Reply With QuoteI’m comfortable around £3K, any more than that and i start feeling uncomfortable wearing something so expensive...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Having had a wide range of watches at different price points,I’ve recently been thinking about how much money I’ve lost ,and do I get more enjoyment out of a more expensive watch ,I don’t think I do .
I think the more you spend on one piece generally means the more you’ll lose,obviously this doesn’t apply to every brand .
Anyway it got me thinking that I should maybe put a maximum spend on a purchase,do others try and do this ,have a figure in mind that you’ll not go over.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
I’m comfortable around £3K, any more than that and i start feeling uncomfortable wearing something so expensive...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I think the 2-3k spot is the sweet spot between true quality and not having to much money tied up in a watch.
But I to have had cheaper watches that sometimes make you stop and think why? Especially this new ginault I have just acquired, fit and finish is on par with my bb58 and better than my speedmaster for the sum of £880.
Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk
I spent ca. £2.5K on a couple of watches when I had some cash available, now, it's a grand tops - then only if I've sold something...
Toytown-tier on here of course, but my tastes shifted towards toolwatches with a mix of durability and convenience (quartz is a guilty pleasure...). I don't have the lifestyle that anything else would get worn, plus I have plenty of cheapies that I really enjoy wearing (Casioak as I type).
There's little in the £5-10K area that has the "haute horlogerie" chops and looks that interest me. I could consolidate into one "grail", but I'd struggle to afford servicing, and it'd end-up a safe queen - taken out to guiltily admire, then back into the darkness... Bit of a waste.
Between £1k and £2k, for similar reasons as the EoS.
Much happier paying under a grand though!
I’m retired so around the 2k mark is it for me.
always a funny one cash and watches.
i have seen good value at a couple of grand and hundred quid rubbish , that said i have seen rubbish for a few grand and stonking value at a day or twos wages.
how much will i spend ? dunno
the main thing is that i dont give a crap about residual value , so thankfully i dont have to buy a dreary ol' rolex...
This is a question I find myself asking often.
I have found there is no correlation between expense and enjoyment.
I have ‘expensive’ watches and cheap watches and get enjoyment from both ends of the scale. As much as I love seeing and learning about high end watch making, I know I would not get any more joy out of owning it than I do a £200 seiko.
My love is for watches with a history and the history element is more interesting than high end watch making to me.
If a watch has a history that I am interested in, I will pay the going rate. I now have very little interest in watches that can be bought new or from a grey dealer and absolutely no interest in paying over RRP for a mass produced ‘latest must have’.
What I can afford. Last year I bought a YM40 RG for £21,900 after selling a couple. But that’s unusual. Normally I’d go up to about 5K-10K for the right watch. Always from selling others. It’s taken a long time to reach this point.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 31st January 2021 at 23:06.
For me now, £3000 is probably my limit. In times gone by, I've spent nearly double that (on an Explorer 2) but I now don't particularly want any more than £3k tied up in an individual piece.
I'd still happily have £10k tied up in watches but I'd prefer three £3000 Omegas than one £9000 Rolex. I know that sports Rolex are still probably a good "investment" but I'm starting to hate sports Rolex because I feel like they are the centre of the speculative greed that has changed this hobby for the worse. It's definitely tarnished the brand for me and I no longer desire them.
Over the years mins is steadily increasing.
At uni £100 on a g shock was extravagant.
10 years ago £300 seemed a lot.
A tuna was my 1st over £500 and I sold it as it seemed too expensive.
Last couple have been approx £1000 but the idea of consolidating into a BB58 is tempting.
Reckon about £2500 or so would be my max but would I rather have a damasko and a sinn or 1 Tudor....
For me it’s more a question of how much can I stomach losing. Not very romantic but therein lies the problem.
£3K is the most I've spent on a single watch, but I highly doubt I'd ever do that again ... especially when there is so much quality available for three or four hundred quid.
I’ve had the fortune to own some amazing watches over the years thanks to TZ, culminating in some very expensive grails. I enjoyed the chase more than the ownership ironically, loved the research, yet they all became safe queens due to their rarity and increasing value.
What frustrated me was the change for passionate collectors like myself, to watches suddenly becoming assets and investments.
