Having collected and flipped many watches over the last 10 years, I have always enjoyed doing my homework and chasing the next "Grail". As the years have progressed so has the value of my next watch. I have currently peeked at £11k which in anybody's book is a shed load of dosh, especially for a watch. I have enjoyed the chase and done my homework religously to ensure my knowledge guarantees I don't buy a coconut, which so far has worked..
Now I'm a fortunate chappy in regards to how much I can spend on watches in this mad hobby, however I have come to the conclusion that expensive watches are not fun for me to wear. Rarity and value are usually hand in hand, which means when you wear a rare / expensive watch there is always a little niggle in your head reminding me of this fact. It's this niggle that completely ruins my enjoyment of wearing the watch.
If I own a watch, I want to wear it, end of! I don't believe in "Safe Queens". I guess for me however, regardless of the fact I can afford them, very expensive watches are no longer for me. I'm not saddened by this fact, but rather relieved.
In this hobby it's very easy to get carried away, especially when funds are easily available, however I have had to be honest with myself and come to the conclusion that my limit of enjoyment is set at £4.5k for a single watch. That is my limit to ensure I can wear a watch and enjoy without concern.
Interested to know what value other collectors have reached to ensure they can enjoy wearing their watches without worry?
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
If you don't wear them they're an ornament. An expensive ornament. In a safe where no one sees them.
I wouldn't buy a watch, any watch, if I wasn't going to wear it......
Itry not to worry about them but the reality is I will probably never be able to spend tens of thousands of pounds to replace my current collection as prices are going up at a ridiculous pace....
Last edited by RJM25R; 15th September 2013 at 20:25.
Well, interesting enough I'm pretty much at the same price point as you - £4k to £5k - which I posted here http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...=1#post2851009
Whilst I still have an excessive value in total in watches I've not got any individually which cost me more than that.
Interesting view.
I have had (collectively) nearly £25k in my collection at one point a few years ago - whilst it has fluctuated for a few years it is now much less and will remain so.
The issue for me was not necessarily the 'paid price', rather the intrinsic value in a very rare piece that was pretty much irreplaceable but outside the perceived high end stuff. This I worried about a lot and I eventually let it go back to a fellow mil watch enthusiast.
My only high ticket item now is my Bremont P51 Mustang - wear it a lot and it's not a safe queen in any way, however I only wear my all original 6105 in the house!!.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
One of my key criteria for a watch purchase was 'will I wear it?' and the value has been secondary - to a degree.
The only time I transgressed it was this:
I initially convinced myself I would wear it without care, but when it was on my wrist I remained conscious of the intrinsic rarity of the item (regarding the ability to have it repaired) & tbh I couldn't truly relax and enjoy it. :-(
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
This ^^Originally Posted by RJM25R
Value doesn't bother me, I am careful with them and don't wear then inappropriately; i.e. I wouldn't go mountain biking in the Breguet :)
Perhaps I'll reach my 'comfort limit' at some point. Hopefully not. People have commented that I do just sit there looking at whatever watch I am wearing for long periods, it's still a love thing :)
Now, now Jason - as my parents used to say: 'no peeking'! (sorry couldn't resist).
I'm interested why you feel 4.5k is your comfort level as it's quite an exact sum but kinda random at the same time?
However, I think I know what you mean as I sometimes 'forget' what I'm wearing and some of my hobbies might, from time to time, be a little too vigorous for a nice vintage timepiece.
I have no worries in wearing a 'current' expensive watch as it can always be repaired etc but I do prefer Ceramic so that it doesn't show the marks.
I would probably feel different with a valuable 'rare' watch where repairing/replacing it would be hard...
A
Funnily enough, my most expensive purchase is the one I wear with the least fear. Most of my watches have been in the £1300-1800 price range; Omega PO's, Sinn 756 Diapal, Breitling B1, that sort of watch. All of them I was worried about knocking and scratching. But my Panerai 298 I wear without fear... I'm careful, I am with everything I own, but I'm not constantly paranoid of it.
If I were, I'd sell it. If I couldn't wear it when going about my normal business, I'd buy something that could withstand it, perhaps paired with something 'pretty' for safer occasions.
