How much more do you get with luxury?

What I like in watches:

• rich history (something to talk about)
• superb quality & good finishing 
• craftsmanship/handwork
• reliability 

An Omega offers me all those points, a Christopher Ward doesn’t, an IWC does, a Seiko 5 Sports doesn’t.

It‘s as simple as that. I used to buy „cheaper“ watches, but there was always something missing and I ended up reselling those with a loss. Since I save money for the watches that I really like, that tick all the above boxes, I’m much more satisfied with my decisions and this hobby in general.

Great talking point! I would say other than what has been already mentioned, it boils down to what you are willing to pay for a piece and the value it has to you the owner. If one is trying to appease others, and that is your thing, just get a hyped watch end of story. If you want craftmanship and attention to detail get a Patek or Lange, it will keep you intrigued for years. If you want value, there are a lot of entry\lower and mid tier brands that can provide that. If you like the homage watches, go for it. I own one, and have no regrets. Always wear in good health.  

TLDR;  Not much difference in terms of specs, but major difference in feels

Totally just my personal thoughts and preferences, and I suspect it's different for everyone, but there's this line that Mr. Talking Hands always uses in the Watchfinder videos whenever he compares a fake to the real deal.  It goes something like, "Sure, from a distance, there is almost no discernible difference whatsoever between the two watches.  But, the real question is:  How would owning the fake make you feel?"

I would always watch those videos and think to myself, "Owning a fake that good would make me feel AWESOME!"  So, I went ahead and bought a ton of super high-quality replica watches.  And, guess what?  Mr. Talking Hands was right.  I don't wear them at all.  And, l've gotten rid of all of them.

Just for context, here are the different categories of watches I've owned:

1. High quality replicas from China
2. Cool micro brands like Baltic and Wise and Undone
3. Affordable and mid-level luxury, like Christopher Ward, etc.
4. Luxury, like Omega, Breitling, and Grand Seiko

Bucket #1 - I LOVED the idea of high quality fakes from China, and it's something that's a ton of fun to talk to people about, because everyone loves the idea of an illicit, black market watch, but otherwise, wearing one just didn't feel right.

Bucket #2 - I LOVED the idea of getting a high quality watch from a cool micro brand...  but, somehow, the ownership experience just never met expectations.  Some parts of the watch just feel cheap.  It has to be the case.  When you're a micro brand, you don't have tens of millions of dollars of R&D budget to spend on refinement.  So, in the end, never wore these watches either, and eventually gave all these away as stocking stuffers.

Bucket #3 - I LOVED the idea of affordable and mid-level luxury watches, and bought Christopher Ward and Farer and...  very quickly stopped wearing them and gave them away as stocking stuffers.  Here, the quality of the watches is very good.  The fit and finish also tend to be very good as well.  And, yet, there's still a discernible difference in both the looks and the tactility.  For example, unscrew the CW crown, and you'll notice just a tiny bit of grittiness, a tiny bit of friction, whereas on an Omega or a Grand Seiko, the crown action is buttery smooth and weirdly satisfying.  Now, once upon a time, I would have said, "Seriously?  You're an idiot willing to pay $X thousands more for a watch just because you want a buttery smooth crown unscrewing?  WTF is wrong with you?"  And, well, that previous version of me would be right in laughing.  But...  the reason I collect watches is because this is a hobby I chose, and I want this hobby to make me feel the warm and fuzzies.  Every time I pick up a watch I own, I want to feel happiness, I want to feel satisfaction, I want to feel like the hard-earned money I paid got me something that is high quality.

Bucket #4 - All my watches now fall into this bucket

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that in terms of specs, there is very, very little that differentiates a Christopher Ward from a Tudor or a Rolex.  In the end, after some time in this hobby, I've had to come to the conclusion that Mr. Talking Hands was right:  It's all about how the watch will make you feel.

Believe me, I wish that a Chinese replica or a Baltic or a Christopher Ward could make me feel the same way my GS SBGJ237 does...  I'd have more money in my bank account...  but, it doesn't.

