Expectations and perceptions

My thoughts align with yours. I've handled expensive watches, they didn't impress me enough to spend the required money. Not to say they weren't good, just not sufficiently impressive enough for the money in my opinion.

The problem is, once the watchmakers reach a certain level of quality, the incremental improvements lead to costs rising exponentially.

Some people appreciate the watchmakers who go the extra mile and are willing to pay for that.

I've seen the hand finishing involved, but a lot of it is hidden. Chronoglide has demonstrated this, the underside of bridges are hand finished, even though only someone servicing the watch would see it. 😱 But that's the wonderful weirdness of horology.

In life you get what you pay for, period. There are pockets of value and unobtainable. I can go to Chili’s and get two steaks, apps, and desserts for about $30. Or I can go to Mastro’s and pay $75 just for a dry age steak not including apps and sides. If I want a steak, I am going to nicer place every single time.

You seem to appreciate BMW bikes (as one should, they are awesome), but one can buy a Chinese made Moto S450RR for a fraction of the price. They are both bikes right? Well, as you know, no, they are not the same.

This is the same for watches. You may not appreciate it, but there is a significant difference in say a $200 Ali Express vs. a $10K GO SeaQ. I appreciate and enjoy that inexpensive watches exist, but I am grateful I can enjoy the ones that have significant steps up in materials, craftsmanship, reliability, and uniqueness.

As with any hobby, one may not appreciate all sides of the hobby, but like with bikes, the more one gets into the individual components, the higher the bar gets. Just because high bars exist, does not mean one cannot still love the simplicity of a Honda Shadow 250.

@AllTheWatches hit the proverbial nail on the head.

I think that it boils down to the value you place on a specific item (whether that be a watch, a bike or a meal) as well as your own personal financial situation. As a bike enthusiast, the BMW may be the better choice, but for someone simply looking to get from point A to point B for the lowest possible cost, the Moto may make more sense. If your pockets are deep enough, the BMW may still be a good choice even if you view it simply as transportation, but if you have to stretch to afford it, not so much.

I'm not knocking anyone's choice. It's great to be able to buy a high end luxury watch if one can afford to. We all have different priorities and budgets. It's just my personal viewpoint based upon my background and up bringing.

Not that I remember much about it, but my parents rented rooms in a house. First house they bought... (They only ever had two.) This was a terraced house built in 1914. Sash windows, chimneys. Paraffin heater in the kitchen, bath nights, the heater would go upstairs to the bathroom.

In winter, inside of my bedroom window would be covered in frost.

As a child, Portsmouth still had bombsite from Ww2. These were areas where there were just the remnants of the foundations of bombed houses. At the time it was just a phrase, without any real meaning.

Parents didn't have a car.

I'm rambling, but you see the point I'm making. My past experiences make me what I am. Parting with money to buy something frivolous has only come to me quite recently. The BMW bike in 2004, at the time was a lot of money. (£7000!) It's still the most I've ever spent on a vehicle, also the longest time of ownership, and nearly twice as many miles as any other vehicle I've owned.

Hmm, where did that diatribe come from🙄

Just like a motel in Hawaii vs. a resort in Hawaii: you get to enjoy Hawaii in either one; both accomplish the overall intent.

It really does all boil down to individual priorities.

I've come to the conclusion that the true luxury in watches is the sheer amount of options available in which to showcase those priorities.

From technical point of view, since you're an engineer, you're totally correct. Today with all the engineering marvel possessed by the chinese you can easily get a $200-300 watch on Aliexpress that can stand its ground against watches 10x its price in the matter of specs & finishing quality.

But aside from specs & finishing quality some folks also look for brand heritage, horological history, etc.. so i think it's just a matter of personal preferences.

Personally, since i'm a cheapskate on tight budget with lots of bills to pay & lack any interest on brand heritage, i definitely stand with you on this matter 😄🍻

The reason you are paying more for expensive watches is name, history, marketing, technology/complications and human hands on time. The law of diminishing returns applies to most things and realistically once you get to within cosc parameters everything else is superficial. It's OK to appreciate quality without it being personally worth purchasing.

I recently started a similar thread. I have a Rolex OP and Tudor BB36. Both cost many times more than a San Martin homage, but in reality neither are that much better