This is an interesting one. A couple of years back I had a few rare and expensive watches in the collection that I couldn't wear for fear. In the end I sold them off and dropped my collection to two. Those got me by for a year or so and then the urge kicked in again, and now i find I have way more watches than a should, resulting in again having some I just won't wear. I find with me though, having valuable items always plays on my mind, I've been there with expensive cars and other bits. I usually justify a watch though because you can wear it, but then if I don't I know it will need to go.
I agree that there are still some good watches in the 4 to 5k bracket
My single most expensive watch was a PAM 233 and I must confess that I did feel anxious wearing it, so much so that I sold it on the forum and took the family on holiday with the cash.
I'm under no illusion. £4.5k is still a hell of a lot of money for a single watch, but being honest and realistic with myself, it covers the cost of most high end secondhand watches which gives me a very broad scope and doesn't worry me when it comes to repair / replacement / resale.
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
I guess I wouldn't buy a watch I wouldn't wear but I wouldnt spend 5k on a watch personally so I guess I'm not in the ballpark to comment here but I happily wear the watches I consider expensive.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I'm also a wearer not a hoarder... I can totally understand where you are coming from Jason. Although my watches are at the lower end of of your current self imposed value, whilst I wear my modern Explorer with gay abandon, I wear my vintage SM300 and Speedy with caution... but not to the extent that I overly worry, I just consciously chose the watch for the situation I'm going to be in.
I would be gutted if I damaged the Explorer, but I'd be heart broken if I damaged the vintage pieces.
If you can't wear them without feeling uncomfortable what's the point? (Unless you are buying solely for investment purposes, in which case bang 'em up in the safe and forget about them...)
Rob
+1 - I wear mine - but always conscious of the setting/surroundings.
For example I would try to avoid wearing my Hulk where I may damage it - or in rougher neighborhoods.
But that's probably the only piece I have that might attract attention, so not usually too much of a concern with the others.
z
I've never felt uncomfortable wearing the more expensive pieces I've had. I actually tend to forget about the value generally and just try to be careful with all my watches regardless of what they cost, including the cheap ones like my Seikos. If I had a watch that I was worried about wearing then I think I'd sell it rather than let it sit in the safe. Sadly (or maybe wisely) I don't have anything expensive at the moment and have found a lot a pleasure at the lower end of the price scale.
Last edited by dougjb; 15th September 2013 at 21:01.
Rich mans problems
Everyone has a limit, regardless of wealth. That's the point of my post.
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
I really have not "felt" any different about the watch on my wrist due to price. Maybe I am lucky - or deluded - or just haven't spent enough - but I am content to enjoy my watches for their aesthetic, engineering and historic interest.
Edit - Only wearing watches I can afford to lose, or that are insured, may have something to do with it too.
Last edited by gray; 15th September 2013 at 21:13.
Gray
I wear all my watches. I have around 25, some go some stay, but it is rare that the overall number goes up or down much. Because of the numbers each watch will get a maximum of about two weeks wear in any year, maybe some get a bit more and some a bit less, but around that. As a result I don't see my watches getting worn or tatty. They can easily survive many years of this level of use. My upper values of individual watches are around £12 to 15k (I am talking values to sell on rather than MRPs or what I might get for them with a following wind and having kissed the Blarney stone ) The reason for that upper limit is not to do with comfort zones. I would happily wear a £50 or £60K watch. It is more that there are plenty of watches in that price range to satisfy me and not much that I hanker after in the £50 to £60K price range. There are some in the seriously over £100K price range that I would love to own, but I couldn't afford many of those and I would not be happy with just 2 or 3 watches. I enjoy having lots of watches.
If there was something I really wanted for £50K I would buy it and I would wear it, and inevitably one day I probably will.
I am only wary when wearing new or mint watches - I wear my most expensive watch more than any other watch. It has more marks on it than any other watch I own and I enjoy wearing it - with a £25k RRP I could understand some being too cautious or keeping it for best - but it's a watch and was bought to be worn - it's also quite discreet and only a few people have commented on it over the years.
