OT: Watches for $3k-$5k

[fastlax16]

Same. To each their own. My wife got me a $500 Citizen watch as her wedding gift to me. I love it -- really do -- but that seems to be the max $$ that makes sense to me for a watch. When you look at the realized quality/price ratio of the Citizen, it has to be going down pretty steeply not long after the Citizen.

Though, maybe we just don't know what we're missing? I used to think similarly about Webber gas grills, and higher end ranges. "It's just a few metal pieces with holes, connected to gas lines with regulators - housed in a metal box," I said. I get some being better than others, but how can one justify thousands of dollars more for some of them?" Now I get it.

This logic applies to all luxury items. You can get sneakers for under $50 why get $200 dollar nikes? You can get dress shoes for $50 so why drop $500 on Allen Edmonds? Why get a BMW 5 series for $70k when you can get a Camry for $18k?

Not that any of this is really a financial strategy, but high end watches are generally a better investment than say a luxury car for the most part, a $75,000 dollar mercedes or bmw or lexus sedan/suv is basically worthless in 15 years. A $9,000 dollar rolex, not that I'm looking at those, is something that will retain most of its value if it doesn't appreciate, last the rest of your life and get passed down to your children.

What in your mind makes a $500 dollar citizen 10x the value of a $50 dollar Casio?

 

[ivan brunetti]

This logic applies to all luxury items. You can get sneakers for under $50 why get $200 dollar nikes? You can get dress shoes for $50 so why drop $500 on Allen Edmonds? Why get a BMW 5 series for $70k when you can get a Camry for $18k?

Not that any of this is really a financial strategy, but high end watches are generally a better investment than say a luxury car for the most part, a $75,000 dollar mercedes or bmw or lexus sedan/suv is basically worthless in 15 years. A $9,000 dollar rolex, not that I'm looking at those, is something that will retain most of its value if it doesn't appreciate, last the rest of your life and get passed down to your children.

What in your mind makes a $500 dollar citizen 10x the value of a $50 dollar Casio?

True that cars and sneakers can also be a waste of money. Neither a car nor a watch should be looked at as "an investment", and the accuracy of a $25 watch is pretty much the same as the accuracy of a $25,000 watch.

And if you invested that money, most children would rather have the resulting sum.

 

[fastlax16]

True that cars and sneakers can also be a waste of money. But the accuracy of a $25 watch is pretty much the same as the accuracy of a $25,000 watch.
And if you invested that money, most children would rather have the resulting sum.

You can see the rough casting on the links on that watch. Regardless it probably comes from the same/similar factories in SE Asia as the $500 dollar citizen. My fiancee has/had a number of $25-$50 dollar watches and the majority have failed in the last 3 years. They've either flooded, corroded, discolored or literally fallen apart. I think the only watch she has that still works from when we started dating is a tag that collects dust. All of the plating wore off my last fossil watch and it ended up some weird mishmash of fake titanium and bronzish metal underneath after about 2 years. Like all things, you get what you pay for. No one is buying them because they tell time better. They like the better materials, craftsmanship, quality of the materials, history of the brand etc. They aren't everyone's jam. Just like some people don't get collecting Jordans, flying to Hawaii when you can go to a Florida beach for less, or spending $5000 dollars on a 5 pound poodle when you can adopt a pitbull for free.

You're going to have better returns investing than buying just about anything that isn't a classic porsche these days so I don't consider that a valid argument. There's more to life than stock piling cash. You don't eat cup ramen every night and invest the rest I'm guessing. I'd rather my parents spend their hard earned money on things they enjoy while they are alive instead of focus on leaving a pile of cash sitting in an account when they're gone. My dad just sold one of his guitars that he's had my entire life and I grew up watching him play. I'm pretty bummed, I would have rather inherited the guitar even though I can't play.

 

[junior1]

Fairgambit Worldwide Enterprises has this beauty for $4,999.99. Remember our promise. You will never pay more for less.

Better slogan for fwe (fairgambit world enterprises) might be, “we’are not happy, til you’re not happy”!

 

[ivan brunetti]

You can see the rough casting on the links on that watch. Regardless it probably comes from the same/similar factories in SE Asia as the $500 dollar citizen. My fiancee has/had a number of $25-$50 dollar watches and the majority have failed in the last 3 years. They've either flooded, corroded, discolored or literally fallen apart. I think the only watch she has that still works from when we started dating is a tag that collects dust. All of the plating wore off my last fossil watch and it ended up some weird mishmash of fake titanium and bronzish metal underneath after about 2 years. Like all things, you get what you pay for. No one is buying them because they tell time better. They like the better materials, craftsmanship, quality of the materials, history of the brand etc. They aren't everyone's jam. Just like some people don't get collecting Jordans, flying to Hawaii when you can go to a Florida beach for less, or spending $5000 dollars on a 5 pound poodle when you can adopt a pitbull for free.