Thanks for the response. This is about what I expected but I couldn't confirm since I've never even handled a luxury watch. The sense I get is that a lot of the technical parts of the watch are very micro. The finishing on the watch doesn't have a tremendous impact on how it physically wears on the wrist. Buying a luxury watch probably isn't for me (can't really afford it, definitely couldn't afford to lose it, more than likely I'd damage it). Strangely enough I'm also an original art guy. I'd spend three grand on ink and paper that's one of a kind. Is it logical? Absolutely not. But then again when has any kind of collecting been logical.

I like your attitude :D

I don't personally feel like the differences are enough to make the jump to luxury. I don't think like the finish or accuracy is enough to make it worth it for me. But to each their own. I wanted to understand the difference rather than just drop a something like a hot take about luxury watches. 

Don’t get a luxury watch for the sake of getting a luxury watch.

Doesn’t matter what tier a watch is because when it sings to you, it sings to you.

I’ve obsessed over Omegas, Citizens and G-Shocks, etc.  Price or perceived luxury was never a factor in those obsessions.

If you understand buying original art vs a print, then you understand luxury vs mid-tier watches! Doesn’t mean you need to spend your money that way, but that’s the logic behind it, it’s about the brand, design, construction, finishing more than how much more accurate a patek is vs a tissot (negligible)

I almost bought a girard perregaux 2 weeks ago but finally couldn’t justifying spending 11k on a watch. To be honest, I didn’t really see the difference with a 5k watch. This might sound stupid, and I might change my perception with time…

Now, on the other hand, if I compare my Sinn 556 with something like my IWC or BB58, I don’t really see a big difference neither Even if the other watches cost 3 to 4 times more

The Law of Diminishing Returns applies to all luxury goods.

Age old discussion...is a Submariner 12x the watch that a CW Trident is? Is a Bugatti 12x better than a M5?

Is more than just HP and leather that makes the Bugatti what it is, just as it is more than steel that makes the Submariner what it is. 

It is up to the buyer to determine what the objective and subjective differences are that justify the price gap and if they are willing to pay what is asked for the products. That's a completely personal choice. 

I like white vehicles. It is worth it to me when I buy a new vehicle to pay an extra $500 for white if needed. But I would be unwilling to pay $5K for a better type of white paint. The features on my truck, to me, were worth a extra $12K that I paid for that trim level. My father wouldn't pay that much because those things that hold value for me are not the same for him. 

Even applies to foods; coffee, steaks, breads, etc

There are some aspects of luxury watches I appreciate, but some I don't, and most I don't appreciate anyway near their price. I appreciate a good QC with no dust on the dial, well aligned indicators on the dial, etc. But when I hear a watch reviewer talk about how well the brushing of a case was done, or how well the movement was decorated then I groan.

I just don't get the appeal of a Nautilus or a Royal Oak. What do they give me that a Tissot does not, or even a Cadisen? 

Some of the high-end luxury I do get. If I had near unlimited funds I would buy pretty much any A.Lange und Söhne under the sun. This is a brand I do get. The holy trinity is a bit more hit and miss for me, some really nice pieces, a lot of meh, generally I don't see the value.

Rolex I find somewhat vulgar, not quite Hublot-vulgar, but still Invicta for rich people. Some of their vintage models are fine, but modern Rolexes are too loud for me.

I reckon that with a bona fide luxury watch you practically get everything most enthusiasts look for in a timepiece: quality, history, street cred, etc. But there's just something I find very appealing in watches from affordable independently-owned brands-especially Vostok and other formerly Soviet brands-that I feel you'd miss out on if you hit the ground running with a Datejust or an Aqua Terra. The best way I could describe my feelings regarding my Vostoks is that even though it superficially shares a lot in common with something like a Seamaster or a Submariner, it was designed to be a reliable timepiece that some of the most socioeconomically deprived people in history to rely on, not just a glorified piece of jewelry you'd show off to random people on the street; there's this good-natured humbleness that you find in Vostoks that is completely absent in a Rolex or a Hublot. It's sort of like how driving a slow car fast is way more fun than driving a fast car slow.