I can’t bring myself to consider paying more than 500 bucks for a watch.
I got my Marlin for a song on clearance for $11.00. Now…I know that is a fluke and I was just in the right place (Walmart) at the right time. No arguments there. But so far, it has been such a stylish, comfortable and accurate addition to my collection that I just can’t envision dropping a lot of money on any new watch in the future. I mean…I haven’t worn it for about a month and it has only gained one second.
This Tudor BB58 lists for $3625. It’s a beautiful watch no doubt. The hands are what really make it in my opinion. But my Marlin resembles this Tudor closely enough that I feel it would be like me dropping money into a pocket with a hole in it if I ever made the herculean leap to buy one.
Back in the good old 80’s, Chrysler ran an ad campaign comparing the front end of a K Car to that of a Mercedes 240…noting how similar they looked. The ad’s consensus was that it made the K Car just as desirable though retailing at a vastly-lower price. Yes…it was a bit absurd and there was a waft of a rancid stench of embellishment in the air from this claim. But, I did drive a light blue Plymouth Reliant from 1987 to 1989 all around the wilds of Alaska — often in deep snow — and the 4 cylinder vermin never got stuck once. Though I will say the front fabric bench was a little too springy for me. But…I digress.
To get to the point of my query: Why spend so much more for a watch like the Tudor when you can get something like a Casio Marlin for far less…with no loss of reliance or accuracy?
After all, even Dale Griffith the shower curtain ring guy had some pretty good insight about this.
Am I just cheap, or missing something? Or is paying a boat-load for a watch a bit excessive despite one’s income level?
Time dictates my linear path to its bitter end. My watches keep me one step ahead of time…and one foot out of the grave.
There's a happy medium between $11 dollars and $5,000 where you are maximizing the value of what you're putting into the watch. A Hamilton Khaki Field Auto is worth every dollar of the $500 you're spending (more, in fact) - but that ratio of value/dollar does plateau before you get into the luxury watch world.
There's a happy medium between $11 dollars and $5,000 where you are maximizing the value of what you're putting into the watch. A Hamilton Khaki Field Auto is worth every dollar of the $500 you're spending (more, in fact) - but that ratio of value/dollar does plateau before you get into the luxury watch world.
I do agree about the Khaki. Heritage can go a long way when it comes to value.
Yes and no. Most of us have a grail watch and usually they are expensive. I have mostly affordable watches, to me that's under £150. I might spend a bit more for the odd watch. I do have a couple of expensive watches and appreciate the quality etc. I also have a Duro/Marlin as well. I put sapphire and changed the strap, but even stock its a cracking watch, I wear it more than my expensive ones and enjoy the watch just as much, if not more, as I appreciate the quality/price. Now when I look at expensive watches they are getting hard to justify. What has changed for me is that quite a few of the micro brands have upped their game so much that spending 10 times more seems daft. But I guess it depends on how much disposable income you have.
Haha, I had a light blue Reliant K with that amazing, bulletproof 2.2L engine. It got me where I needed to go. Even had a bench front seat!
I feel as you do about spending over $500 on a watch. If you saw my recent post about my birthday present from my wife - a trip to Germany - and wanting to buy a watch there under $2000...that is going to be an exception. I know how expensive a nice German watch can be and I wanted to mark the occasion in my collection. If I find one much cheaper you can bet I'll buy it!
But I suppose if one is a wealthy man, one can buy watches like we buy hamburgers.
Same, it’s hard to fathom dropping a huge bag of cash for what essentially is a nice to have, but unnecessary piece of stuff. That being said, we all like shiny things so everyone will have a different tolerance or appetite for spending.
Yes and no. Most of us have a grail watch and usually they are expensive. I have mostly affordable watches, to me that's under £150. I might spend a bit more for the odd watch. I do have a couple of expensive watches and appreciate the quality etc. I also have a Duro/Marlin as well. I put sapphire and changed the strap, but even stock its a cracking watch, I wear it more than my expensive ones and enjoy the watch just as much, if not more, as I appreciate the quality/price. Now when I look at expensive watches they are getting hard to justify. What has changed for me is that quite a few of the micro brands have upped their game so much that spending 10 times more seems daft. But I guess it depends on how much disposable income you have.