You're going to have better returns investing than buying just about anything that isn't a classic porsche these days so I don't consider that a valid argument. There's more to life than stock piling cash. You don't eat cup ramen every night and invest the rest I'm guessing. I'd rather my parents spend their hard earned money on things they enjoy while they are alive instead of focus on leaving a pile of cash sitting in an account when they're gone. My dad just sold one of his guitars that he's had my entire life and I grew up watching him play. I'm pretty bummed, I would have rather inherited the guitar even though I can't play.

Maybe you should have bought the guitar from your Dad. Money talks and sentiment walks...

But you are correct, people like to waste their disposable money their own way. I am not into jewelry, but whatever floats your boat.

 

[fastlax16]

Maybe you should have bought the guitar from your Dad. Money talks and sentiment walks...

But you are correct, people like to waste their disposable money their own way. I am not into jewelry, but whatever floats your boat.

If someone enjoys it and has the means it’s not a waste.

Couldn’t afford it. Point was not everyone would prefer the cash. Does this board have an official stance on 5 figure price tags for instruments?

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

I think this man once worked for FairGambitEnterprises

 

[Nitwit]

Some people like plain waffles. But this is how I roll:

 

[fastlax16]

Some people like plain waffles. But this is how I roll:

View embedded media

You should be buying these and investing the rest.

Amazon product ASIN B000Q5L7CY

 

[BoulderFish]

This logic applies to all luxury items. You can get sneakers for under $50 why get $200 dollar nikes? You can get dress shoes for $50 so why drop $500 on Allen Edmonds? Why get a BMW 5 series for $70k when you can get a Camry for $18k?

Not that any of this is really a financial strategy, but high end watches are generally a better investment than say a luxury car for the most part, a $75,000 dollar mercedes or bmw or lexus sedan/suv is basically worthless in 15 years. A $9,000 dollar rolex, not that I'm looking at those, is something that will retain most of its value if it doesn't appreciate, last the rest of your life and get passed down to your children.

What in your mind makes a $500 dollar citizen 10x the value of a $50 dollar Casio?

I'm not going to get in an argument with you, as I've already conceded in my first post on the thread that it very well may be another case of "not knowing what I'm missing."

With that said, a few points in response to your post:
- I never said -- nor even eluded to the idea -- that there wasn't a clear difference between a $50 watch and a $3000 watch.
- We all understand that the additional value in watches as price increases isn't the watch's ability to provide the time. And we all understand that the additional value comes from the better engineering, craftsmanship/production, and materials.
- And like with most other things in life, the marginal increase in realized quality per dollar decreases as price increases.
- The big difference between a watch and a car (in the current context) is that the marginal value associated with the utility (watch: providing the time; car: getting from point A to point B) decreases much more rapidly for a watch than it does a car. For the vast majority of us, the time we learn from a $5000 watch is no better than the time we learn from a $50 watch -- But while some will appreciate it more than others, to most of us, getting from point A to point B in a BMW 5 series is definitely "better" than getting from point A to point B in a Camery.

Again, not arguing with you. But just explaining why some might respond the way they do to the idea of a $5000+ watch.

 

[fastlax16]

I'm not going to get in an argument with you, as I've already conceded in my first post on the thread that it very well may be another case of "not knowing what I'm missing."

With that said, a few points in response to your post:
- I never said -- nor even eluded to the idea -- that there wasn't a clear difference between a $50 watch and a $3000 watch.
- We all understand that the additional value in watches as price increases isn't the watch's ability to provide the time. And we all understand that the additional value comes from the better engineering, craftsmanship/production, and materials.
- And like with most other things in life, the marginal increase in realized quality per dollar decreases as price increases.
- The big difference between a watch and a car (in the current context) is that the marginal value associated with the utility (watch: providing the time; car: getting from point A to point B) decreases much more rapidly for a watch than it does a car. For the vast majority of us, the time we learn from a $5000 watch is no better than the time we learn from a $50 watch -- But while some will appreciate it more than others, to most of us, getting from point A to point B in a BMW 5 series is definitely "better" than getting from point A to point B in a Camery.

Again, not arguing with you. But just explaining why some might respond the way they do to the idea of a $5000+ watch.

