Opinion - Why mid-range watches matter most (the illusion of watch-ladder).

You pretty much explained my thoughts on watch collecting, though I haven't owned a luxury watch, I have handled them. 

I think you make a great point about social media, and the impressions it can leave us with. When you consume a lot of watch content it's easy to forget that spending $1K on a watch is a big deal to most people, let alone $4-10K, or $20K+... Personally, I made a decision to only follow YouTube channels, or IG accounts that cover watches in the Sub $2500 range. It's the price range I'm comfortable playing around in, and it means I'm not constantly seeing pictures of "flex" brands, or most of the more toxic side of the hobby.  

As for CW, I absolutely love them, and I don't think there is a watch that costs the same as a C63 that can compare to it's finishing. 

I have a similar view. I also own a BB58 and love it. But that’s really all the luxury watch I need or want at this point. There are many treasures to enjoy in the entry level and mid range.

I believe nearly everything in this hobby is both relative and subjective to the individual - what makes one person happy is not guaranteed to make another. On the Crunch you’ll find people with simple 2-3 watch collections made up of only Rolex/Omega/etc, those who have 20+ watches that maybe cost as much as your BB58, and others who have zero interest in watches made outside the 20th century… and none of them are wrong. The best thing about sites like this and other forums is that there are so many voices - it’s a very spicy place! 

I think you’ve made a very astute observation about the impact social media has made on the hobby in general. While I don’t claim Hodinkee to be the first to say as much, nor for them to be the barometer of the horological world, I have heard them mention how things like IG have been a double-edge sword. It’s increased the popularity of watch collecting but also at the cost of making it more homogeneous… or rather, its perhaps influenced many folks that a Rolex (as one example) is the ONLY watch worth collecting. Now obviously that’s not true, but I can understand how a feed full of submariner wrist shots with thousands of likes could potentially make a person feel that way.

As far as your points, they are well-thought out and you make some great arguments. For me, I just see this hobby as one giant pool with folks enjoying a swim at different ends. I legitimately would like to do laps if I could. as I think there is a lot of fun be had at all price points... but right now, I‘d just be trying not to drown in the deep end. 😂 I really admire folks like @Omeganut who seemingly can and will do this - as I’ve witnessed him get equally excited about a $600 Victorinox as he does about a $10k Grand Seiko. The man is a treasure and who I want to be when I grow up. 😂 Its all about the joy of collecting and I sincerely appreciate just getting to be an observer here on the Crunch.

While I mostly agree with the sentiment, I do think every price point offers unique experiences in their own right.

There will always be watches that punches above it price range and watches that fall flat at its price range. But I do feel most of the time, the price jump can be justified with various reasons, with those reasons often not tangible right away.

Each price level might offer different experiences, but I'd wager that most of the planet can't actually afford to pay for the luxury experience. 

This goes back to the social media thing in a way. Each of us is in a wildly different financial situation, so while $10K might be a bit of spending cash to some, it's a life changing amount of money to others. 

There is lots of room in the watch hobby for all levels, but maybe as a community we should stop encouraging people to keep "moving up the ladder", and start encouraging people to enjoy what they can responsibly afford. 

My personal rule for affordability is pretty simple, if I can't afford to buy two of whatever watch I want, I can't afford it. That also means that whatever watch I get is never treated as a "precious" because I can afford to replace it if anything happens to it. I won't pretend my solution is the right one for everybody, but it works for me. 

Well, sincerely, thank you so, so much for the absolutely generous and kind compliment.  

But, I will say, there's something seriously F&^%ed up about you if you want to be like me when you get old.  I mean, my wife always says to me, "When did you become such a grumpy old man???"  My response:  "Uh...  age 6?"  

This also reminds me of this brilliant interview with Larry David:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug02cqP69V4  

Conan:  Do you ever worry that women are attracted to you for your fame, rather than for you as a person?

