Do you ever regret making that big watch purchase?

It’s awesome you’re planning ahead for the big 4-0. It’s a big milestone and cool way to celebrate it with a luxury watch. Do you have any watches on the short list?

While I love Nomos and the Tangente was one of my first mechanical grails, I bought it used and when I finally got it, it looked great but it didn’t wear the best due to the long lugs. Do I wish I had tried it on first? Yes, but I think I was so enamored with it at that time I would have looked past any flaws, short it the watch malfunctioning. I still have it and wore it today, which makes wearing to only twice in a month (thanks WRUW). For a supposed grail, I don’t find much wrist time for it.

Lol thanks. As for the brands I’m really into Ball, Oris, Grand Seiko, RGM etc.

Sorry meant to say I’m into those brands not into them

So Omega or Tudor? Or something more esoteric?

I still have my first expensive watch, a Rolex Explorer from 2009. It’s my wife’s watch now. She kinda yoinked it when I got another Rolex.

I don’t regret it. I’m glad I did it. I should have done it sooner but I was highly engrossed in vintage watch collecting.

There was a time when I may have second guessed myself. I wasn’t wearing it except for special occasions and I started to question why I put so much into a single watch. Then I started wearing it more. A lot more. Then it started to click that it was simply a great watch. It made more sense the more I wore it.

I think the trick is to wear your expensive watches as much as possible. Don’t leave them sit in a box trying to save value for the next owner. Wear the heck out of it and get the full value for yourself.

I've been through a similar thought process to you - although it's the big 5-0 😃. I actually bought my watch early as it's not actually my birthday for anywhere couple of months. I started thinking about it last year but started properly looking at the beginning of the year so you are doing the right thing to start thinking about it.

For what it's worth my advice is to try on as many as possible if you can - I thought I had my heart completely set on a Cartier until I tried it- and also not to discount pre-owned as a way to stretch your budget further (I ended up buying an 8-month old Aqua Terra around 40% off list that would have been way over my budget at Retail. I'm not looking at re-selling or anything as it's that "special piece" but it's also nice to know someone else took the hit on depreciation!)

I'm probably still in the honeymoon phase so definitely no regrets!

If they have watches in those prices.

Finances and price aside. Usually you regret a purchase when no research was made or you bought something out of impulse or misguidance. You don't necessarily need to make a big purchase because is "that time". You make a purchase based on what you like. Let's say you like space and you bought the moonswatch and the Bulova Lunar pilot then that itch comes into play to own an Omega that's how usually a big purchase is made. Or even you want to be niche guy and you get a Fortis or a Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute. In my opinion you just don't fork out money. you need to justify that purchase.

I made that purchase yesterday I got myself the Tudor Pelagos 42 at £4125 it’s the most expensive watch I’ve ever bought at almost 33 I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a sleepless night last thinking about if I’ve done something stupid spending that much of my savings on a watch but it’s done now and I’ve got this watch for the rest of my life

I bought my first ‘luxury’ Omega SMP300 when my son was born (the excuses we make 😅😩). It was an impulse buy. I hadn’t researched it, couldn’t decide between white or black dial in the store either. In the end went with black and paid over £4k for it.

Buyers remorse kicked in heavy within a couple of weeks. I hadn’t really spent any real money over £150 on a watch before.

Anyway 2 years on I love it and wear it regularly, even after adding a few other ‘luxury’ pieces to the collection.

My point is, if you buy a quality product that you really like, you will eventually get over the price and enjoy it. If you burn a large lump of cash on something subpar, even if you like it, you’ll likely regret it in time as the flaws catch up with you.

I bought two $3000 watches within a month of one another after not buying anything remotely like that in my life. And the biggest change was it killed any, "Oh, I'll just buy another $500 watch for fun..." impulses in the months (and now years) afterwards, stone-dead. It's fabulous. It killed off what I think is one of the all-time worst impulses in watch collecting, which I see tripping up so many people - myself included at one time. Just get some expensive watches, and the desire to keep chipping away, filling a watch shaped hole with something 'cheap' every few months just evaporates, like magic. I can't recommend it enough.

Only regret was not buying it sooner as prices are constantly going up.

Not regretted the purchase one iota.

