.

[Oblique Human]

If its good enough for Bond... but seriously, a good, decent watch is absolutely worth the investment.

[blantyre]

If you're thinking of it purely as an "investment" in the financial sense it's probably not a good idea. I realize that there are some legends that have gone up in value in an unpredictable way just as there are with certain cars, in general, especially now that mid-level watches have become a consumer commodity, I very much doubt that a watch will appreciate at all in real terms.

That said, I own about a dozen mid-level watches, mostly mechanical and I love them. They give me a lot of pleasure, they tell me the time almost as well as my cell phone and, not that I care that much, "make a statement". A watch is about the only legitimate male jewelery other than perhaps a ring IMO.

If you likek precision engineering and quality, a decent quality watch would be a very good "investment" IMO.

[cb91710]

Good point. In my current job (simulator maintenance) I would have plenty of opportunities to tear a watch up. Now, if I get that office job that is coming up soon, well then all bets are off

Same here.

I'm still doing field tech work until we can get the signal shop restaffed (hiring 3 new guys that need to get up to speed), but as the Traffic Signal Operations Specialist, I won't be doing any "shovel work" and the G-Shock is being replaced with an Eco-Drive Solar Atomic.
I'll still need atomic accuracy, but I LOVE analog watches, and none of the analog atomic G-Shocks have sweep second hands. The analog models that might have been acceptable were useless for the 5 minutes that the minute hand covered the end of the digital display.

[charger02]

I have no idea if at some point in my life I will have the cash to justify a "luxury watch" (perhaps when the kids have left the nest and the bills are reduced) but at the current junction it would be foolish to spend more than a couple hundred $$$ (and that is being generous) on a timepiece.

I suppose a fine automatic watch that has been well maintained throughout the years would be a fantastic gift to a son......but what is to say the young man would even appreciate it and not sell it to a pawn shop when times are tough? You can take a look at sites such as ebay or Watchrecon and find dozens of examples of luxury watches that are being sold for fast/easy cash.

Either way, my humble opinion is to buy what you can afford and if it happens to be an heirloom so be it. If not enjoy what you have on your wrist and don't worry about if it is an investment.

[EL Alamein]

I can only offer my personal experience: Since I was eighteen I've worn a 1959 Omega Seamaster and it has served me well. I've had it overhauled a few times and it keeps on giving superlative service. I will probably be buried with it.

But I am the type who can live with just one watch which makes a difference to some guys.

Chris

[misterelie]

I was looking at an old Omega Speedmaster myself. I've never owned a luxury watch, but I'm gradually upping the quality of many of my personal possessions as I get tired of replacing junk with regular frequency. I too, am much more of a believer in buying these things used, however. The depreciation is taken care of the first couple of years, and no one notices. Usually, the quality is still there, especially on a watch, and if not, you still save a lot getting it fixed. Was looking at a Speedmaster from the late 60's or early 70's. One day....one day.

[anbu]

Thanks guys. Maybe I'll just hold off for now. All where really helpful advice and I thank you for that.

It's getting dangerous since I am starting to lean on the planet ocean more instead of the smp-c.

[sgtbash999]

Really expensive watches aren't for me - I think I'd worry too much about it getting scratched / damaged or worse still - stolen. I'd probably be checking my wrist every 5 minutes making sure its still there!

Also I don't think a flashy watch would suit me at all. If I rocked up in my local pub with a Breitling, Rolex, Omega etc then everyone would assume it was fake (they'd probably be right too lol). Just couldn't imagine paying £3,000 (GBP) for a Rolex or similar as I'd rather put that kind of wedge towards something else.

My last watch was a cheap Firetrap one that I only paid £35.00 for. I wore it everyday for over 2 yrs without any issue. It still runs & keeps great time now but unfortunately I broke the crown off it one day whilst out on the booze so now I can't alter the date / time etc. that's the only reason that I bought a new watch because getting the crown fixed & having a new leather strap would cost more than what I paid for it in the first place so wasn't worth it.

