Be honest could you ever admit your bias?

I’ll admit that I have the opposite bias. I pay little to no attention to posts with Rolexes/Cartiers/Pateks etc. I just don’t have any real interest in those types of watches. I love me a post about someone’s new Casio or Seiko 5 (or whatever other brand is both awesome and affordable), though.

Unfortunately, I do think you’re right about there often being a bias toward so-called ~luxury brands. Call it subconscious (or conscious) snobbery, call it a misguided belief that “horology”* means a watch has to cost $10,000 to be worthy of attention, call it whatever.

I’m sure there are lots of reasons for that bias, and I also suspect that a lot of people aren’t even aware that they’re biased—just like people aren’t aware of their biases when it comes to politics, religion, race, ad nauseam. I sure wish I was aware of all of mine, but that may be asking too much. There are just too many factors that go into who we are, what we think, and why all of that is.

*barf

I'm not sure if it's value so much as popularity.

I think if you were to post a PRX, a Khaki Field and an SKX you'd get more comments than an Alpine Eagle, a Broadsword and a J12.

I mean I see your point from a certain degree. Like if someone’s into that price category of watches I can understand.

It's a double edged sword for me.

Expensive luxury watches are way beyond my reach so they are very much a curiosity. I appreciate their craftsmanship, heritage and rarity.

I prefer cheap and cheerful because it's more relatable and obtainable. You can swap straps or mod something cheap & mass produced and noone will care.

I also upvote others when they have my same watch lol.

I haven't noticed it so much here as I have elsewhere.

A forum that I used to belong to for many years is guilty of this BS.

If an established member posts a new Timex everyone,owners included, gush over it.

But if a newer member does all of the "cheap quartz" or "I don't get the allure of Timex " posts come out.

Fake forums conjure fake opinions

I'm not too terribly concerned about who is commenting on what, nor to I care what biases may or may not exist. I post and comment on stuff that is interesting to me, and if I ask a question I usually get an answer. What more can you ask for?

If you saw my collection, you'd see five watches over 1k, and nine below 1k (with seven of those nine being below 500).

Here is the thing that may be the driver and it isn’t bias. For many of the sub $5k collections, they are often made up of watches folks have seen repeatedly. There simply may be a like fatigue set in, where as a box of harder to come by, harder to see/find watches gets more click. I don’t think it is as much a cost factor, rather originality. I’ll like them all regardless.

I love all watches and a true collector can appreciate all watches as every watch has their place and pursue; however, let’s equate this to cars. You will never see 5 people surround a Prius and start taking pictures with their phones out like you will if a Lamborghini rolls onto a parking lot. People are attracted to the higher end stuff.

Is that surprising? I think we are naturally drawn to the unfamiliar, and for most of us it becomes unfamiliar when a collection is expensive as you don't see it all that often in real life.

On the more positive side, I have a feeling that if one has watches that aren't common and writes a little bit of text around them with nice pictures it will go a long way. As such, effort (with respect to both tracking down interesting watches as well as writing a nice post) is likely rewarded 😊

Most people are interested in the rare and exclusive. It makes sense there would be more interest in the rare vs the mundane. But many of us enjoy and appreciate seeing the mundane too. I like seeing someone’s new Seiko just as much or sometimes more than a Rolex, and I hope no one is intimidated or embarrassed to share any watch here.

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Edge168n/posts/reflections-on-the-rolex-waitlist-or-how-the-rolex-waitlist-saved-the-watch-hobby-14485

Rolex & other heavyweights in the watch world, like Tiger Woods in golf, or a dominant team in team sports drives interest in the whole arena.

It is what it is and what it is, is human nature.

As proof, I can tell you I have to look up Google to know what you are talking about.

That's how real world works

Yup, im bias.

I like the car model comparison, and I think that it is somewhat valid. Is there a Honda or a Ford you haven't seen a hundred times? That definitely checks with an Orient and Timex, both that I really like and own some. However, there are so many watch companies and so many models of watches that are not seen frequently. Many of the more expensive brands like Rolex and Omega have so many homages to their lines that the actual one sometimes just seems like just another one of those.

I do agree and I like seeing the less expensive rarer stuff as well. Some of the micro brands out now truly are amazing

people love watching expensive stuff in general, but I guess in watch community it is kinda twisted in a bit. And may I add, this site is the most price-agnostic environment I've ever been into, for all of my collections and hobbies.