It's just a matter of time...
Hi interesting debate. I have to agree that a watch that represent £4/5k is the way to go. I have had Deepsea's, Rolex Daytona's over the years and always feel conscious of wearing them out and about. Even with the bimetal Sub's and Yachtmaster i feel conscious. I current have a Rolex GMT Pepsi and the new Seamaster PO 9300 Chrono which both suit me fine. That's my lot currently, but you never know!!! ;-)
I would wear my most expensive watch everyday worth about 17K but because I can wear it everyday I choose not to, I go from Homage to brand throughout the week, I am as happy with my Traser on Nato as I am with 18ct yellow Daytona on leather which is a nice balance and not over the top.
Last edited by Fords; 15th September 2013 at 21:30.
My most expensive watch cost me £700. I wear it for nights out, meals out and holidays. I love wearing it even though it's not in the thousands of pounds league.
Mike
I am similar and wouldn't feel comfortable going above the 5k mark as I want to wear and enjoy them.
All this talk of £17-25k watches isn't just rich, it's very rich! That's serious money for a watch, even for a WIS.
I'm starting to feel poor :-)
I won't buy something I'm not happy wearing.
Most expensive watch to date is my PRS30 and I'm happy to wear that out just about everywhere.
I do feel guilty at times when buying watches, but it soon passes, as long as I like the watch. I am not helped by my wife who is quite passionate about watches also. I got for my birthday a SS Daytona, I have been thinking about one for a few years, wish I had brought it a few years ago. At retail it's just under 8K.
Whilst at the AD yesterday, I tried on a few Patek's. Again my wife fully supports my choice and encouraged me to go ahead and to buy one of the two I liked there and then. I can afford the watch, but felt a bit uncomfortable about spending that much on a watch. So I said I needed to step back and think about it. A few years ago I would have brought it there and then. But I said to my wife the watch is almost as much as her car was new, to which my wife countered it would still be worth more then the car which has depreciated over 3 years. Up to £15K if I like the watch I am comfortable in buying with out to much thought. However I found my self stumbling at justifying figures above £20k.
I know I will get pummelled for this, but...
.. I have never had a really expensive watch as such, just a TAG which I bought a long time ago, so when I decided to buy myself something really nice this year I ummed and arrred over whether I would actually wear the thing if it cost that much, as much as I dithered over which actual watch to buy.
In the end I played a bit safe and bought a Submariner, as much as anything for the fact it is an everyday, anywhere watch and a bit of a safe classic choice - I do know it was a bit of an unadventurous choice.
I have had it about 3 months now and wear it all day and really love it - it is fast becoming like a comfortable pair of old shoes. I haven't yet felt uncomfortable wearing it anywhere.
I don't baby my watches but I'm not exactly careful either. It's like owning a nice car. If you're worried about getting stone chips or parking dings, it would never leave the garage. A watch is only ever a service away from being mint so I don't worry about it.
In terms of your imposed price limit, I've never gone above around 4.5K myself. Not a conscious effort but the watches I like are always this price or less. I would happily spend more than this should the right watch come along (currently MilSub or COMEX on the radar). I don't think I would wear them any differently but until I own one, I couldn't say.
I have had watches from £100 - £17000 and what I have found is that I am perfectly happy wearing them out but that more expensive watches can be a bit of an expensive faff to sort out if something goes wrong. Pretty much EVERY chronograph with an in house movement that I have had has gone wrong and whereas an ETA 7750 is an easy fix, resolving an in house chronograph movement is a costly PITA.
In this regards whilst I am happy spending 5 figures on a watch, if I bought a Chrono it would
need to be a Hublot or other 7750 variant. With non chronograph in house is perfectly acceptable as I haven't had many problems with non chronos.
But I'm more than happy to wear any watch out regardless of value. Most people haven't got a clue what you have on your wrist anyway, even if it is a £100k Patek!
It's a lot of money to have in a watch - but as a hobby, it cost little except the initial price of entry. When I bought the most expensive watch I've ever had it was more than 25% of my gross salary, even with a very good discount - I hardly drink or smoke, don't enjoy going out that much and choose to buy watches when I can.