My new watch is an Invicta 3330 'Lefty' from the Force collection. I know Invicta has a bad name but so far so good - hasn't missed a beat. It's the look of the watch that caught my eye more than anything else. As long as it looks good & keeps good time then that's good enough for me and I'm not worried about bashing it about cos it didn't cost the earth (about £90 GBP).

Wathes are personal items so as long as you're happy with what's on your wrist then nothing else matters

[Griffo]

It all depends on what you feel like when you try it on.

don't just look at pictures. The most amazing watch can actually feel wrong once it's on your wrist.

I have my two Oris but I'm wearing a Seiko diver today. £325, automatic movement, keeps great time and very well made. It's a great watch for all day at work. something like this may be worth trying first to see what you think of owning an automatic watch. You may find you don't want anything else afterward and you may find watching that second hand sweep elegantly round the face is hypnotic and hearing the watch tick whenyou put it up to your ear is sweet.

For me watches MUST be tried on first. The Oris I bought first is a classic dress watch with a leather strap and all my other watches I've ever owned were chronos or diver and all quartz - i never liked leather straps or dress watches. The minute that watch was on my wrist in the shop my other commented afterwards telling me that the smile on my face she knew I was handing the money over.

this should be the reason why you part with your money - the feeling it gives you. Not for an investment or for what your mates will think of you but how it makes you feel.

If you don't get that feeling then save your money and enjoy it elsewhere.

[USCGME3]

I got a heck of a deal on a Breitling Avenger SeaWolf about 7 years back and I have not regretted this purchase once. Men have very few options when it comes to accessories and I believe that a good watch really stands out and is a great investment. I say go for it if it is something you have been coveting for some time...you only live once, and the watch will live on as a special piece for a family member some day (I'll begrudgingly give up my Breitling to a family member in about another 60 years or so when they wrench it off my wrist after my viewing).

[Doc4]

IMO it's as simple as looking at your wrist and saying either:
"why the $&#%+* did I spend money on this??"
Or
"i love my watch"

If you are thinking now that you will say the first thing, then don't bother wasting your money.

Bingo.

I do have the money plus it's my bday today and I have a chance to get a good deal on a new omega watch (new for warranty purposes and first luxury watch). But when I weight the pros and cons, it's almost equal and hard for me to justify.

Maybe bec. it's the first time I'm buying something very expensive that I really don't need it but just want it. Something like that. I don't normally buy stuff unless I think it over alot of times and if I really need it.

A very sound approach.

Recently, my passion of watches has awakened. I used to love watches when I was a kid, but it just disappeared when I was growing up. It didn't awakened until I was looking to replace my 10 yrs old g-shock (first watch with my paycheck) and got a skx007 (2 months ago). And you know how it goes when you hang in forums lol.

Wait a bit and see if the passion stays, of if it's just an echo from the past.

If my relatives are gonna find out, they gonna say, what the hell you spend that much money on a watch. So that's one of the things holding me back.

As much as you want to tell them to mind their own bidness, you won't. You will politely and with a bit of your passion poking through that you wanted to ... finally ... one a piece of "the finer stuff" in life, that goes beyond mere "cheap & adequate" and verges on Art.

All those replies were really helpful. I ask those questions too. So my next step was to try and ask for an advice from a good community that help me learned wetshaving.

Thanks guys. Maybe I'll just hold off for now. All where really helpful advice and I thank you for that.

It's getting dangerous since I am starting to lean on the planet ocean more instead of the smp-c.

Good.

Wait for a bit. Make sure this is what you really want: both "do I really want to spend this much money on a watch?" ... and "do I really want to spend this much money on this watch?" I would hate to have that many thousands of dollars dangling at the end of my wrist in a fragile package, just waiting for that one moment of inattention when I bang it into lord knows what ...

[FrankC]

I was in the same boat a yer or so ago...ended up with an omega planet ocean and have loved it every time I wear it. Haven't regretted it yet.