Take a look at some hot treads in #rolex and you will see at least 5 commenters saying how Rolex design is boring, at least 2 arguing about AD sales practices, another 5 would be saying that they are fed up with 'brand bs' and went for Omega. And couple of old-fashioned grumpy guys (and also including myself) saying that 'Rolex isn't what they used to be, just buy vintage'.

It's not that expensive watches are gathering more praise than 'affordable' watches, it's just people are deeply IN LOVE with discussing same things all over again. Rolex is a hot topic, market is a hot topic, hype watches vs vintage watches is a hot topic (mr Zeron built whole Theo and Harris YT channel on this subject), how Tudor is boring is a hot topic. Oh and 'best diver under 5k' or 'your favourite complication' - those are topics that naturally attract discussion, because we as a humans are obsessed with our opinions and this platform is a place to share them.

But on the other hand, not all expensive watches are equal. Someone goes into discussion with a dope nature-inspired Grand Seiko and we love it. Show the community your black no date Sub and well "nice watch mate, good for you" is generally what you get. Hype sports watches are EVERYWHERE this days, and while people might appreciate a Rolex Sub more than a Steinhart sub, I think most of us would rather take a look on something unusual. At least this is how it works for me. I have 2 boring watches and one a tiny bit more interesting so when I'm looking through the WRUW page I'm not there to look at yet another Seiko or Rolex diver. I might spend some time appreciating a photo of a Cartier, but I'm looking for something cool, daring, often times vintage or vintage-inspired. I have a post where I asked crunchers to send me photos of the cool vintage-inspired watches and I've checked every comment and looked at every photo, because there were some pretty damn interesting pieces.

So my bias is not the price, but unusual designs, vintage and vintage-inspired stuff and this nostalgic romantic feeling.

Collection of straight up super luxury would gather a lot of attention, because it's not something you see every day. I'm talking about extremes, not just your plain Rollies and Omegas, I'm talking like precious metals, complicated movements, independent luxury watchmaking, etc. It's not usual, it's straight up crazy and it immediately catches you.

But I think you would get the same results with a collection of a 500 Casios. People love extremes.

I've seen your SOTC post. I don't think you have a bad collection, there's no such thing, except for a collection of straight up fakes, but you have a collection of a homages of pretty basic sports watches. People think that Rolexes are boring, not to mention the copy of Rolex, which don't carry the same heritage, and more important - branding. Rolex name carries a natural controversy attached to every strong brand, so, as I've said, people is gonna participate in a discussion. Your Glycine Airman is an absolute fire tho. I love this watch, specially in bronze. Your Bulova is very nice, Farer is class. Once again, you don't have a bad collection at all. And this hobby isn't a get and forget like a grocery shopping. Your taste will change, your collection will change, it's not really about the 'completing the game' or perfectly curated watch box. It's about experiences you have wearing the watch, the process of researching, the process of getting the watch - like saving up while window shopping or hunting down that exact piece.

Also, I almost forgot, not every post is gonna be seen by the whole WC community)) The more engagement post has, the higher it would be on a front page. You also can subscribe to the interesting topics and cut out a lot of posts from your feed. So in order to get a lot of comments on your post you should do what basically every blogger does - somehow pull people into discussion. It could be done by raising controversial or hot topics, asking people to share their thoughts (this works wonders really) or by straight shameless clickbait (a collection of 500 Casios would be a crazy clickbait). Or it could be done by taking a decent photos and writing consistent and interesting story around it. The reason I stayed on this platform is the people sharing their genuine thoughts and personal stories, sometimes the watch discussion is going full 'existential our-time-is-limited crisis' mode. I like that I can participate in discussions and write unnecessarily long comments so some other geek in the completely different part of this planet would read it and with all due respect say that I'm a moron (just kidding, I've never seen an uncivilised discussion here which is also super dope)

I don't know if you are seeking validation through the comments and reactions, or you just reflecting on your observations, but I must say, the beauty of this hobby is that nobody cares about your watch except watch geeks and thieves. So you can leave the enjoyment of appreciating the nice watch completely to yourself. You might just sit in your chair, look at the second hand sweep and start reflecting on time, because people were obsessed with time tracking since the stick in a sand showed noon, or on your personal time, or just start thinking about the craft, technology and stories behind your ticker. You can go and live through your best and worst moments in life, wearing the watch as your companion, so you can one day get it from the drawer like a photo album and remind yourself of your past. At the end of the day - it's your watch and no matter how much attention it gets online, you either like it or not. I've made such a mistake of getting stuff I don't need because of the influence before and it always ended up selling with a loss. I remember having a good time playing cheap guitar in a tiny cold practice room in a band with my friends and I remember how buying a luxury guitar 9 years later didn't bring me almost any joy until I actually made a song using it.

