Has "Flex Culture" spoiled certain brands?

any watch with 5000$ up. ap, patek, richard mille, rolex, and hublot 

I would disagree to a point, all the brands you mentioned I agree with that it's more for showing off these days. But if you see someone wearing a JLC or IWC it's likely they are more of an enthusiast than interested in showing off.  

yeah i shouldnt mention all watch with 5000$ up lol. when i mention to one of my friend that jlc reverso is my grail watch he said im nuts, its not popular brand bla bla bla. i guess nonenthusiast people judging watch from people whos flexing on instagram

Dude the Reverso is one of the best watches around, I tried one on recently and fell in love with it. JLC is one of the best of the best if you ask me

i wish one day i could buy it. lol

Richard Mille, clearly

Rolex.  Interest rates are rising, people gonna need their money back. 

You will, just save here and there you can do it :)

I'm curious to see with the whole "Watch Investment" thing whether or not the bubble will burst. Prices are rising and rising, can't go on like that forever surely. I'm no investment or even watch expert for that matter but how long can it go on for before it stagnates or crashes or something. 

I'm no financial expert but I've been around long enough now to identify an asset bubble.  People used cheap money the last 10 years to buy baubles, rates are now rising, lenders want their money back.

Real investments, like shares, maybe they will survive as they are productive.  Watches, and other assets?  Probably not.  Look at everything that's been sold off in the last year...

I would say yes, but only for a few select brands. I don't think you can separate Rolex from its image in popular culture, while a Lange und Söhne will probably be met with questions on how to pronounce that. Flex culture works better with objects that are more easily understood, such a large houses, fancy cars, foreign vacations or even cosmetic surgery.

If you try to flex with watches you are basically speaking an unfamiliar language. This is something even the wearer of the watch is often not aware of.  You can easily dress up an inexpensive but slightly flashy watch with a nice band, and many people will think it's expensive.

Apple watches also are a flex.  Those folks don't hang out here much though.

For me the person's attitude and interest is what makes the difference:

A real petrol head with a history in the hobby is able to appreciate a 911 and a Golf for what they are. Therefore I wouldn't consider it flexing if such a person posts pictures of expensive cars. And that's the same with watches.

However, in today's culture I'd claim that 80% of the people buying and posting pictures of APs and Rolexes are not into watches at all, but just use them as an accessory to demonstrate wealth and social status.

I agree tbh, but there are car brands that people buy where you think"oh you’re just showing off and probably aren't that interested in cars" buying a Lambo comes to mind. Easily recognised and everyone around you knows it's expensive, like Rolex. My friends who know precisely jacksh*t about watches know what Rolex is and that it's expensive. Not that Rolex can't be appreciated for a great watch but I agree most people who buy them buy to show off, or invest. 

People in general think Apple is a flex or some bs like that when everyone and their mum has an iPhone, or can get one. It's not exclusive at all so I really don't understand the elitism that comes with it.

I couldn't agree more. But outside of a few countries you will have a hard time impressing anybody with it. Or take the Credor Eichi: The near immaculate porcelain dial is painted by hand, and I would hardly believe it if I hadn't seen a a video of it. 

But it's impossible to flex with it, because pretty much nobody understands this. Online videos of non-watch-people trying to guess the value of watches are absolutely hilarious for that very reason. And this pretty much pertains to anything but Rolex.

You’re not wrong. 

Flexing is flexing, and you see it in just about anything. When I was in grad school, and later when I taught writing for Purdue,* people loved to flex (what they assumed was) their intelligence just as much as some people flex their watches or cars. Like @dorian_grey said, it’s all about your attitude. The actual object is completely arbitrary. 
 

*adjunct faculty at a regional campus, lest you think I’m flexing 😂

Maybe AP with the Royal Oak and Patek Philippe with the Nautilus but otherwise yeah I'm with you

Maybe it's a pet peeve of mine, I went to school with a lot of rich people and I was comparatively poor by comparison. And they would come in with their expensive clothes and cars that their parents bought them and would publicly show it off. I have no problem with people indulging and buying expensive things, it's how you go about it that irks me. Someone flexing a Rolex with no watch knowledge or icing one out to me is a big middle finger to everyone else. Like buying a supercar and just revving the engine everywhere cause you think you're the dogs bollocks. You can have lots of money and be down to earth about it, Keanu Reeves is an excellent example of this. 

The watch doesn't matter, but the person and the person's attitude does: If a person is flexing with a 100$ G-Shock that's as ridiculous as a person flexing with a 10k Rolex.

It's all about the mindset: In one case you are appreciating an object for what it is, what it stands for, the history behind it, the tradition, the skills, abilities and knowledge necessary to create it.

In the other case you don't care about all of that, you are merly trying to use the price tag to elevate your social status. By that it becomes a vulgar instrument to demonstrate wealth ... and that's just sad.

Vulgar is probably the best word I could use to describe that mindset. I've met many people who act like that, including one guy who's dad bought him a Datejust and this guy wore it to the gym. Yeah you aren't really a collector you just want everyone to know how much money you have 😑

I really only consider it flexing, if the watch is fake, and you're trying to look like a big shot.  You buy fakes for other people, you buy the real thing for yourself.

The guy probably wasn't a collector, and had no ambitions in that regard. I would also consider that there are people who have enough resources that a Rolex is just a beater watch. (In fact, that's more or less what this type of tool watch was originally intended to be.) 

I hope he wore it on something easy to clean. 😉

In this day and age of social media, do you really?

I just photo shop a fake on my wrist  :)

I would refer you to my previous comment where I state that there is nothing wrong with enjoying wealth. It is the way you handle it and portray yourself, money can change people and one of the most common traits is showing off. It's tasteless. and as @dorian_grey states, vulgar 

Im an outlier.  I don't do social media out side of this, another watch group, and the stitchdown premium discord 

Isn't your issue then with human behaviour and not brands?