Larry David:  What are you, nuts?  They're supposed to like me for me?  They had many, many years to like me for me, okay?  And that didn't happen.  There was no liking me for me.  And there shouldn't have been.  There's not that much to like, actually.  If a woman now said, "I just wanna be with you for who you are," I'd say, "Get outta here!!!"

It's funny, but I've not been watch collecting for all that long.  And in the ~1 year I've been doing it, I've come to realize something.  There's a famous Russian proverb that goes:  "We are not rich enough to buy cheap things."  There are a number of interpretations of this saying; however, I like to think it's a commentary on socio-economic status (SES) insecurity.  By that, I mean the following:

• My closest friend in the world grew up super poor in Eastern Europe, and by dint of his intellect, and his willingness to work 100 hour weeks, and his being the genuinely nicest human being I've ever met, ended up going to the top schools here in America, went to work for the top consulting firm, and then joined the most prestigious private equity firm, and then became Global Head of Strategy for a household name Silicon Valley software company at age 36.  This is the car he drives:

• This is how one of the richest people in the world dresses:

They don't need expensive things.  They're so rich they can afford to buy cheap things, and love those cheap things.  Their things say nothing about them.  They are perfectly secure in who they are.  So, if something is cool, whether it's expensive or cheap, it's cool.

I had grown up very, very poor as a first generation immigrant.  And even after I had money, I still thought of myself as that same 6 year-old kid living on government cheese.  So, all my initial watch purchases were very expensive luxury watches!  And, well, weirdly, wasting all this money on these anachronistic pieces of jewelry has somehow convinced my lizard brain of the objective truth - that I'm actually quite wealthy.  And, now that I realize that I'm not that 6 year-old living off government cheese anymore, I can afford cheap things.

Cheap is relative.  But, at this point, I am absolutely loving Seiko.  I can't believe how great some of their offerings are at the price point they sell for.

If I could start my watch collecting all over from the beginning, I think I would own nothing but Seikos - like the Baby Alpinist and the Happy Feet Monster - and maybe 1 Grand Seiko, like the SLGA015 when it comes out in August.

I do think a lot of people feel pressured into having higher end watches in their collection; that somehow a collection without IWC, Omega, Rolex, etc just isnt as worthy. I follow one rule - I don't buy anything to impress others, I buy what I like; what speaks to me.

99% of the population don't know a Seiko from a Rolex and frankly don't care. Even if they do know what a Rolex is, they'll assume it's fake. Just buy what floats your boat regardless of its cost. It's liberating. 

I am quite happy to play in the $1-2k range.  There is a ton of variety and interesting options that won’t break the bank, so to speak. I’m currently on a Longines kick and may grab one more soon.

That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate higher price pieces for the exact qualities that make them higher priced.  I have the BB58 blue and my wife has the GO SeaQ blue.  On paper they are very, very similar watches.  One might question why the GO is three times more expensive than the BB58.  In truth, I think the SeaQ dumps all over the BB58 in finish, quality, comfort, etc. I get it.  The BB58 is a nice watch.  The SeaQ is a great watch.

Then again, my last purchase was a Timex Secret Agent Snoopy.  This is a $300 fun watch that will easily outlast me.  I’ve been called a watch snob because I called the MoonSwatch a plastic piece of junk.  It’s not that I’m a watch snob. It’s just that the MoonSwatch is a plastic piece of junk with hype while the Snoopy is a quality piece that’s just as much fun for the same price. 

There are great choices at every price point but if an AD offers me a Rolex that I want at MSRP, I’m still buying it. 

I mostly agree. That said, when you step up to luxury watches there is a real increase in quality, finish, and bling (e.g. GS, AP, Dornbluth).

Great piece Thiago

I think quite true.  My small collection lacks in the high horology dept except for a crazy pricey and crazy & obscure Prospex LX.  I’m not convinced it’s 2 or 3 times better than my Oris Aquius or base level Prospex.  I’m quite torn over whether to aim for another big ticket or have fun with several small acquisitions 

I've noticed it bleed off quite a bit in the "higher end" pieces.  You have to start looking pretty closely to find a 50% improvement between 50 and 75k watches.

