I think I get it now.

Ossan90

2 weeks ago

I got into watch collecting last year when I was “given” a watch by my late grandmother, who left me in her will to get something nice and physical to remember her by. That’s when I started researching watches and went down the rabbit hole. I’ve always been a saver and before this point, I could not fathom anyone spending 200+ on something that I already have in my pocket at all times.

This past birthday, I made the first purchase that was “for myself”. My life had been quite fortunate up to this point t but things were a little rocky. I had survived layoff scare and that gave me the assurance that I could still get away with this purchase.

I still had one piece in mind to complete my initial “three watch collection”, but well, honestly who knows what will happen given the general state of the world. So the third piece is going to be something that I evaluate at the end of the year, whether I’ll be comfortable with taking that amount of money, and throwing it in the fire.

That’s when it clicked.

At present, I still cannot fathom anyone spending 5k+ on a watch. Of course there’s plenty of watches I LIKE at that range, but I cannot justify spending on it. The value proposition is just not there. But I understand now that these “achievement pieces” are not ACTUALLY achievements, but rather “goal posts”. It’s something to imagine, “what would my life have to be in order for me (and my spouse) to be completely fine with just taking that cash and burning it” and working towards that life. It’s something that keeps us motivated and hungry.