Struggled these past five years as to what was a comfortable price, and ironically have come full circle and back to £2-3k being the most I can justify.
Saying that will most probably settle on a G-Shock at the end of the day, if truth be told.
“Things” are just becoming so over-hyped and over-priced, and don’t really have much importance in the big scheme of things.
Guess I’m getting older and less impressed with many things these days.
Last edited by Chinnock; 31st January 2021 at 22:35.
Depends on what it is.
I’ve spent far too much in the past, and I’m sure I would still make one or two larger purchases if the opportunity came along.
I’m still looking for one or two watches to keep for the long term as weekly wearers - maybe I’ll just buy something like a modern Sub and be done, or I should just make do with the ones I have that I like best. Decisions decisions...
It's just a matter of time...
I realised I feel much more comfortable around the 2.5-3.5k price range, you cc an get some real bargains used in the range
I've sold a few Rolex as I felt uncomfortable wearing them, still have my SD43 as I don't think I'd be offered another
Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
Not as much as I'd like to, but I add lot's to the want list and then end up un-justifying them to myself!
Harder during lockdown as well - More time to look but also wearing them less.
Complicated answer
I get as much joy from some cheap stuff (up to £500), as stuff worth £6-8000
I would potentially go up to £20k, but everything I like is essentially a simple mechanical thing with a lot of fine jewelry finishing, that doesn’t interest me at all.
For the more straightforward stuff, so mainstream brands without the finishing finesse, £8000 gets me anything I might possibly want, in fact most is £4K or less. Stuff £2K and below is easier to wear, as I’m less worried about damaging it.
Dave
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A week’s wages has always been limit for me. It’s the sort of amount that I can comfortably spend on a luxury without feeling too guilty, I can wear it, scratch it, lose some money on it when I move it on (maybe a day or two’s wage) and not care too much.
Having said that I’m working through a house extension which is costing 2 years wages so frittering away a week’s worth in luxuries is unthinkable at the moment!
It’s a highly personal question, but I think it’s more relevant what percentage of peoples assets they spend on watches. I thought this recently when I was talking to someone in theirs early 20’s who had spent 7k on a Rolex. He’d just bought a house and put 15k deposit down and had 8k in a cash ISA and asked me if he should buy another Rolex as an investment. I talked him out of it when I said that he’d have 50% of his total assets in a couple of watches and my advice was to build some more equity in his house (boring advice I admit).
I'd be happy spending £500k on a watch as it would mean I had the means to do so. As I don't the answer is much less. I've found the £3k-£5k level gets you just about the best balance between price and quality (pre owned).
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
I am lucky in that i am single...semi retired with no kids so i have a seperate watch fund.
It currently stands at 10k after selling a Rolex SD43/50 which wasn't getting worn much as i have a Rolex 216570 which i much prefer.
I am also getting a little bored of watches and have sold everything off apart from the Rolex and two cheaper watches Citizen/Casio.
I have for the last two weeks being looking for a really nice quartz(yes not in the TZ spirit)was prepared to spend 2 to 3k on either a nice Seiko or possibly a Sinn UX and if the shops had been open i probably would have bought.
However i am glad they are not and i hope by the time they are in April the scratch will have gone away.
I am still in love with the watches i have but i am falling slightly out of love with chasing the next one.
I don’t have the money to lose a lot on a watch and have the itch for change fairly regularly, so buy used more than new but have bought a few Rolex from my local AD over the years in the knowledge they are unlikely to lose anything.
I get as much out of the cheaper watches as the higher value TBH and the time will come soon when most go to try and get rid of my mortgage in the next 12 months.
Long answer but circa 10-11k for most I would spend but most comfortable to wear around the 3k mark.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Excellent advice. He has plenty of watch collecting years ahead. He doesn’t want to be a forced seller if he experiences a speed bump or two (three in my case). Get a sizeable chunk cleared off his mortgage then save for another Rolex to mark that achievement, not as an investmentOriginally Posted by Devonian
I came VERY close to purchasing a 126610LV Cermit from WF. Thankfully I came to my senses. Paying more than twice MRSP (£18k) for a watch just released is bonkers. It still hasn’t shifted.