Anyway this comment is way too big already, so I hope this stream of consciousness has some tiny bit of sense.

Your 'deinfluence me out of %watch_name%' series is awesome) I can't say it is slightly edgy, because those ones are super edgy, but yeah, controversy usually pulls people into discussion.

Your WRUWs are one of my favourites

I've literally spent a whole evening looking at the Sanda 'Tank' reviews)) I ended up getting a Raymond Weil 5768/2 from early 2000s, because it was the only one functioning 5768 for sale in my country. And I think that Baume & Mercier 'Tank' is a bit more interesting to me than a Cartier original. I still low-key want to get a Cartier some day) But I'm happy that I didn't take a usual path of getting a Seiko 'Tank')

I believe we all have biases. Be it watches, clothes, shoes, cars, etc. It is just a natural unique trait of each individual. It is what defines a particular person. I am good with all that. As they say, what other people think about you is none of your business. Enjoy life the way you want to. As long as you don't cause damage to others.

Why I like you Brother !

I'm a watch junkie as self proclaimed. I get a rush off of a Casio Marlin or GSHOCK. (I do own too many GSHOCK) just as I do with many of the luxury brands. I tend to not be super interested in busy skeletonized dials, a bunch of whizzing complications etc. I love tool watches in steel or Titanium the most. Gold is cool. I own a gold pice & the wife has a few. I rarely wear my gold watch so I don't spend time looking at many of them on WC. Examples of what draws me in. Sometimes I get bored of what I personally like and click on discover just to learn

Well, it's like anything. If someone owns a Ferrari, and they post on a forum where loads of people own Mitsubishi Lancers, why wouldn't that post get attention? It's not even about the value of the thing or any sort of bias, it's the comparative rarity of it on that forum, and thus interest. What the "Mitsubishi Lancer owner" needs to do in this scenario is not just make a generic post, "Look at my Mitsubishi Lancer..." (cos that's what everyone's doing), but something that will grab people's attention in another way.

A post about fixing that car's engine, or how it was driven across a country on holiday, or something like that will get it noticed. And yes, I'm deliberately using the car example to avoid talking specific watch brands or posters here, etc. But the concept is sound. When playing in an over crowded space, you have to find ways to stand out and a basic, low-effort, "Look what I own..." post sometimes won't cut it.

First thank you for the kind words and to answer your question it’s more of an observation than anything. It’s not just here I’ve noticed it but also on other forums.

that's why watch collecting is for impress yourself. only you understand your collection and why you bought it.

I have only one rule for watches: is it a good design. Whatever the price is immaterial to me. If it's an interesting, thoughtful, properly executed design, I'm in.

Interesting point OP.....

If when walking down the street I see a Veyron I'm inclined to have a look at it.

Not so much the VW golf.

I'm pretty sure the same logic applies.

It's not so much the value but the rarity.

I comment on what I like, regardless of brand. My collection ranges from my $15 Casio to two much more expensive 1940’s Rolex and Universal Geneve, both of which I inherited from my grandfathers. They were awarded those in World War 2. I have a a Rolex 15210 that was a medical school graduation gift. The watch I wear the most, though, is my Hamilton Khaki followed closely by my Casioak.

In summary, do I like Ferraris? Yup. Do I comment on Toyotas? Yup.

Price does not equal value. This type of debate is one of the reasons I like WatchCrunch.

Your are correct in your observation. Human nature no matter what the item is. Niche perfumery, cars, clothing, kitchen utensils. High end merchandise has an allure no one can deny. My watch choices are largely based on what I can comfortably afford, which means I bottom-feed in the below $1k range. Comments or not, whatever makes you happy as they say. Most of us aren't here to find out how many comments can be gotten from a random post, just sharing a love for the hobby.