I know lots of people that buy £25k-£40k cars and renew them every 3-5 years - that's probably a nice £17k-£25k watch every 3-5 years in depreciation. At the end of the day what you do with your disposable income is down to personal tastes and habits.
As other above had state though, up to a max of £5k is a bit of a sweet spot - I enjoy a Rolex SD/Sub for almost anything, and I'd rather have 4 or 5 sports watches at that price range than 1 watch at £25k
It's just a matter of time...
My limit is £3000
Thank God you didn't say £13k...
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I would, if I could. :)
Best wishes,
Bob
Timely post for me having just agreed a sale on my most expensive watch, mainly because I don't wear it. There's an element of not being able to wear it 'comfortably' I think. I'm also finding that pleasure from ownership and wearing isn't closely linked with value for me.
Pretty much exactly this.I wear all my watches. I have around 25, some go some stay, but it is rare that the overall number goes up or down much. Because of the numbers each watch will get a maximum of about two weeks wear in any year, maybe some get a bit more and some a bit less, but around that. As a result I don't see my watches getting worn or tatty. They can easily survive many years of this level of use. My upper values of individual watches are around £12 to 15k (I am talking values to sell on rather than MRPs or what I might get for them with a following wind and having kissed the Blarney stone ) The reason for that upper limit is not to do with comfort zones. I would happily wear a £50 or £60K watch. It is more that there are plenty of watches in that price range to satisfy me and not much that I hanker after in the £50 to £60K price range. There are some in the seriously over £100K price range that I would love to own, but I couldn't afford many of those and I would not be happy with just 2 or 3 watches. I enjoy having lots of watches.
If there was something I really wanted for £50K I would buy it and I would wear it, and inevitably one day I probably will.
Yep I'm with you, I know I'm poor reading this thread.....it's not gonna deter me from widening my collection mind you!
Hope I dont get booted for being poor
My most expensive watch is my AT at £3.5k. It's the watch I wear the most. Sure I worry about knocking it or scratching it, but not to the extent I hide it under mu cuff, etc...
What's the point in owning it if I can't enjoy it.
I feel exactly the same as OP. I've worn steel Rolexes for the past ~15 years and bought a Subc and GMTc in 2010 which I enjoy wearing very much. I then went a little over board and splashed out on a Patek 5167 last year but I just can't feel comfortable wearing it as it's a £13k watch and I always feel it's just too much money to be wearing it everyday around door frames, cycling etc. I still do wear it daily but just can't enjoy it due to the high value and high risk. It's always at the back of my head and I'm always tucking it under my cuff. It's a beautiful watch but I sometimes have thoughts about trading down to an Oyster DJ or similar.
I enjoy wearing the Sub and GMT very much and wore it all day everyday on a trip to India earlier this year. It was the perfect travel watch. Last year I took the Patek to India but was too afraid to wear it so just used my phone to tell the time while the watch remained on the dresser.
~£4.5k is ideal for me too
Oh no! Not a £13k watch! 92% of WIS would say that is expensive, relatively speaking :)
Same here. My 5146 gets quite a bit of wear compared to my others. And if a watch of any value does not get worn it goes on SC.
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
The only logic I can apply to the question is this: you're a long time dead.
Wear it and enjoy it. If you fret about damaging it, get rid. Keep the money for a rainy day or spend it on something that will supply a memory for a lifetime.
I really enjoy my 5513 and wear it in the sea, to work and do the gardening wearing it and the great thing with these old Sub's is bung them on a NATO or a strap and nobody comments/notices them....but every time I have had a new Sub/modern Rollie on peoples eyes divert to them due to the shiny bits and bulk and there is always a little dig negative or positive. When I had an £8000 (vintage i may add)watch on I was the same not comfy wearing it and thought about when and where I could. But as Tony said you are a long time dead and nice to try these watches so you know what you do like and will wear...
Last edited by Snoodles; 16th September 2013 at 08:33.
We were chatting about this the other day, of course, so you know that I understand what you were referring to in the OP and essentially feel similarly.