I think the movements, cases, crystals,  bezels,  metals etc. Have all vastly improved over the years. The benefits in that sweet spot of 1 to 2K are incredible. You get the features of high $ luxury watches in stainless or titanium that was only offered in top tier production luxury brands before. For every collector who knows the value of a BB58 and owns one there are ten one and done people wearing a BB58 because it looked cool. They often talk about how tough their watch is, how great it looks , and how happy they are that they didn't buy it's big brother with a crown. We collect in a golden age of watches. Divers, dress, Chronometer, GMT all have damned good movements,  case materials,  anitmagnetic and shock resistance and yes, my favorite topic 😀  water resistance.  Enjoy my 1 to 2 k watches way more than my pricey watches 

Reading all of these posts is causing me to do some soul searching...  

I bought this Seiko for about $120, and I absolutely love it:

But there's also something very special about wearing a watch that's hand finished, or historically interesting, or made from a precious metal.  And there are obviously particular designs that are going to be appealing to each of us.  

The thing is, I'm not sure if any of the above has given me greater enjoyment or satisfaction than my humble Lord Matic.  And yet, when I'm thinking about buying a new watch (particularly an expensive watch), I imagine that it will deliver some new level of enjoyment or satisfaction.  I tell myself that I'll wear that new watch for months without having the slightest urge to buy something new, or even switch to something else in my collection.  

But that hasn't happened.  And there doesn't seem to be any correlation between price and enjoyment or satisfaction.

Given the above, why spend more?  One answer (I think) is that even though on scale of one to ten, we might say that two watches at different price points provide the same amount of enjoyment/satisfaction, we don't actually experience life on scale.  And so, while one watch doesn't make me smile more than another, I'm getting something different from each.  

Also, I haven't given up hope on finding that exist watch...  

Ha! It’s like your narrating what’s in my head 😉

This $1 watch gives me as much if not more enjoyment than my 2K Sinn. It's not the price of the thing it's the enjoyment it brings to you 💯

You have to buy watches you can afford. That means different things for different people. I don't think anyone should be looked down upon because they can't afford watches at a certain price point. Try to build the best collection you can at the prices you can afford. 

I also generally agree that the jump in quality you get for spending more is often smaller than the increase in cost. A lot of the extra cost of high-end watches is due to materials (use of precious metals) and finishing. Some high-end brands don't even offer steel models at all so their price point is obviously going to be higher. If you don't want to pay more for white gold or platinum over steel, then don't. As for finishing, it is up to each person to decide how much they value that. If  you don't care about looking at a highly decorated movement with blued screws, gold rotor, etc then don't pay for it.  I think getting a closed case back and/or going with a proven third part movement is often the best way to go if you want to save some money. An all polished case will also obviously be cheaper than a finely worked one with multiple surface finishes.  Again, each person has to decide how much they care about those small things. I personally think the difference in quality hands and indices is worth paying some extra for on the finishing side. 

Its good you have found the place where you feel comfortable although that may change over time. My tastes are certainly different now than what they were 20 years ago when I started collecting. If you start having more disposable income, then that can change your perspective about what you are willing to splurge on.  I generally buy more expensive products across the board compared to what I would consider buying in my 20s b/c my financial situation is different now. I no longer eat at McDonald's and drive a cheap, compact car for instance. It is now worth it to me to pay for better burgers and wheels. However, I still can't justify a solid rose gold high end time piece. I hope that changes some day as I would love to be in such a position where that would be affordable for me. 

Yes really well made points in your post. I’ve got watches at many price levels but that sort of £2k level (assuming a well chosen watch) hits a real sweet spot of quality but not being so expensive you have an inkling  you’ve been ripped off. And / or you are afraid to damage it.

specifically I love my cartier tank must and I just picked up a grand seiko sbgx261- those two watches for £4K all in seems like a much better use of my money than a relatively basic Rolex for £10k.

I will say the addition of precious materials can justify higher price points.

ps. Christopher ward steel watches in the light catcher case are tremendous bargains.

Spot on.