Cognitive Dissonance in Watch Collecting

Number 1 definitely applies to me, not so much the others.

But I do absolutely NEED at least 200m w/r in case it rains...🙄😂

0/5

I wouldn't call 3 cognitive dissonance. I think you recognize them as good but also know that you prioritize other things.

2 is learning about the whole picture. Knowing for sure what something is like is so valuable. The mystery of something can eat away at the mind which is never good.

4 is just saying words for the sake of social convenience (like saying "how are you doing" when in reality I could give f*ck all about how you're doing)

Great topic. This thing that we do with watches is so wishy washy, where we choose when we want objective facts or intangible razzle dazzle. A little bit of dissonance is required to keep the mind from going mad.

I absolutely NEED a Sapphire crystal on all of my watches to protect from any scratches, even though I hardly wear them or baby my watches when I do wear them.

I have been more open to Acrylic, Mineral & the dreaded Hardlex recently because the Sapphire only belief was excluding some fun watches that I wanted.

Poly Watch is also a thing too.

Fair enough. I think 3 is still cognitive dissonance because I'm not "living my values." If they're so great, why not wear them? For 4, I'm saying something I don't believe in and putting myself out there as someone who say those things. That creates mental inconsisrency.

I think most of us deal with number 1.

Funny you should mention sapphire. I don't care about sapphire. 80% of my watches are vintage, therefore acrylic. But earlier today, as I was shopping around for a fun 200m dive watch that I can actually swim with, I saw a brand new Orient Kamasu with the most gorgeous blue sunburst dial. It fits perfectly on my wrist, the price is well below what I was thinking of spending, it's all great. Problem? It's mineral, not sapphire. LIke I said, I don't care about sapphire but the Kamasu not having it prevented me from pulling the trigger. I hope I am able get over the sapphire hurdle as I think that watch is perfect for my purposes.

My fierce wife does not care about my watch affectation, it was formed years before she agreed to say, “I do”. I might have around 50 watches but they are not a problem, however I can be troublesome at the few social events that we will attend together, famously I upset quite a few of her senior bosses when I was included as her plus one at a wine tasting with paired menu when I chatted endlessly about NFL football contests. During recent years I have discovered a great many works of non fiction that align with some of my unpopular ideas including Homo sapiens being the most deadly species on the planet. Watches are fine with my wife but non fiction books are verboten until I mellow.

I think I am doing fairly OK, cognitive dissonance-wise. This belief could ofc be just another form of 'blindspot CD' :-)

• I think i need more watches - and I keep buying them

• I endorse brands such as Pagani Design - and wear them myself regularly

• I think calling Casio godtier is ridiculous and don't mind saying so (no one ever asked me though...)

• I am not a fan of Seiko or Rolex and don't have them in the collection

I think my biggest CD is that I fully endorse the notion of 'buy what you like' and 'the brand as such doesn't matter, the watch does' - but in reality I do favour the 'likeable', reputable brands (eg. I'd rather have a VC than an AP, rather a GO than an IWC. This ofc also heavily depends on personal taste in watches and what the brand has to offer - i do find VC's and GO's offerings much more interesting than APs or IWC's - but deep down, the name also matters...)

I’m no longer in denial of my own cognitive dissonance. It’s part of the insanity….which I enjoy 😉

Clomages. I both find them somewhat boring and without personality, but also a great way to access a popular design without spending too much. I own one and I vouched never to buy any more.

But a Panerai clomage would be nice. And a pepsi GMT. 😀

Strap monsters with great bracelets. When the watch is so neutral and versatile, it's usually too boring (for me) to not have on at least a brown strap! But that would cost me losing the perfect wholeness, comfort and durability of a great bracelet.

Yes, I just described my Tisell Explorer, but there are more: Sinn 556i, IWC Mk. 18, and so on.

I do believe Casio is god tier! 😀Because I'm a victim of indirect marketing. To get a watch for the price of a restaurant dinner for two, with very useful features and well thought-out design, is not that common.

It's an answer looking for a better question

I guess I'm lucky because I suffer from nothing mentioned in this post. One of my life mottos has been to keep it real with myself. If we lie to ourselves, the only one we are hurting is ourself. Guess my motto is paying off!