Good point. I have a couple of Islanders with sapphire glass, really nice solid link bracelets and great finishing for far less than what one could only get in a lofty luxury brand. I believe this to be a welcome renaissance in the watch world.
Haha, I had a light blue Reliant K with that amazing, bulletproof 2.2L engine. It got me where I needed to go. Even had a bench front seat!
I feel as you do about spending over $500 on a watch. If you saw my recent post about my birthday present from my wife - a trip to Germany - and wanting to buy a watch there under $2000...that is going to be an exception. I know how expensive a nice German watch can be and I wanted to mark the occasion in my collection. If I find one much cheaper you can bet I'll buy it!
But I suppose if one is a wealthy man, one can buy watches like we buy hamburgers.
All hail the K Car indeed! As for hamburgers…give me the Double QPC any day.
I get you totally. Myself right now I'm wondering whether to buy or not the newly released Imperial Watch Royal Guard 200 for 400$... but hesitate since I also have another though as nails 70$ divers that does a great job, which is the Invicta Pro diver that sports the same NH35 movement.
Same for the Lorier Gemini... I LOVE Lorier watches (got myself 3 of them in 6 months - Zephyr, Hyperion and Falcon), but I could get a Sugges Panda dialed chronograph with the same ST19 movement for roughly 150$ rather than 500$.
The thing for Imperial and Lorier (and also Islander that I bought recently) though, at least for myself, is that they are microbrands and I really like to do business at a smaller level, where your contact is directly with the founders and it mostly funds their passion rather than their mansion.
Good point. I have a couple of Islanders with sapphire glass, really nice solid link bracelets and great finishing for far less than what one could only get in a lofty luxury brand. I believe this to be a welcome renaissance in the watch world.
Islanders on my wish list, not sure which ones as they seem to bring new ones out monthly ! They look class, not sure why anyone would spend much more. What was the body style on your Plymouth Reliant?
I get you totally. Myself right now I'm wondering whether to buy or not the newly released Imperial Watch Royal Guard 200 for 400$... but hesitate since I also have another though as nails 70$ divers that does a great job, which is the Invicta Pro diver that sports the same NH35 movement.
Same for the Lorier Gemini... I LOVE Lorier watches (got myself 3 of them in 6 months - Zephyr, Hyperion and Falcon), but I could get a Sugges Panda dialed chronograph with the same ST19 movement for roughly 150$ rather than 500$.
The thing for Imperial and Lorier (and also Islander that I bought recently) though, at least for myself, is that they are microbrands and I really like to do business at a smaller level, where your contact is directly with the founders and it mostly funds their passion rather than their mansion.
True that. I had an issue with my Islander Bethpage and Marc jumped on it like a toad on a log and replaced the movement (shipped out and back to me) in two weeks. I made a post on it. It was some of the best and most responsive customer service I’ve ever had…I’m sure due to his relatively lean and mean business.
Islanders on my wish list, not sure which ones as they seem to bring new ones out monthly ! They look class, not sure why anyone would spend much more. What was the body style on your Plymouth Reliant?
It was a 1987 4 door sedan. Sort of a misty light blue with blue cloth interior, bench seats, and a rough-sounding but tenacious little 2.2 liter (I think) 4-banger that put out go-cart level horse power. But man…I’d drift around the roads of Alaska in pile-deep snow in confidence. It was the weirdest econobox that has left a more indelible mark in my memories than most any other car I have owned since then.
It was a 1987 4 door sedan. Sort of a misty light blue with blue cloth interior, bench seats, and a rough-sounding but tenacious little 2.2 liter (I think) 4-banger that put out go-cart level horse power. But man…I’d drift around the roads of Alaska in pile-deep snow in confidence. It was the weirdest econobox that has left a more indelible mark in my memories than most any other car I have owned since then.
Cheers for the info, As well as watches love cars, and even though from the UK have always followed US cars also.