I get why people respond the way they do. Different strokes. The hostility in some people is unnecessary although not surprising. I didn't ask the question for their responses. I got what I wanted from this which was some good feedback/suggestions from some of the others (would have never considered Panerai/IWC for example).

You said around $500 seems to be the inflection point in the "quality/price" ratio and I wanted you to explain it further. Why is your citizen with a quartz (assuming its an eco-drive?) movement that was codeveloped with casio worth $450 more than a $50 solar powered quartz casio? Not being a dick, I had an eco-drive for a while and lost it.

 

[Judge Smails]

I get why people respond the way they do. Different strokes. The hostility in some people is unnecessary although not surprising. I didn't ask the question for their responses. I got what I wanted from this which was some good feedback/suggestions from some of the others (would have never considered Panerai/IWC for example).

You said around $500 seems to be the inflection point in the "quality/price" ratio and I wanted you to explain it further. Why is your citizen with a quartz (assuming its an eco-drive?) movement that was codeveloped with casio worth $450 more than a $50 solar powered quartz casio? Not being a dick, I had an eco-drive for a while and lost it.

Or you could just look at your phone.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Or you could just look at your phone.

Yep - threw that out there five days ago.

It has been an interesting thread to follow though, as are so many here, it’s very educational.

 

[Pinkhippo PeanutButter]

It's fascinating to learn how many of our NFL alums lurk & post here. Also, hello Frakes, not all of us have wives that are soap legends.

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

It's fascinating to learn how many of our NFL alums lurk & post here. Also, hello Frakes, not all of us have wives that are soap legends.

 

[massimoManca II]

I paid about $170 for a charbroil grill and got about 4 years out of it before it rusted out. I paid $600 for a Weber and have had it for 17 years (this summer). Yeah, I've spent some money replacing different parts every few years, but nowhere near enough to make me regret my initial investment. Plus a Weber just cooks a much nicer steak than a cheap grill. You can't put a price tag on that.

You & I may have had this conversation on this board before... i was in your exact boat...

My ‘01 Genesis Silver C was like an anvil.... went ahead and treated myself to a new E330 a few years ago and have been tremendously underwhelmed... regret handing down my old trusty Silver C to my nephew

 

[BoulderFish]

You & I may have had this conversation on this board before... i was in your exact boat...

My ‘01 Genesis Silver C was like an anvil.... went ahead and treated myself to a new E330 a few years ago and have been tremendously underwhelmed... regret handing down my old trusty Silver C to my nephew

I have a Char-Broil that is about 10 years old (bought it right after moving to Colorado). I've replaced one burner on it, but otherwise it's been perfectly reliable. I finally took the opportunity to splurge on a Weber E-410 for a tax write off when we were Airbnb'ing/VRBO'ing our house, and now I get it even though I have a Char-Broil that's chuggin' along just fine after 10 years (and NO cover, btw). Obviously it's built like a tank compared to the CB, but aside from that, the Weber just cooks so much better. The heat, so evenly distributed throughout the entire grill surface, is amazing as it's so much easier to cook with some level of precision, and makes it feel like you have so much more surface area. Worth every penny.

 

[PearlSUJam]

I don’t get the expensive time piece thing. I assume it’s just the jewelry aspect that is the turn on? Kind of like how chicks dig shiny rocks? I’m not knocking it, I just don’t understand it. I assume it’s all about status to show other people that you can afford to put $3k-5k on your wrist, even though a $19.99 Timex does the same thing, functionally speaking.

For me, I have a $529 Series 4 Apple Watch. Relatively speaking (to these jewelry time pieces) it is an absolute bargain considering everything it is capable of doing.

Exactly. The more expensive the watch corresponds with the height of the man. If not that, he's probably lacking in another area. Who wears watches anymore when a cell phone is at immediate disposal? Answer: either of the above. Oh I almost forgot, and if a man considers a watch a piece of jewelry, he fits in either category above.

 

[Bedivir]

This is already a niche category of the watch. A good watch will have separate straps, jewelry, and even accessories. There is even a watch winder box for different models. Only mechanical watches need winding. Quartz watches are battery operated, don't need winding, and the crown is purely decorative. But they can not belong to the category of luxury brands. Mechanical watches need to be wound by the movement of the crown "clockwise." The movements should be smooth, without abrupt twisting, as this could damage the winding mechanism. So it is better to entrust this to a mechanism where the watch does not have a winding box.

 

[LionDeNittany]

This is already a niche category of the watch. A good watch will have separate straps, jewelry, and even accessories.