Most I've spent in the past was £5k(might have been a bit more, can't remember exact) but wouldn't spend remotely close to that any more. £2k would be the absolute max I would stretch to these days but would need to be something very special and would also be selling at least one from the collection to justify it. The bulk of my collection would be nowhere near that value(in fact I have no single piece of that value now I think about it).
I've figured that in general £500 and below as a general budget can net me a lovely watch that I can feel as happy with as anything. Most of my collection are below £500 value now.
Last edited by Tetlee; 31st January 2021 at 23:49.
Life is relative. Two to three months salary is about right.
"The whole purpose of mechanical watches is to be impertinent." ~ Lionel a Marca, CEO of Breguet
Mainly interested in British military watches but very rarely go above 1k, so being a little late to the collecting bug models such as the dirty dozen and fab four have remained out of reach. Quite tempted by a few 'premium brand' models too but they wouldn't get the wrist time to justify the expense of acquiring one, tend to wear a G10 for the working week due to the practical nature of the job I do.
Last edited by Ed875; 8th February 2021 at 21:02. Reason: spotted a typo
Over the years I have never "regretted" any cheap-ish buys I have made but I have "regretted" to a certain extent most of my expensive out of my comfort zone buys for various reasons, funny games watches.
Two years ago I was seriously considering buying a Patek but common sense prevailed and I had to admit that a PP needs to be worn protected by a double cuff and the sleeve of a suit. As a retiree I nearly always dress casual, so I abandoned the idea. I allowed myself a budget of £60K but would have realistically only spent around £27K on a 5205.
The justification was that as the thing was likely to be an appreciating asset, I was not really spending money but rather converting cash into an investment.
It's all relative to circumstances, timing and the possible enjoyment you'll get.. 2k is the most I've spent and been comfortable with, but that could change.. I enjoy my 100 pound G shock as much as my 2k chronometer
The most I have ever spent is £2.7k on my Seamaster, can’t see me ever spending that much again. I have found that watches around the grand mark (retail) give me just as much enjoyment.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Of all the replies, this one resonated with me the most, I have lots of watches with values from sub £100 to £6k and the cost of any of them is immaterial to the enjoyment of each. I like the quirky, the unusual or the ones with a story, rare doesn't mean expensive, there are very few new watches ( from say, the last 20 years ) that interest me too much, vintage is where its at for me.
Cheers..
Jase
There's a ton of watches I like from low end G-Shock money up to around £2k. Then there's nothing I really like up to around £4-5k which is the sweet spot I think, loads of really great stuff around that price point and I think you start getting diminishing returns after that. I'd also struggle to justify spending £10k on a watch because in the back of my mind I'd be thinking which 2 of those £4-5k watches I could be buying instead.
I'm talking new prices FWIW, so I think I might be agreeing with the folks who are saying £3k.
I bought a couple of watches in extraordinary circumstances for near £5k but I can't ever see myself doing that again (lottery win aside). Currently my comfort zone would be about £1.5k but even that is unlikely at present with maybe half that being a more likely spend in the foreseeable future. At present I'm liking steeldives offerings with a 'Ploproff' and 'Turtle' being considered, also Hruodland's offerings look rather splendid in a very 'homagey' kind of way but I have no idea as to quality.
I used to think around £3.5k was my limit for feeling comfortable, as a few others have said. However the game has changed since then, and some of those watches have gone up in value. So without really meaning to I’ve become comfortable with watches that cost considerably more. It’s all quite divorced from reality in the end, the watches I like haven’t changed much but their price has.
If I can get interest free credit then £3k. Cash? Prob £2k max. If money was no object the dream watches would prob still sit in the boxes as safe queens.
Last edited by mrushton; 1st February 2021 at 12:50.
Good question and interesting answers! I've spent around 3-10k per watch lately and I also agree that the price and the enjoyment I get from the watch do not correlate. If I don't really bond with the watch I easily start questioning it's value - at that point I know I will be selling it. Some watches feel more "worth it" than other, but it's not only about the price, there are so many other factors like brand, the look, the feel etc.
I have no issues wearing an expensive watch, I don't feel bad about it and I don't think it puts me in any danger at least where I live.
