Which Watch Means The Most To You?
This Casio A158 symbolises a shift in my life. Not only the starting of a YouTube channel but also a change in mentality.
I used to care a lot about what other people thought of me, too much. I was doing things specifically to please others or to seek acceptance, yet it wasn't making me happy whatsoever.
To me, this cheap Casio marks a point where I managed to stop giving a f***. I prioritised practicality over flashiness and started pursuing whatever I wanted to, despite any stigmas.
It may not be a Rolex, but wearing this watch feels great for whatever reason. My happiness is by no means tied to this watch, but there is some deeper connection present.
Which watch means the most to you? I'm sure some of you have some much more epic stories 😀
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Well said ben! and I totally agree with you
My Sinn 556A-RS. Was a turning point in my collection towards higher quality watches with fewer in the box and a limited number.
Ben, first of all, wanted to say that I love your channel! Spaghetti Scametti FTW!
I have a weird story about watch collecting and what it's meant to me:
I grew up really poor. I'm a first generation immigrant, whose parents spent their working lives as a cook and a waitress in Chinese restaurants. Both had very little formal education, due to trying not to starve to death during Mao's "Great Leap Forward" and eventually escaping Communist China to Hong Kong and then to the U.S.
I've been EXTREMELY fortunate in life, blessed with physical and mental health, educational opportunities, a loving supportive family, and you know, growing up in the "Land of the Free" as opposed to Communist China. So, I was able to do well in school, and get a good job, and build a successful career.
But, all my life, I've always thought of myself as, "Poor," with a capital P. I'd never outgrown my penny-pinching childhood. I was the dude who would always order the cheapest item on any menu - even if that meant eating "head cheese," because the dish cost $0.50 less than the chicken breast. I would buy the store brand ketchup, even though all I ever wanted in life was some delicious Heinz!
And coming up on my fifth decade on this earth, when you pinch every penny like that and put your money in something like a low-cost S&P 500 index fund, compounding returns over decades means that one day you wake up, look at your brokerage statement, and realize, "Gosh, I have some money."
Even still, my lizard brain kept saying to me, "You're Poor" with a capital P. I was still buying the store brand ketchup, even as the bottle of Heinz beckoned alluringly to me.
And that's when I finally threw all caution to the wind, one day, and bought this watch. It just looked awesome, and I didn't know why, but I had to have it.
I was sweating when I ordered it. When it arrived, I thought I might hyperventilate. This was absolutely the most expensive thing I'd ever purchased. It was irresponsible. It was a dumb, frivolous, luxury conspicuous consumption good. I'd wasted my money. I'd thrown out all good sense.
And, lo and behold! It made me very happy. I loved it and I continue to love this watch to this day.
And, counter to what my lizard brain was telling me, my family did not end up under a bridge. My children continued to have food to eat. Nobody came to my home to repossess my wife's car.
A switch flipped in my brain. Now, my brain recognizes, "Oh, we're no longer that 6 year-old kid who has to buy all his clothing from the second hand store. We have some money." Every time I look down at my wrist, I'm reminded, "It's okay, go ahead and buy that bottle of Heinz."
And I will tell you, the Heinz really does taste better than the generic store brand ketchup!
Ben, first of all, wanted to say that I love your channel! Spaghetti Scametti FTW!
I have a weird story about watch collecting and what it's meant to me:
I grew up really poor. I'm a first generation immigrant, whose parents spent their working lives as a cook and a waitress in Chinese restaurants. Both had very little formal education, due to trying not to starve to death during Mao's "Great Leap Forward" and eventually escaping Communist China to Hong Kong and then to the U.S.
I've been EXTREMELY fortunate in life, blessed with physical and mental health, educational opportunities, a loving supportive family, and you know, growing up in the "Land of the Free" as opposed to Communist China. So, I was able to do well in school, and get a good job, and build a successful career.
But, all my life, I've always thought of myself as, "Poor," with a capital P. I'd never outgrown my penny-pinching childhood. I was the dude who would always order the cheapest item on any menu - even if that meant eating "head cheese," because the dish cost $0.50 less than the chicken breast. I would buy the store brand ketchup, even though all I ever wanted in life was some delicious Heinz!
And coming up on my fifth decade on this earth, when you pinch every penny like that and put your money in something like a low-cost S&P 500 index fund, compounding returns over decades means that one day you wake up, look at your brokerage statement, and realize, "Gosh, I have some money."
Even still, my lizard brain kept saying to me, "You're Poor" with a capital P. I was still buying the store brand ketchup, even as the bottle of Heinz beckoned alluringly to me.