Go for it 😁👍

Perhaps you can delay the celebratory purchase a few more years( 50?). Spare dollars even earning minimal interest ready for emergencies is somehow a better plan for 3-5k spent on a watch. I have always been cautioned that resources spent on personal toys only makes sense if you have an equivalent amount saved for financial snafus. However it is your dollars and your life. Good luck deciding on the best plans.

I’ve made some luxury purchases in the past, and I’ve never regretted them. But that said, I didn’t just buy a watch for the sake of buying a watch. I researched obsessively before pulling the trigger each time, and when the watch began to be what I thought about on the regular, that’s when I pulled the trigger. My own 40th is in ‘26, and I’ve been thinking about what to get to commemorate it, after getting my Tudor BB GMT for my 35th. I’m thinking a GS Spring Drive. That said, I’m struggling to pick just one model to go with, though I know it’s going to be an SBGE model, as I like having GMT functionality in my watches. Right now, I’m debating whether to go with an SBGE285, 289, 205 or find a used 249.

Good move 👏

I've had mine for 2 years and still find it beautiful to look at.

It's a keeper

I don't regret any big watch purchase, even if during a moment of passion and lust. If anything, it has helped inform my approach to collecting, providing me with additional guardrails to assess each potential purchase.

No regrets. Still have all three of my four figure watches, although I have only owned them 3, 3 and 1 year, respectively.

There are many watches I regretted buying and quickly sold and the common theme was that I fell for the hype and convinced myself I'd actually have all kinds of occasions to wear them instead of other watches I already had.

My advice (FWIW) is to try a ton of things on and try to blind yourself to marketing stories or internet hype from within the community—i.e. the logo on the dial, the "heritage," extreme specs or use-cases, "you must have a ____ in your collection" tropes—and hunt for the watch that you can easily imagine being your only one...just like people used to do when watches were everyday needs.

Something that would look appropriate if you were dressed up a bit or on a hike, something that is reasonable durable, and something that will actually look just as good after its taken on some scuffs and scratches over the years so that you're not afraid to wear it in normal life situations. If you're buying this to mark a special occasion, it should be one you return to over and over, not something you lose interest in but hold on to for sentimental reasons.

In the budget you're talking about there are SO many great options but also it's a price point with the most marketing behind it so it can be hard to cut through the crap and find something that will be timeless and built to price you're paying.

For a lot of folks (myself among them), a well-designed, smaller "skin diver"-style watch on an easily-removable bracelet does the trick. You get enough water and shock resistance that you can wear them in any environment and during any sport and since pretty much every company makes them, you'll absolutely be able to track one down that suits your personal tastes. Assuming the design isn't too extreme in size or form, you can dress them up or down with different straps.

My own version of this is the Seiko SLA043, which I've had for a few years and have found that no matter what other watches come and go, I keep returning to it because it's never the "wrong" choice. On a rubber strap it's an indestructible watch I don't hesitate to wear swimming, biking, or working around the house. It's one of Seiko's higher-end lines, so it's also a more versatile size and finished in a way that allows it to dress up on a bracelet or nicer leather strap, looking luxurious but never screaming its price tag in places that would be tacky or dangerous. When I travel, it's the only watch I consider brining because it's never out of place and can take whatever abuse that might entail. Omega, and Tudor definitely have strong options in that space (the Black Bay 54 is the hype-watch of the moment and while I'm not a fan of the brand, I tried it on and it absolutely hits all the stuff described above).

Good luck and happy birthday...can't wait to see pics of what you pick!

My only regret is that when Rolexes were readily available I laughed at people who would spend so much money on a watch.. then I caught the bug of watch collection and all the ones shot up in price and were not available.. in your case you have 2 years head start.. start saving and register your name with a Rolex dealer by the time your name comes up it will be 2 years.. you will have a expensive watch and also an investment piece. You can enjoy it while you have it.. and when you sell it it’s mostly At a profit or at cost.. win-win

Good for you. Splurging isn't a bad thing as long as you can afford it. Save up and buy what you want. Put it on your wrist and enjoy it.

My only regret was not buying watches when I was younger. I still have my first watch and I don't have any intentions of ever selling it.

I usually never save for a watch because when I get there I can’t buy the watch.

I bought one watch really that was for an occasion. It was a used Breitling B-1 I got when getting my pilot license.

I’m looking at getting a Sinn EZM3F these days. When the time comes, it’ll be the right time and I won’t have to save for it.