Sweet spot like most is below 5k mark, preferably below 3k, and below 3k I’m happy to try most brands. The higher the price point, the more likely I stick with mainstream brands and models, not because I don’t like other brands and off beat watches, but because I worry about losing money more.
Maximum I’ve spent is £2.7k for my BB58 and I would have difficulty in going above that, despite liking a few options in the £4-5k price range.
I’m most comfortable in the c. £1k price range although this does cause other problems in that my collection is now growing too large which causes me an equal level of discomfort!
Like many, my maximum has increased over the years - the first time you spend £1,000 it seams a lot, then £2k, then £5k etc.
The most I ever spend was £26k on a new PP 5712 which had been a grail for years. I planned to keep it, but I knew I was very unlikely to lose money if I didn't. In the end I didn't really bond with it, but I made a few quid when I sold it.
The absolute rule for me is live within your means & don't take out loans for stuff that's not essential.
If spending XXXX makes you uncomfortable, then just don't. Certainly don't get into debt for a watch unless your pretty well certain it's an appreciating asset.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I've a DINKY with no kids, cars or mortgage so I could spend more than I do but I am just not that interested and I have realised I am more interested in brands that watch fans are sniffy about.
Take the FC I am wearing today - I am more interested in that than a Rolex because in watch collector circles you see a Rolex on every metaphorically street corner and I will never see one of these unless I buy it!
Feels about right, John.
I've been thinking about this, and I think I've decided that the most I'd like to spend is the list price of a steel sports Rolex.
I understand that rules out steel sports Rolex, but it puts right in the middle of my comfort zone. And my recent flurry of buying SpringDrives reminds me that you really don't need to spend even that much. Of course.
My problem isn't so much how much, it's justifying anything in the face of the competition. About six months ago, Having finally finished a reasonably complete new house refit, and having repeatedly spent numbing and unexpected figures on rewiring, removing chimneys, rejigging the roof and mild extensions I decided that I was going to buy one of the very few brands that I really, really wanted but could never justify, a really nice Breguet. Having decided and mentally reserved a chunk for it, I ended up circling around all sorts of examples. After a couple of months, I realised that I just didn't want to. There was nothing uniquely special enough about Breguet beyond the name and decoration. So I bought a frivolous Triumph TR6c, a 9F Grand Seiko, a Tudor 7909 and a couple of mid price military watches instead. I'd still like a Breguet, but not until I have bought all the watches (and other Sales Corner dross) that add up to a bigger overall grin than a single Breguet. This may take a while.
I have only once spent over £2k.
It was nearly £4k on an Explorer II, and it took the sale of a few other watches to put together that amount.
I realised within weeks that the Rolex did no more for me than many of my other watches that cost significantly less.
As a result, I sold the Exp II and I doubt I will ever break the £2k ceiling again.
There is just no need for me to do so, and it seems unnecessarily risky for me to do so, in my own personal and economic situation.
Plus, I can get chronographs, GMTs, divers, vintage and modern, all under this amount.
I can find rarity, exceptional pieces, iconic design and all sorts.
All the things that I really appreciate in watches.
So that is where my ceiling is likely to stay.
Dave
Another vote for the £2k limit.
But now I’ve discovered some micro brand offerings it’s so much more appealing wearing something I could replace fairly easily if I had to.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Most expensive watch I currently have is a BB58.
I'd quite like to get an older Rolex Date Just but would have to sell/trade out my Rolex Oysterdate to fund that.
I always looked at it more from the perspective of a total collection limit (excluding gifted watches).
I’d be prepared to have 5 or so watches adding up to my total collection limit, or just 1 or 2.
That said, the more expensive one is, the more focussed I am on value retention.
Last edited by Berty234; 10th February 2021 at 21:05.
I added up what I'd paid for all the watches I'd bought once and, while, with one or two exceptions, I'd never really bought anything that I thought of as 'expensive' at the time, I felt slightly light-headed when I saw the total!
Still, I buy what I like and feel I can afford, with the economy in a slump and money not coming in at the rate it has in the past, I cut my cloth accordingly - For the last year, it's been under £300.
Generally, even buying used, that won't guarantee a return, but I'm not comfortable sinking the kind of money required to make that more likely into a watch at the moment.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Posting Permissions