And that's when I finally threw all caution to the wind, one day, and bought this watch. It just looked awesome, and I didn't know why, but I had to have it.
I was sweating when I ordered it. When it arrived, I thought I might hyperventilate. This was absolutely the most expensive thing I'd ever purchased. It was irresponsible. It was a dumb, frivolous, luxury conspicuous consumption good. I'd wasted my money. I'd thrown out all good sense.
And, lo and behold! It made me very happy. I loved it and I continue to love this watch to this day.
And, counter to what my lizard brain was telling me, my family did not end up under a bridge. My children continued to have food to eat. Nobody came to my home to repossess my wife's car.
A switch flipped in my brain. Now, my brain recognizes, "Oh, we're no longer that 6 year-old kid who has to buy all his clothing from the second hand store. We have some money." Every time I look down at my wrist, I'm reminded, "It's okay, go ahead and buy that bottle of Heinz."
And I will tell you, the Heinz really does taste better than the generic store brand ketchup!
What a story. I think sometimes we’re too hard on ourselves when we spend serious cash on watches. We have a short time in this world and it never hurts to enjoy a little.
Like @Omeganut , I also very much enjoy your channel. I also grew up financially poor, although when I was a kid, I never really felt that way. One of the watches in my collection that means the most to me is the simple Timex Indiglo that my dad was wearing when he passed away. I never really wear it, but every night before I go to bed, I turn on the Indiglo light as my way of keeping his memory alive.
This is one of my most meaningful watches. My father gave me this to wear on my wedding day. Unfortunately the day before the big day he got gravely ill and was not able to attend. Everytime I wear it and look down at it, it reminds me of that time and all the bittersweet memories. Memories aside it is such a very striking watch, 36mm, mother of pearl with diamonds, especially when a big burly guy with a 7.5” wrist wears it. But when I wear it, it feels like it belongs on my wrist.
Ben, first of all, wanted to say that I love your channel! Spaghetti Scametti FTW!
I have a weird story about watch collecting and what it's meant to me:
I grew up really poor. I'm a first generation immigrant, whose parents spent their working lives as a cook and a waitress in Chinese restaurants. Both had very little formal education, due to trying not to starve to death during Mao's "Great Leap Forward" and eventually escaping Communist China to Hong Kong and then to the U.S.
I've been EXTREMELY fortunate in life, blessed with physical and mental health, educational opportunities, a loving supportive family, and you know, growing up in the "Land of the Free" as opposed to Communist China. So, I was able to do well in school, and get a good job, and build a successful career.
But, all my life, I've always thought of myself as, "Poor," with a capital P. I'd never outgrown my penny-pinching childhood. I was the dude who would always order the cheapest item on any menu - even if that meant eating "head cheese," because the dish cost $0.50 less than the chicken breast. I would buy the store brand ketchup, even though all I ever wanted in life was some delicious Heinz!
And coming up on my fifth decade on this earth, when you pinch every penny like that and put your money in something like a low-cost S&P 500 index fund, compounding returns over decades means that one day you wake up, look at your brokerage statement, and realize, "Gosh, I have some money."
Even still, my lizard brain kept saying to me, "You're Poor" with a capital P. I was still buying the store brand ketchup, even as the bottle of Heinz beckoned alluringly to me.
And that's when I finally threw all caution to the wind, one day, and bought this watch. It just looked awesome, and I didn't know why, but I had to have it.
I was sweating when I ordered it. When it arrived, I thought I might hyperventilate. This was absolutely the most expensive thing I'd ever purchased. It was irresponsible. It was a dumb, frivolous, luxury conspicuous consumption good. I'd wasted my money. I'd thrown out all good sense.
And, lo and behold! It made me very happy. I loved it and I continue to love this watch to this day.
And, counter to what my lizard brain was telling me, my family did not end up under a bridge. My children continued to have food to eat. Nobody came to my home to repossess my wife's car.
A switch flipped in my brain. Now, my brain recognizes, "Oh, we're no longer that 6 year-old kid who has to buy all his clothing from the second hand store. We have some money." Every time I look down at my wrist, I'm reminded, "It's okay, go ahead and buy that bottle of Heinz."
And I will tell you, the Heinz really does taste better than the generic store brand ketchup!
Wow. I love this story for so many reasons. It’s easy to forget that humans are infinitely complex, and we all have a story. Your perspective on it is one we don’t hear very often, and it’s so cool that your watch acts as a totem of sorts. Cheers to you.
Can’t beat a Casio. I’ll always wear mine with pride.
