2manywatches, sickness is putting it mildly. I probably have a little over 1000 watches by now. I lost count ages ago. I bought 7 or 8, 6 slot watch boxes around Christmas and I filled them up by the first week of Feb. LOL I said somewhere I won't be buying any more watches for a while and less than an hour later I boguht 2, bid on one and made an offer on another and considering buying a vintage Rado! To top it off this morning a friend of mine that services high end cars called me on a deal for a 2004 Rolls Royce Phantom for less than the cost of cheap new pick up. Nothing wrong with it he got bought it from a customer who just can't afford to keep it up, he did the work and just wants to unload it! I just can't do it as much as I LOVE the car, like a high end watch the service and maintenance costs can be crippling to your bank account! The reason why his customer let it go. I have had quite a few of the big brands a few of those were in the 20K range and truthfully I have watches that cost a fraction of what I paid for them that run like tops and never gave me any trouble and people still tall me they are garbage. If they cost a few bucks and last 20 to 30 years without issue I take all the garbage watches people do not want all day long. IMO I think like a lot of stuff people are just fooled by marketing and because it cost a lot so it must be good or the best. Then there are the people who like to show off they can afford an expensive watch and really don't know a thing about them. Now I admit I still have a few high end watches in my collection 4 Cartier watches, vintage Jager Reverso and a couple others that have sentimental value like my Tag. I am still trying to get my Ex to let me sell the Rolex I gave her. several years ago. She barely wore it and now it looses close to 20 min a day after the first few years it slowly started loosing time more and more. They told her $800.00 to service it and she just tossed it in her jewelry box. I paid big money for that thing I would love to unload it for her let her take the cash or even donate it to a charity! It funny I rarely look at reviews these days especially when a lot of sites do not even require you to prove you actually own the product. As far as the watch experts they seem to have their favorite brands or do not want to piss off watch companies maybe loose their sponsorships. Even though I might not agree with a lot of reviews I still like to see them. If anything it's entertaining although I kind of get bored just watching I would prefer to be in an actual conversation. I really do watch a ton of watch related vids on Youtube.
One of my pet peeves is some watches that use common movements like Myota and Seiko auto movements or even Swiss quartz movemnts that are only a few bucks to buy charge 1000s for their watches that have the same exact movement a $35 or $50 watch has. I am not impressed with Super Lunova IMO it's not that expensive I have two bottles of it and it didn't cost that much at all, it's probably enough to do a few hundred watches! Sapphire it might not scratch easily but it sure does shatter easy but costs a lot more than any of the synthetic sapphire crystals out there! Even with the high end watches most stuff is done by CNC it not like they have guys milling cases by hand that much or even making gears by hand. Over the years I have seen better and better stuff coming out of Japan and now China is making strides.
Yikes, over a thousand, ahahahaha. I always feel better when hearing of a collection that makes mine look like a few watches in a shoe box, so thank you, good Sir!
LOL, the watch boxes do fill up quickly, and, my weird brain, my one recent box had two slots left, which clearly meant get two more watches, because....watches.
The snobbery is disheartening. I've shared a few times on the forum here that this place really saved my enthusiasm. I was all happy in my watch world, years and years back, then joined a forum where negativity and judgement seemed to rule, and, since it was my first foray into trying to learn about this new hobby with which I'd become enthralled, I looked to the seasoned "experts" there and tried to be a better watch buyer, lol, and kind of ended up just feeling glum.
Wound up ruining my interest in watches, which has always been just for fun, really, but I'd gotten to worrying about whether I was buying a "respected" watch, and fell out of love with it all. Stopped buying and quit that place. Looked around to join anywhere else and didn't find much.....
Then I saw a watch I liked one day, and followed a deal on it over to here, courtesy of the Deals Master,
@leelovesbug and found all the outstanding folks here who just love what they wear, and it woke my enthusiasm right back up, and I wound up more than doubling my watches and really loving everything I was buying.
Ha, always an interesting mix, cars and watches. Passions that go hand in hand, it seems. And, yup, the pricier the car, the pricier it is to own, I've been told.
I've never been at the place to where I could drop what is, to me anyway, big bucks on a watch. I could pick up something toward the ten grand mark, but, as I say, I just haven't felt it to be worth it, and may never, even if current financial projects wind up paying off in a big way. About the most I'd spend would be Planet Ocean money, I'd think. And that's more because of the Bond connection. I tend to buy watches I feel a connection to, whether it is the style, the brand history, the model story, etc.
I am looking to get an Aquaracer. I've always loved the brand, became interested in its backstory, and, while some despise them, it is an appealing watch to me, personally, and being here has certainly reminded me of the value of buying what we love, and not worrying who doesn't like it.
And, yes, there is certainly a market for the status seekers, and I've run into a lot of them over the years, who feel they are superior people for some wrist bauble. Sad. I can't imagine being that insecure, lol.
I love it that here, whether it's a twenty grand piece or twenty bucks, it's presented with grace and enthusiasm, and nobody is bashing anyone else for their choices, even if they personally don't care for the same brand or style. In fact, I've come to appreciate higher end watches more, because of the unassuming way they are shared here. If somebody tells me I suck because of my watches, I tend not to want the kind of watches they wear, haha.
I remember at another forum, I guy telling me his watch was "infinitely better" than mine, haha, and he was a better person than me for having bought it. It was too bad his character was not equal to his supposed watch game.
But, yup, this is honestly one of the better communities I've ever been involved with, online, even including car forums.
Sure appreciate your insights, as someone who is deep into the watch world! And, yes, it's like sapphire and ceramic are now a staple on stuff coming out of China for a hundred bucks or less, and, overall, I just don't feel to pay high end prices for the same specs on an affordable watch.
Production seems to have come a long way, for sure. I've got a couple of Ali Express ones incoming, just to see what they are about. I like the designs, and, really, that's what I like most in a watch. I'm not wearing the movement on my wrist, lol. So, case something up in an interesting and different style, and it tends to grab my attention.
As much as people despise Invicta, I find their stuff entertaining, and so different from the mainstream. And, for me anyway, the lack of failures has kept me going back, considering the price points. My very first one is scratched and beat to crap, but still runs, from nearly two decades ago. Nothing to complain about there.
It's not a hobby that should stress people out, lol. If it's no longer fun, there doesn't seem much point. Buy what you love and love what you buy.
Good to chat with you.