Above the 2-3k price range I feel like you never really get the value I’d expect out the price of a used car for a watch.

Don’t get me wrong! Yes they’re nice but I’d rather invest that money into something that’s an asset rather than another watch I have too much of already.

I didn't have any regret buying my first expensive watch, but I did stay up thinking about how much I spent on a watch... a watch! I still have the watch, and enjoy it to this day but it was at least a month where I thought about how I spent on a watch.

I wouldn´t overthink it....if you buy clever (used in mint condition for example) you can always sell it for +/- the same price you bought it for, in case you should have any regrets later.

A watch clever bought will keep more or less it´s value, your money is not gone.

The following comparison always makes me think;

So many people take out a loan to buy a 25 or 30.000 EUR (or more) car without thinking too much about it, as it is the most normal thing in the world (when a 5.000 EUR car could also bring them from A to B but the 30K car is a so much nicer and more luxurious).....and yes, it is true, it is a widely accepted normal thing to do, taking a loan for a car.

Now that car will be worth in 10 years.....about 10% of its initial value (and will also have cost a serious chunk of money over the course of the 10 years in maintenance, repairs, insurance and taxes).

That 5.000 EUR watch, about which one hesitated for so long whether to buy it or not, because it is indeed a lot of money,........the value of that luxury watch in 10 years will be.............. exactly my point 😎

I bought a watch for my 40th, my first expensive watch. I had a lot of problems with it, and eventually, after multiple failed attempts to repair, and then a replacement that also failed, the manufacturer just gave me my money back.

With that money, I purchased an Omega Aqua Terra. I still have it, eight years later, it gets with regular, and it is still my favorite watch. So no regrets... Once I found the right watch.

I have never regretted it.

I bought a Rolex GMT Master II BLNR for my 30th in 2018, it was a big purchase. My advice is spend more time than you think is necessary to really think about which watch you want. That is what will make it last, and stop you regretting it.

My father gave me his 21st birthday watch when I was 26, and I a couple of years later I decided I wanted to get a watch for my 30th for myself.

I kid you not: I spent 2 years considering what I liked.

I did this on instagram, and I created a collection, and any watch I liked the look of, I added in. I didn't know too much about brands back then but I was learning a lot from all the usual avenues we use. Looking back at it, there were IWCs, JLCs, Rolex, Omega, vintage, new, etc. What I looked for over time was the pattern that emerged: there tended to be blue dials, and more and more there were steel bracelets rather than leather straps. This helped me hone what I really liked over a period of time, rather than whatever the latest release was, or my latest short-lived fancy was (and believe I always have lots of those haha).

So, take your time. Figure out what you will like for the next 40 years. And then go for it. You wont regret it 😎

In my experience luxury purchases of any kind can be rather complicated. I actually lost a friend over the fact that I don't take luxury cars seriously. Watches are less of a risk, but can also be misunderstood.

I'm dealing with executives now and then, and I sometimes wonder if they know how they come across when then are talking about their cars, watches, boats or other possessions.

I'm personally somewhat indifferent towards luxury watches for that reason. At the end I don't care that much, because there is little to prove.

My son just started college today. His tuition and boarding are paid for up to his BSc. I can't put that on a wristband, but that's what I'm proud of.

Having slight OCD and having purchased a couple of Longines watches over the past couple of years I have not necessarily regretted the purchases but feel that they don't get the level of use that they deserve. As I don't want them to get damaged and don't feel 100 per cent comfortable wearing them in a busy city, London, they tend to sit in the box and only come out on rare occasions. My less expensive watches therefore get all the use and I find myself getting far more enjoyment out of them. I'm still happy that I own those more expensive pieces but wish I could bring myself to use them more frequently.

Wasn't that Jacques Seguela, a friend of Nicolas Sarkozy who made that statement about buying a Rolex before 50?

Absolutely right. Since then, every middle ranking French exec in his forties spends his nights scanning Chrono 24 not to miss the deadline. Don't laugh, I've done the same....

I had to look it up, because I forgot what watch it was. But there was also an incident where Sarkozy took off his Patek before shaking hands, if I remember correctly.

Bought a Rolex sub new for £5000 seven years ago, it’s worth nearly double. And it will always be a Rolex sub.

Bought an Omega Speedmaster last year new for £5000

It’s worth about £4000 now and I didn’t like it.

That’s my story.