I have one particularly expensive watch - my GO Perpetual Calendar - and only wear that on occasions when I'm dressed up a bit and any activity is likely to be sedentary. Aside from that the replacement value of my watches ranges from about £2k to about £9k (I'm well aware that this doesn't make them cheap, of course... just not as expensive as the GO) and they get worn whenever the mood takes me.
I've let a few watches go that I did find made me slightly uncomfortable wearing, and these have included my gilt 1675, two Great Whites and a white gold Zenith Daytona; in part this was due to their respective values but it was also because they were watches that wouldn't necessarily be easy to replace. Certainly, I don't feel any discomfort wearing any that I have now (which include my PAM268 and JLC Sun Moon) because despite their replacement values they're adequately insured and new replacements could be sourced that would adequately take their place.
There have been a few comments suggesting that watches should be worn, not stored in a safe. Aside from the fact that people are just as much at liberty to buy watches not to wear as they are to wear, I personally agree with that point of view and only keep what I know will find a place on my wrist.
Value vs. enjoyment is definitely a factor for me.
My everyday £120 Casio is BRILLIANT as I just don't worry about it at all. That's not to say I like throwing away £120 but it certainly means less bother should something happen to it. In fact the other day, I hit it with a gate as I was leaving a customer's house... I cringed a little bit but there isn't a mark on it anyway. Imagine that happening to a Patek?!
The most I've spent, was on an AP Diver. I adored the watch for what it was but that finish was so intricate that it would have need a manufacturer refinish for anything more than a hairline. I was also wary of the value as it wasn't a discreet watch.
My two favourites currently are my <£3k Omega Seamaster gmt and my <£5k Cartier Roadster. This price point for me is dying out though as I've tried so many watches... Kind of concerns me that my hobby isn't going to be as fun for much longer due to the silly prices we all have to pay these days.
Although, my watch values are lower than Tony's I think our view of this is similar. For me it's pretty much a vintage/rare v modern issue rather than value. I know that I can replace or repair a modern watch if I damage it, lose it or get it stolen. Yes, it could be someone else's future vintage but at that point it's just a watch. A rare, unrestored vintage piece is different, even if it's worth far less (sometime only a couple of hundred pounds). I feel a responsibility for these pieces and I don't want them lost or damaged on my watch. Many of them could be repaired but would they be the same? This does leave me in the crazy position of some barely being worn but, hey, they're not losing value and I enjoy those special occasions where they are.
Not in the same league financially as lots of people on this forum - my most expensive watch is my Speedmaster Pro which I bought pre-owned. I mean, to me the £1,400'ish that I spent on it is a lot of money - and it's the sort of amount of money that makes non-watch people freak out when they find out what it cost. But as others have said, I've found myself wearing it more carelessly than most of my other watches. I've even found myself diving under the bonnet of my car doing stuff and realising I have it on!
I have resigned myself to the fact that this is now going to be a life long thing.....it's what I do. Some people collect trains, stamps, and all sorts of weird stuff, for me and obviously the majority on here its watches that rock my boat.
I don't drink to excess, I don't smoke, I look at it that if I were to do these on a regular basis I could easily blow £5k a year and have f**k all to show for it. With watches I'm doing no one any harm and I have something to show for it and more importantly a little something to hand down to my 2 boys when I croak it. As for enjoying them....yes every bit of it, and if it means they get hit and scratched along the way then that doesn't bother me, I don't see the point in spending x amount on something then looking at it in a display box.
The kids are getting older, I have a relatively secure job and if I want to blow 5k a year on a watch I'm gonna do it......I'm going to be a long time dead!!
FFF
I can totally relate to that. It is the irreplaceable bit that worries me. I have no illusion of the historic importance as that is relative, it is about the intangible quality of something pristine and vintage. That quality is impossible to restore and can only be preserved.
So I have some not very valuable but rare and pristine vinatge ones I hesitate to wear, whereas I have no qualms whatsover to enjoy the look of a high quality expensive watch as a beater on the farm. Mind you, not in 18k as that would be silly and unneccessarily damaging a material too soft do be exposed to manual labour.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