They keep better time than Rolexes…
Buying this Squale was a big step for me, but not for the obvious reasons. I love my Squale. Love it. Love it to bits. But I really don’t love it any more than I love my Orient (or my Vostok, for that matter). Realizing this taught me that being excited about a watch has less to do with how much it costs and more to do with how generally stoked I am to have it.
This is my prized possession, as far as watches go. This piece used to belong to my late brother. It was given to him as a reward for graduating the Salvation Army rehab program. He was so proud of his accomplishment and was equally proud of this watch. In 2016 he eventually succumbed to his addictions and left this mortal coil. I found the watch and put it in a drawer because I didn’t know what to do with it. At that time I was not yet a watch enthusiast. I only owned one watch (a Timex that was gifted to me) which I rarely wore. After a few years I stumbled back upon the watch and noticed it wasn’t ticking. Not knowing anything about watches and how they work, I went to YouTube to do some research. I learned a lot of things about different movements and how they work. I then realized i had a quartz movement and subsequently replaced the battery and off it went. The watch needed some work so I cleaned it up the best I could but decided not to alter the face. I left the scratches because I believe it tells a part of my brother’s story. I then fell down the rabbit hole of strap replacement and the infinite options available. The time I spent on the revitalization of this watch sparked an interest that has grown into a collection of around 25 watches and growing.
My Casio’s, Seiko’s, Hamilton’s…etc., may come and go but this will always remain. It’s the cheapest/poorest quality watch I own. I don’t even know who makes it. However it’s the most valuable watch I own and it is the Genesis of my addiction.
Probably my Animal W001 Solstice. Bought it in the early 90’s when I used to do lots of competitive mountain biking. Still wear it today. Those days were great. Used to wear it to lots of raves too, with great people and memories. Some of them are not here anymore.
My story is not that epic. It's the watch that my maternal grandmother bought me for my 18th birthday. It was a transition into adulthood, I could leave my Seiko copy of a Casio behind, and I had my first "real" watch. By the way, that watch still works, even though it looks like it has been through a lot...because it has.
Ben, first of all, wanted to say that I love your channel! Spaghetti Scametti FTW!
I have a weird story about watch collecting and what it's meant to me:
I grew up really poor. I'm a first generation immigrant, whose parents spent their working lives as a cook and a waitress in Chinese restaurants. Both had very little formal education, due to trying not to starve to death during Mao's "Great Leap Forward" and eventually escaping Communist China to Hong Kong and then to the U.S.
I've been EXTREMELY fortunate in life, blessed with physical and mental health, educational opportunities, a loving supportive family, and you know, growing up in the "Land of the Free" as opposed to Communist China. So, I was able to do well in school, and get a good job, and build a successful career.
But, all my life, I've always thought of myself as, "Poor," with a capital P. I'd never outgrown my penny-pinching childhood. I was the dude who would always order the cheapest item on any menu - even if that meant eating "head cheese," because the dish cost $0.50 less than the chicken breast. I would buy the store brand ketchup, even though all I ever wanted in life was some delicious Heinz!
And coming up on my fifth decade on this earth, when you pinch every penny like that and put your money in something like a low-cost S&P 500 index fund, compounding returns over decades means that one day you wake up, look at your brokerage statement, and realize, "Gosh, I have some money."
Even still, my lizard brain kept saying to me, "You're Poor" with a capital P. I was still buying the store brand ketchup, even as the bottle of Heinz beckoned alluringly to me.
And that's when I finally threw all caution to the wind, one day, and bought this watch. It just looked awesome, and I didn't know why, but I had to have it.
I was sweating when I ordered it. When it arrived, I thought I might hyperventilate. This was absolutely the most expensive thing I'd ever purchased. It was irresponsible. It was a dumb, frivolous, luxury conspicuous consumption good. I'd wasted my money. I'd thrown out all good sense.
And, lo and behold! It made me very happy. I loved it and I continue to love this watch to this day.
And, counter to what my lizard brain was telling me, my family did not end up under a bridge. My children continued to have food to eat. Nobody came to my home to repossess my wife's car.
A switch flipped in my brain. Now, my brain recognizes, "Oh, we're no longer that 6 year-old kid who has to buy all his clothing from the second hand store. We have some money." Every time I look down at my wrist, I'm reminded, "It's okay, go ahead and buy that bottle of Heinz."
And I will tell you, the Heinz really does taste better than the generic store brand ketchup!
I can relate so much to this. I'm at the point to purchase my first luxury watch, but am having some of those same concerns you've expressed. Congrats on the purchase. I shall be joining the club shortly.