All collectors have a different view of collecting and they're all right.
Now, about that little Casio keyboard, how long have you had it?
I recall buying one- about 40 years ago!
I also like good value. I agree that you rapidly hit diminishing returns over $500. I own only one watch worth more than that and still reckon it was good value because:
It's got a complicated movement - an automatic triple calendar moonphase chronograph.
It's solid gold and the current melt value of the gold is 75% of the price I paid for the watch (used). The gold price will fluctuate but it's still a nice insurance policy against the watch losing too much value in future.
This is something I have been struggling with as well, my most expensive watch to date has been a Cincinnati Watch Company field watch on pre-sale for $450, I love it, it’s basic but has a Selita SW200 adjusted to 5 position documented at running +2 sec/day. My problem has been that for years I’ve loved the Oris Pointer date which runs ~$1300-1800 for the styles I like, but it’s ran by practically the same SW200. It’s hard to say that a pointer date complication is worth an $850 markup.
Did you get the royalguard in the end?
No I decided to wait for another “round”. I just purchased 3 Loriers and one Islander in the last half year so I’ll wait.
I'll throw out one other idea too:
I could very easily have saved and purchased one expensive watch plus one or two affordables. I also am at a point in my career where something like a Tudor, Sinn, Rolex, GS, etc are actually obtainable within a realistic time frame by setting aside my pocket money.
But I actually enjoy supporting the little guy. I enjoy being different. I don't snidely believe my micro's are the same watch as something thousands more, I'm really just a closet hipster that enjoys finding off the beaten path watches.
Amongst enthusiast, my collection aren't really that obscure, but amongst the gen pop, no one knows what a Lorier/Helm/Zelos is.
The few rare times I've been asked what brand it is, it actually sparked some interest in watches. Said coworker came home with a Hamilton, followed the next year by a Tudor, lol. But there is no accounting for taste..... 😂😜🫠. (JK)
Nice price! I’ve got two gold and all black. My advice because the strap is a bit hard put a French marine elastic nato trap on it. Very comfortable you can get them off eBay or AliExpress for a couple of quid.
On paper buying a watch over $500 does not add up at all. I don’t do it; well my max is $1000 but that’s Canadian so more like $750 US. However, watch collecting is a hobby of well the heart and rational thinking should not and does not apply lol.
Someday I may see that $4000 watch that I fall in love with and I’ll buy it with zero guilt but until then I’ll keep modding and restoring my sub $500 pieces.
Why buy anything high quality when you can just get a cheap Chinese copy for dirt cheap??? Once I got my first Rolex I understood why they cost thousands and they are worth it, I never wear my cheap Seikos anymore, the solid build, design, heritage, accuracy and you feel special going through life with a expensive high quality watch... I started making more money after I got my first Rolex, they tend to pay for themselves...
And quartz are not that accurate, my gym and running g-shock is always a couple minutes off after a couple months, all my quartz shitters lose/gain minutes per month... The only super accurate quartz is like the Grand Seiko 9F movement which is still a couple grand to get, or that Citizen that is accurate to 1 second per year
Not seen a Casio VL-Tone since the early 80s........
Why buy anything high quality when you can just get a cheap Chinese copy for dirt cheap??? Once I got my first Rolex I understood why they cost thousands and they are worth it, I never wear my cheap Seikos anymore, the solid build, design, heritage, accuracy and you feel special going through life with a expensive high quality watch... I started making more money after I got my first Rolex, they tend to pay for themselves...
And quartz are not that accurate, my gym and running g-shock is always a couple minutes off after a couple months, all my quartz shitters lose/gain minutes per month... The only super accurate quartz is like the Grand Seiko 9F movement which is still a couple grand to get, or that Citizen that is accurate to 1 second per year
"Why buy anything high quality when you can just get a cheap Chinese copy for dirt cheap???"
Poverty.
Unless it has a specific purpose, any watch that costs more than a F-91W is not worth it on paper.
Instead treat it as a jewelry and a luxury, which it is.
