When you're a watch enthusiast, you have to ask yourself: Does my collecting have an endgame? Do I really have a Holy Grail? Or do I keep moving the goalposts further and further away so I can keep upping the price of the ever-changing Grail?
And what will happen if I stop? Will I just move on to something else?
Can watch enthusiasts (addicts?) really stop? Is stopping part of the journey?
I exchanged these ideas with Jonny recently and I started thinking about these questions in the context of someone who contemplates a watch purchase that is between 1 and 2K. I don't see a problem in spending that kind of money if the Grail acquired becomes and endgame and the spending stops. But if the goalposts keep moving farther and farther away, with no endgame in sight, you may have an undesired outcome.
I guess eventually you'll get to a point where you can't pay any more unless you come into a lot of money. I'd love to have an Omega or an Oris, but they're far beyond what I can afford to pay for a watch. I'll just have to admire the watches that you, Jonny and others buy.
Posted by: Gary | February 28, 2015 at 01:49 PM
When you have a blog that features consumer items such as radios and watches, the day you reach your limit and have what you need and desire and therefore quit buying and reviewing you find yourself at an impasse. In a way you "die" to your readers most of whom won't follow you on whatever new journey you decide to take.
Posted by: herculodge | February 28, 2015 at 01:53 PM
One of my favorite watches is the G-Shock AWG-M100A. I like the way it looks, and it fits perfectly and very comfortably on my wrist. At 46mm wide, it's among the smaller G-Shocks. I got it at the incredible price of $51 during an Amazon Lightning Deal.
http://www.amazon.com/Casio-AWG-M100-1ACR-Solar-Analog-Digital-Display/dp/B00HTOSG1K
(Note that Amazon has the model number wrong -- it's missing the "A" after M100.)
Since the end of 2012, I've bought 15 watches ranging from $20 to $315, mainly due to getting interested in watches by reading this blog and Jonny's blog. I find that I wear some of the cheaper ones more that some of the more expensive ones, and I actually enjoy doing so. I don't currently feel compelled to move the goalpost into the $1000 range, which is a good thing since I can't afford to do so.
Posted by: Gary | February 28, 2015 at 01:58 PM
Gary, one of the things that got me into spending more on watches is that I realized I could either buy a ton of cheaper watches or fewer and fewer more expensive watches. Economics are a reality, but what one can afford is more flexible than one might think. Buying three $400 watches over six months seems cheaper than one $1K watch, but in fact it is more.
I'm not suggesting that you move the goalposts back further, just saying that there's some flexibility. Let's say one budgets $100 a month on watches; that could mean a new cheap watch every month or a new entry-level luxury watch twice a year. Then, a few years later, you've invested $3-4K on a collection and can sell watches off to purchase more expensive watches. And so on. That's what could be called the "inchworm appropriate" to collecting.
All that said, in my recent "Watch Tiers" video I talked about how after the $1-3K range or so, the law of diminishing returns kicks in and the differences in more expensive watches become subtler and subtler. In a way a $1K Oris is the best value watch because you get the fit and finish and bracelet of a luxury watch and a good movement, but you're not paying for luxury prestige, in-house movement, precious metals, etc.
The caveat, though, is that once you go "up" it is really hard to come "down." This works in all areas, as we've discussed - wine, audio equipment, watches, etc.
Posted by: jonnybardo | February 28, 2015 at 02:31 PM
Another thing is that I really like the "grab and go" convenience of quartz watches, as well as their much lower maintenance cost than mechanical watches. If I were to "move up" in cost, I'd be inclined to get something like Jeff's Promaster Sky -- although the silver-colored version. I really like radio-controlled, solar-powered watches (I own three Casios and one Citizen with these features). I know most "real" watch collectors scoff at quartz watches, but I buy things for me, not for what others think. I'm not out to impress anyone but myself.
As far as the ultra-cheap (under $50) watches go, I usually buy them because they have a particular feature set that I want. For example, one has moon phase and sunrise/sunset times; another has moon phase and tide times/levels. I probably only spent around $200 on my seven cheap quartz watches.
Posted by: Gary | February 28, 2015 at 04:04 PM
If I had to choose between the black and silver version of the Sky, I'd tend toward the silver. The black is elegant and classy but it's hard to discern its intricate details except in bright light. The silver's details will be more readily observed. It would be quite a splurge for me to have both versions.
Posted by: herculodge | February 28, 2015 at 04:28 PM
Gary, I don't have a snobbish attitude towards quartz, but I do find them more "lifeless" than automatics. I like Eco-drives better, though. I think the solar aspect brings it alive a bit.
Posted by: jonnybardo | February 28, 2015 at 05:44 PM