Thank you bot

 

[bourbon n blues]

I had a base model Rolex years ago and a nice Tag. I stopped wearing the Tag and gave it to my son for a graduation present from college.
I stopped wearing them when I saw them losing time after only a month . It seemed I was 1-2 minutes slow. I just stuck with Ironman watches or now fitness watches .

 

[Hugh Laurie]

My family office makes investments in startups and privately owned companies and one of our portfolio companies finances ultra luxury brand watches (specifically Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, and Rolex's over $50K) for dealers in Miami. Accordingly, I know a little about luxury watches and if you can afford one at that price point a Richard Mille would be my recommendation.

 

[fastlax16]

Blast from the past. Ended up with a Speedmaster. Love it. Wear it every day. Do find some of the investment comments amusing as many Rolex prices have skyrocketed since I posted originally.

https://www.chrono24.com/rolex/oyst...any-blue-dial-124300-new-2022--id16767189.htm 34K for a watch you could have purchased for under 6k a year ago.

 

[87 Penn St8]

Yep - threw that out there five days ago.

It has been an interesting thread to follow though, as are so many here, it’s very educational.

This is definitely the mind set of the younger generation. My son is 25 and I teach high school. The phone is the Swiss Army knife for them. I tried to do that...but like an old dog couldn't master it.

My wife and I bought matching Tags in the early 90s when we had more spending money and friends who worked on the advertising business. All I had to do is imersonate a guy named Bart Gedney and we got 50% off. The jeweler was suspicious after looking at "my" Wells, Rich & Greene ID...but we got away with it.

I love the watch, but didn't want to spend $400 to fix a broken gear. Wore leftovers and my son's throwaways for years. I found myself late for everything. My wife was getting peeved since I used to be on time always (5 minutes early is late).

Finally took it to a jeweler this year who happens to be the father of a pupil of mine. I balked at the potential price again...but he encouraged me to send it out for an estimate. It came back fixed with a 50% off price of $200. Well worth it. I'm back to my old self.

It makes no fiscal sense, but sometimes a nice watch, or accessory like a belt, shoes or cuff links can make you feel better. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To each his own

 

[fastlax16]

This is definitely the mind set of the younger generation. My son is 25 and I teach high school. The phone is the Swiss Army knife for them. I tried to do that...but like an old dog couldn't master it.

My wife and I bought matching Tags in the early 90s when we had more spending money and friends who worked on the advertising business. All I had to do is imersonate a guy named Bart Gedney and we got 50% off. The jeweler was suspicious after looking at "my" Wells, Rich & Greene ID...but we got away with it.

I love the watch, but didn't want to spend $400 to fix a broken gear. Wore leftovers and my son's throwaways for years. I found myself late for everything. My wife was getting peeved since I used to be on time always (5 minutes early is late).

Finally took it to a jeweler this year who happens to be the father of a pupil of mine. I balked at the potential price again...but he encouraged me to send it out for an estimate. It came back fixed with a 50% off price of $200. Well worth it. I'm back to my old self.

It makes no fiscal sense, but sometimes a nice watch, or accessory like a belt, shoes or cuff links can make you feel better. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To each his own

This is where it's not always the case. Example: the values on most stainless steel Rolexes have skyrocketed the last few years. If you'd gotten Submariners, Daytonas or GMTs instead of Tags in the 90s they'd be worth more now than you paid for them, depending on the spec potentially significantly more. Green Subs sell for 20-30 grand. You could get them for 8 five or 6 years ago. Most Pateks have gone up. Some of the Limited Edition Omegas. Most don't but if you're selective and willing to wait for the right models to come in it can absolutely make sense. (Disclaimer: I own 3 Tags that are worth significantly less today than they were new).

 

[87 Penn St8]

This is where it's not always the case. Example: the values on most stainless steel Rolexes have skyrocketed the last few years. If you'd gotten Submariners, Daytonas or GMTs instead of Tags in the 90s they'd be worth more now than you paid for them, depending on the spec potentially significantly more. Green Subs sell for 20-30 grand. You could get them for 8 five or 6 years ago. Most Pateks have gone up. Some of the Limited Edition Omegas. Most don't but if you're selective and willing to wait for the right models to come in it can absolutely make sense. (Disclaimer: I own 3 Tags that are worth significantly less today than they were new).

At the time we really were just looking for cool watches- and when we could get them on deal we bit. Hadn't done any research at all and "investment" was not even a consideration. If our friends had worked on another account we may have bought them....

A Green Sub would've been nice! I'd trade our 2 for a JEEP or used RV : )

As it stands we'll keep our Tags- I'm very happy using mine daily again