It just depends what you like. For me, I like what I like and it cost what it cost. I have a mix of Casio ( my favorite) Rolex and Omega. A lot of it is emotional - how it makes you feel. History , art, engineering, expression, achievement , design and value are components I look at and if I wear a watch it checks these boxes or most of them them I go for it. When I was younger even the idea of owning a watch was foreign. As we age we change as do our taste. I’ve had over 300 affordable watches at one point and ended up very unhappy ( and ironically lost a lot of money ) I’m down to 5 watches that go from $12 to $9000 and I love them all - who knows years from now I’ll change again. Watch collecting has no rules , no logic only personal meaning and happiness which is why I think it’s a great hobby
THIS . . . I see a lot of posters here that have MASSIVE collections and are champions for the affordable watch (however you might define that) . . . but when you look at the money that they might have spent (+ likely little to no resale value for many pieces) vs. someone with a small but curated more expensive collection? Sure, there still might be a gap b/c some watches are just damn expensive . . . but the gap might not be as large as you would have thought. Still, it's two different philosophies and as someone else noted . . . everyone is right . . . or is at least on the road with mistakes toward their version of right for their likes and circumstances.
This type of post is exactly why, after something like 13 or 14 years contributing to watch forums, I barely even look at these things any longer. Here we are in a hobby that consists of people basically buying things, yet some complain about the price of things that some of us like to buy. And they do it over. And over. And over.
I'll be succinct: If some hobbyists are of the belief that "my cheap watch is well good enough," hey, that's fine as a mindset. But to bring that view of the hobby on a forum where many people prefer many different types of timepieces makes less than no sense to me. You're never going to convince anyone that you're doing the right and smart thing. The only thing it actually reveals is frugality. Nothing wrong with that, not at all. But it's also irrelevant in a hobby where the largest segment of buyers is in the luxury category.
Once again, people moan and grown about things they can't afford or don't like simply because they cost a lot, even if quality and design are part of that cost. Makes no sense on a hobby forum, not in the least. It's like walking into a London Jewelers (a watch and jewelry chain on the East Coast), and proclaiming to the sales people that "this stuff is too expensive, I'll never buy any of this."
So why bother to walk in, in the first place? And why bother to join a watch forum to complain about the price of watches?
Some things I'll never grasp.
This type of post is exactly why, after something like 13 or 14 years contributing to watch forums, I barely even look at these things any longer. Here we are in a hobby that consists of people basically buying things, yet some complain about the price of things that some of us like to buy. And they do it over. And over. And over.
I'll be succinct: If some hobbyists are of the belief that "my cheap watch is well good enough," hey, that's fine as a mindset. But to bring that view of the hobby on a forum where many people prefer many different types of timepieces makes less than no sense to me. You're never going to convince anyone that you're doing the right and smart thing. The only thing it actually reveals is frugality. Nothing wrong with that, not at all. But it's also irrelevant in a hobby where the largest segment of buyers is in the luxury category.
Once again, people moan and grown about things they can't afford or don't like simply because they cost a lot, even if quality and design are part of that cost. Makes no sense on a hobby forum, not in the least. It's like walking into a London Jewelers (a watch and jewelry chain on the East Coast), and proclaiming to the sales people that "this stuff is too expensive, I'll never buy any of this."
So why bother to walk in, in the first place? And why bother to join a watch forum to complain about the price of watches?
Some things I'll never grasp.
No complaining here. I Just appreciate the logical scenario that there is not enough difference in the quality and mechanism between a $500 watch and a $5000 watch. My opinion of course. But then again…that’s the beauty of enjoying one’s freedom of opinion.
Cheers for the info, As well as watches love cars, and even though from the UK have always followed US cars also.
The Chrysler K car., The car that made you wonder what cars A through J were like! (80's Joke)
It's a trap, run for your lives while you still can 😱
I would agree, but when it comes to cheaper mechanical watches I believe that spending up to 500$ is an ok thing to do if you enjoy the mechanical side of it, anything above that is maybe too much for me.
Simple pay what you are happy to pay 👍🏻