Buying Preferences

Clearly some very significant associations create a desirability.  Those that come to mind are those relating to space or motor racing. But also there is the Mondaine stop 2 go watch which has a charm in respect to the ubiquity of the Swiss railways clocks. But for the most part, I think heritage, specs, design and  quality play a bigger part for most of us in this community.

I'm not interested in limited editions that claim to save the environment or help country X.  If those watches look good, I may buy, but it won't be because they say they'll save something/somebody.  I'm just too old and cynical to think Oris is going to make a dent in the damage we've done to the ocean.  Maybe they mean well, but I think it's about making money more than helping anyone.  It's at least true that it has to make financial sense or it won't get done.

I can't quantify how I decide what to buy, but whatever the factors, dogooder-ism isn't one of them.

EDIT: I should mention that I'm a sucker for Omega's claim to space heritage.  I'm not immune to a good story, I just don't believe you when you say you'll save the ocean with a watch.

If it looks good and great price I’ll buy it… then that’s me... so count me out of if this paradox … 😩😵‍💫😱😂

I'm pretty immune to it tbh, notable exceptions are where a goodly chunk of profits go to a sensible charity link i.e. Farer donating a chunk of profits from their Aqua Compressor series to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin trust - the watches are excellent in their own right, and it's actual profit diverted for a cause that (most) people who'd buy an Aqua comp might care about. 

the Oris NY harbour also stands up well - it's a fine watch in it's own right, and again, it's a good affinity cause.  

However, most 'recycled' materials models are just hype - not that attractive and no real benefit. don't start me on bioceramic (looking at you, Omega!)

Sometimes I might buy a watch simply to support an upcoming watchmaker who's work I like. Otherwise, it's all about horology, design, style and quality for me. 

Or do you mean Swatch?? 😅🤔

I appreciate it when a company tries to align itself with a good cause. While some will argue that the watches are designed to make more money for the watch company than the cause they are aiming to support, I think the exposure these brands can offer is just as, if not more, valuable than the monetary contributions they receive. In the end, the watch company needs to make money and has no obligation to try to give back or support noteworthy causes. So kudos to those that are at least willing to try. 

Yes I believe it works for company's. Or they wouldn't do it. 

I have definitely been quilty of buying things from brands who sponsored sports teams or events I aligned myself with.

Or in Oris case with the environmental issues we all face, so yes I feel like I want to support brands if they support things I like.

With war such as the Ukrainian conflict this has definitely had an influence on my buying , I won't be buying anything Russian for a long time if ever, even if I wanted to. 

That depend on which issues, how much I'm invested in them emotionally and how do I feel about the honesty behind the gesture.

If I'll tackle the two issues you mentioned then the gestures from the brands are laughable at best. The war in Ukraine is on the other side of the scale because the GF happens to be from there, but I also don't believe that refraining from wearing my Vostoks is helping. 

Thanks - I feel the same.  If there is a historical connection with something I care about (motor racing) then that would certainly impact my choices.

Yeah likely meaningful impact is small so then - if you care about the root cause - it becomes about a signal value.  People certainly use watches to signal all sorts of things (wealth, class, taste, seriousness...) and perhaps signaling that you care about a certain cause also could happen.  But watches may not be a terribly good way to signal that...

I share the lane you are in - it may impact me at the margin with a few exceptions.  I bought a watch from an upstart in Ukraine before the war started because of the design and value proposition - and a tie to a book I really love - but now I find myself valuing the watch even more and want to support his next creation.

That summed up well what drove me to pose the question.  Wanted to frame it w/out diving into politics and issues that have been politicized, but increasingly I've been valuing good cause connections more than I used to.  The watch itself must appeal to me, but this added bonus is becoming more significant...

That last one was on my mind when I posted this.  I have a Horizon diver from a guy who is in Ukraine - supported his kickstarter because I liked the watch and his connection with Zelos, but then the war hit and I have valued the watch and my support of him even more.  And I'll have a hard time picking up a Russian watch these days...

Laughable?  A company like Oris does have to weigh how big a hit to their profits to take support and promote a cause, but the fact that they are doing something should count beyond laughable (unless you want to be cynical and think it is a straight marketing ploy and they could care less about the environment, or Farer about their specific causes).  

Completely agree that whether you wear your Vostoks impacts the support or outcome of the war has no impact, but my question is does it matter to you?  Do you look at them differently now - would reconsider buying another?  That is what I was wondering about.  Maybe it ultimately is about virtue signaling via watches, but watches serve as an important signal for all sorts of things already.  Just wondering how far it extends...

Yes it's laughable because greenwashing a consumer's product to make us feel better about buying it is a scam. For me this is the equivalent of a company promoting the sales of filtered cigarettes to fight lung cancer.

Likewise. I was able to secure a new LE from Oris that was very appealing to me but the outreached associated with the watch was a nice cherry on top. 

Of course in the first case the scam doesn't cause lung cancer like the latter so not sure it is equivalent.  And while companies certainly have a lot of marketing gimmicks, and the watch world is not immune, I'm not sure what evidence you have that the folks at Oris could care less about the NY harbor and just put the watch together to scam potential customers.  IDK... maybe the real reason is that it is a niche that they would like to play a small part of because they, you know, actually care...

It's not virtue signalling from my perspective, I just won't support the economy of our enemies.

I hear that...