And to add: That watch xy is not expensive, it is due to the brands rich heritage.

Or: That watch xy is not expensive. For a GMT (or whatever) it is a steal!

I try to avoid tricking myself into buying something too expensive. At least rn. :)

I am definitely guilty of 1 and 2. I’m not ashamed to admit it.. I have a disorder. Cognitive Dissonance somehow makes it sound less serious. I like it! I think I will use that excuse from now on.

I’m about to pull the trigger on a Grand Seiko as I have been saying to myself, “if I don’t try it, how would I know Spring Drive is any good?”

Man, that hits close to home. The truth hurts, sometimes. 😉

Well done!👏🏻

0/5.

Also, I KNOW buying watches has no objective value. And I'm OK with that.

I KNOW what I spend on is all based on subjective criteria, and I'm OK with that.

I KNOW I could put the money to more productive uses, and I'm OK with that.

I've recognized this in my self & have been working on reducing these from my life.

In some cases, the action stops (drinking alcohol while telling the teen they can't); in others the belief changes. In rare cases, the action & belief move towards each other (America no longer being the bestest country in the universe & I no longer am so performative about my love for my country).

In my watch hobby, my cognitive dissonance was (is?) that I'll be able to afford a Speedy one day. It is likely that Grail accurately describes that watch for me.

Mine is definitely number one. I’ll tell myself “all I want is like 3 good watches and I’ll be done.” Then I sell one and buy one, or just buy another “to see if I like it.” I’m a hopeless addict.

I also want to save for one good luxury watch, but buy impulsively, which keeps kicking that down the road. If I laid off for a year I could likely afford it.

This 100%. It’s why I lean away from Oris even though I don’t dive lol.

Number 1 is totally me. And I am also that way with home stereo equipment.

Hey Sherwin,

I expect most (if not all of us) suffer from a lot of cognitive dissonance in watch collecting 😅.

I agree with #1, I have 12 watches right now, I find myself favoring 4 of them and I expect I’ll pick up a couple more before I’m done 🤦🏻.

I don’t really resonate with #2, I don’t like Teslas bec they seem to have too many QC issues for the price, I won’t be getting one unless they’re the last remaining car company (which who knows, maybe they will be).

I have my own version of #3 and 5, I like to say brand doesn’t matter but here I am lusting after Grand Seikos and Sinn watches. Lots of cognitive dissonance here, let’s leave it alone hahaha.

Finally, I don’t think Casio is godtier just because what does godtier even mean? Casio is my favorite brand though bec you can get a solid quality timepiece for very little money. I wear Casios all the time.

I believe that sapphire crystal is necessary in most watches (as long as we can afford it... and it doesn't become "the decision variable"). You don't need to do extreme sports to justify it. Due to the natural location of the watch (wrist), it is always exposed to scratches and bumps in everyday use.

Although I like to think that I collect distinctive watches, many of mine aren’t really. I admit to enjoying variety, though,

1. I have certain brands that I don’t like, and I have no reason for not liking them… Sinn and CW are examples.

2. I judge people who wear apple watches. I don’t mean to, but I do.

3. I have a weird mindset where I feel my collection won’t be complete until I have at least one of all the brands that I like. I’m not even a massive fan of Cartier, for example, but I feel like I eventually need one in my collection. I have since found some gorgeous vintage Tanks that are wearable on either my wrist or my wife’s, so that helps.

4. I definitely do find myself wondering how many watches I need, and when enough will be enough. That said, I have many sentimental pieces that I will never get rid of.

5. I won’t buy a watch unless it’s to celebrate an accomplishment or milestone (okay, the two Casios I bought around Christmas don’t count). But sometimes I do find myself getting impatient. For instance, I plan to buy a Tissot Heritage 1938 when I have my first $60k revenue month for my business that I started in September… I’ve had to stop myself from buying the watch on a few occasions. I’m currently just over $49k so far for the quarter, so I need to hit the number first.

Now why you gotta come at me like that with number 1? 🤣

Why do I spend money on just another shiny trinket, when that money could save lives, feed the poor, help the environment etc.?

Great examples! Very insightfully observed