My LeJour Chrono. I wore it in the hospital when my twins were born. My wife stole it out of my watch box and had their birth times engraved on the case back.
I tried to think of which one, but that's kind of hard with over 40 watches...
I suppose the first would be the first auto I ever had, which was a gift for my 18th birthday from my godmother, an Edox Les Vauberts Open Heart:
And the second - Longines Spirit 40mm, which was my biggest watch purchase. I got in love with the watch upon seeing it in the metal, and then I saw the ad, which had a lot in common with the Star Trek: Enterprise intro, and I'm a Trekkie, so it got me by the heart and wouldn't let go.
hey ben, big fan of your channel. i guess its my orient kamasu, its my first mechanical watch. im still new to the hobby and started collecting 3 years ago when one of my friend show me his black submariner. since i dont have budget to buy a fancy rolex i do my own research to find decent affordable alternative. since skx has been discontinued at that time i found this orient instead. its nice and fit my budget, this is the start for my journey
I got my wife into watches and she bought herself a vintage Cartier Tank Must when they were still reasonably priced. She also got one for me. I seldom wear it but it is the most significant watch I own.
I wore this at the birth of my kids, not planned happened to he on the wrist when they decided to appear. So probably my most meaningful watch, it appears in the obligatory first father holding the baby shots. It's a good thing I love it so it will the the last watch standing.
This is a Victorinox model number 241213 I think.
Thirteen years ago I worked for the parent company of Jared Jewelers and I decided to buy a pretty quartz watch as an early twenty-first birthday gift to myself. It was my first real 'adult' watch and I loved iteven though I was a dumb 21 year old who didn't think sizing the bracelet was necessary and it rolled around my wrist and made me look like a kid.
It survived everyday wear, several stints of drawer life and a house fire.
The watch was filthy and covered in soot and dirt and it again sat in a drawer for years. I figured if I didn't have to look at it I didn't have to think about the loss.
During quarantine, I decided to clean it up and see if it would work. One polish, battery and several bands later, it's once again my favorite watch.
Probably this.. I don't have a deeply moving or emotional back-story detailing why it's really special; it's simply the first watch I fully serviced and restored. I took two rather battered old Seiko 5s and used them to build this "hybrid". It might be slightly self-congratulatory but it means a great deal to me. Ignore the text on the picture... that's just me being nerdy and anal.
I can totally relate to this. Discovering this hobby had me stumble upon your YT channel and this exact A158 was my third watch however the watch that means the most to me is my Casio Duro. The watch that started it all and it had the right amount of everything for me to appreciate when getting into this hobby.
For me it was the Sternglas Hamburg. I know its not such a well known company but it was the very first mechanic watch I bought and owned.
For a looong time I just couldnt understand why people keep spending many houndreds and thousands of euros/dollars on watches. I liked watches but I couldnt see this fascination with them..
When I saw the Hamburg I began to dive deeper into the topic of mechanical watches and now I own it and Im so fascinated by this technology, it will be for sure not my last mechanical watch.. :D
Sea-Gull '63 for me it has a magical look and feel
Hi Ben got onto this forum after watching one of your latest video. I’ve got two watches that I’d say have special meaning for me and they are the most expensive and cheapest watches I currently ow. My 125th anniversary Certina DS that my wife got me for my 30th birthday that I now use mostly as a dress watch, and my Casio Chronograph that I got when my son became a toddler so I didn’t need to worry about it breaking and is now my go to beater.
I don’t use eitherof these everyday but I’ll never get rid of them because of how, why and when I got them.
This my main beater had it since 2014!
this Brand is what put my collecting into high gear so its quite near and dear to my heart
Probably this one as I traded loads of cheaper watches I’d had slowly building my collection over the years. I wanted a statement :-)
My dad’s Benrus MILW46374 reissue from 1994. He wore it when I was born and I wore it when each of my three children were born.
This is great @benswatchclub ! I can relate to this post but not for watches. I too spent much of my time worrying about what people would think if I spoke my true thoughts, and now I give Zero F's. I'm still kind to people, but I'm direct and to the point. I'm not going to sugar coat anything and I'm going to be honest with the person. No longer will they hear what they want to hear but the raw truth or nothing at all. I'm either going to say it or not.
I read a great book a while back called...
So hard to pick just one. I love many of mine for different reasons. I love Casios as a whole because they’re great value for money and do their job really well.
People say Casios are a “poor man’s watch” but I’d much rather wear a £30 Casio that I own, than a £5,000 Rolex that’s on finance.