watches

[bchad]

@Turd_Fergeson

if we didn’t have expensive watches/clothes/cars, how would people know how much money we make?

I think you’ve missstated. It’s not how would people know "how much money we make,’ it’s how would people know “how valuable we are.”

[Turd_Fergeson]

@Greenman72

@ohai

Expensive watches are not for telling time… That’s besides the point…

Yes, I’m fully aware of what a luxury watch is supposed to say. I am of the opinion still, that spending $20,000 on a Cartier watch is foolish, no matter what it’s for. When I see somebody with a watch that costs five figures, I don’t think, “Wow–you must be rich and powerful–like the great Wizard of Oz!” I think, “Wow–there’s somebody with more money than brains. Or with no brains AND no money, because they spend it all on watches.”

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but there is an upper limit on how nice a watch can really be. Anything beyond this is sheer vanity and “look-at-me-ism”.

the other side of the coin is that the wearer potentially doesn’t care what his/her wearing the watch indicates to you. maybe it’s a reminder of a significant accopmplishment that is very valuable to the wearer. Maybe it’s a reward for a big promotion and only cost say 10% of a bonus. maybe the wearer bought it so that he/she is reminded every time they look at it of the amount of time, effort and commitment it takes to get to a higher level. and maybe the reminder is daily motivation to reach an even higher level.

so maybe you should consider that it could be that a person wearing a really expensive watch has nothing to do with you, the observer.

[jcole21]

@Turd_Fergeson

@Greenman72

@ohai

Expensive watches are not for telling time… That’s besides the point…

Yes, I’m fully aware of what a luxury watch is supposed to say. I am of the opinion still, that spending $20,000 on a Cartier watch is foolish, no matter what it’s for. When I see somebody with a watch that costs five figures, I don’t think, “Wow–you must be rich and powerful–like the great Wizard of Oz!” I think, “Wow–there’s somebody with more money than brains. Or with no brains AND no money, because they spend it all on watches.”

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but there is an upper limit on how nice a watch can really be. Anything beyond this is sheer vanity and “look-at-me-ism”.

the other side of the coin is that the wearer potentially doesn’t care what his/her wearing the watch indicates to you. maybe it’s a reminder of a significant accopmplishment that is very valuable to the wearer. Maybe it’s a reward for a big promotion and only cost say 10% of a bonus. maybe the wearer bought it so that he/she is reminded every time they look at it of the amount of time, effort and commitment it takes to get to a higher level. and maybe the reminder is daily motivation to reach an even higher level.

so maybe you should consider that it could be that a person wearing a really expensive watch has nothing to do with you, the observer.

I like what you did there boss.

[system]

My thoughts:

1. I think you idiots can do whatever you want wih your money as you earned it.

2. Expect people like myself to laugh at someone who thinks a cheap looking watch with a rubber band is something to show off.

3. I do see the theory in hey I bought this expensive watch as a present to myself because I just got this huge promotion. I get that. Probably why I like my “bar mitzah present” Tag as I bought it and paid for it 100% POS with a signing bonus from a first job. Now, it is worth $400 max, but to me it has sentimental value. Is it way out of my income level, based upon the commentary in this thread? Yes it is. Based upon your thoughts I should be wearing a Rolex. But I could care less what people think of me.

[Greenman72]

@bchadwick

@Turd_Fergeson

if we didn’t have expensive watches/clothes/cars, how would people know how much money we make?

I think you’ve missstated. It’s not how would people know "how much money we make,’ it’s how would people know “how valuable we are.”

I think you’ve misstated. It’s not how would people know “how much money we make” or “how valuable we are”, but “how much we spend.”

[Greenman72]

@Turd_Fergeson

the other side of the coin is that the wearer potentially doesn’t care what his/her wearing the watch indicates to you. maybe it’s a reminder of a significant accopmplishment that is very valuable to the wearer. Maybe it’s a reward for a big promotion and only cost say 10% of a bonus. maybe the wearer bought it so that he/she is reminded every time they look at it of the amount of time, effort and commitment it takes to get to a higher level. and maybe the reminder is daily motivation to reach an even higher level.

so maybe you should consider that it could be that a person wearing a really expensive watch has nothing to do with you, the observer.

Well, to each their own. Personally, I can think of a lot of things to do with 20 grand than to spend it on a novelty “feel-goodie” item. If you really need to spend that much to feel good about yourself, $20,000 can buy a lot of visits to the shrink to boost your self-esteem. Or a lot of lap dances at the strip club by girls who will pretend like they care about you.

[Palantir]

@Greenman72

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but there is an upper limit on how nice a watch can really be. Anything beyond this is sheer vanity and “look-at-me-ism”.

I agree with this. I don’t see the logic in spending 5k+ on a watch that looks the same as a sub 250 one and DOES THE SAME EXACT DAMN THING.

But maybe I’m just a cheap Indian guy.

[Turd_Fergeson]

@Greenman72

Well, to each their own. Personally, I can think of a lot of things to do with 20 grand than to spend it on a novelty “feel-goodie” item. If you really need to spend that much to feel good about yourself, $20,000 can buy a lot of visits to the shrink to boost your self-esteem. Or a lot of lap dances at the strip club by girls who will pretend like they care about you.

proof that being able to read and being able to comprehend are two different things.

[brain_wash_your_face]

@Turd_Fergeson

the other side of the coin is that the wearer potentially doesn’t care what his/her wearing the watch indicates to you.

Basically:

[revaccountant]

I hate when these threads turn into binary $10 shty digital watches versus $20,000 watches.

If you wear a digital watch with a suit, you look like a reh-tard. Period.

For me (young professional) the middle ground is $200-$500 range. You can get a very high quality watch with pretty much any style as an option. Personally I have a lower end Tissot, which I like a lot.

[brain_wash_your_face]

It may just be me, but I feel like a lot of dress watches are getting too busy and complicated these days. I like clean, simple watches if you’re wearing a suit…chronographs just aren’t my thing.

[LBriscoe]

http://shop.us.longines.com/watch-selector/men/l27304110.html

thoughts?

[itera]

@Turd_Fergeson

@Greenman72

@ohai

Expensive watches are not for telling time… That’s besides the point…

Yes, I’m fully aware of what a luxury watch is supposed to say. I am of the opinion still, that spending $20,000 on a Cartier watch is foolish, no matter what it’s for. When I see somebody with a watch that costs five figures, I don’t think, “Wow–you must be rich and powerful–like the great Wizard of Oz!” I think, “Wow–there’s somebody with more money than brains. Or with no brains AND no money, because they spend it all on watches.”

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but there is an upper limit on how nice a watch can really be. Anything beyond this is sheer vanity and “look-at-me-ism”.

the other side of the coin is that the wearer potentially doesn’t care what his/her wearing the watch indicates to you. maybe it’s a reminder of a significant accopmplishment that is very valuable to the wearer. Maybe it’s a reward for a big promotion and only cost say 10% of a bonus. maybe the wearer bought it so that he/she is reminded every time they look at it of the amount of time, effort and commitment it takes to get to a higher level. and maybe the reminder is daily motivation to reach an even higher level.

so maybe you should consider that it could be that a person wearing a really expensive watch has nothing to do with you, the observer.

Ah yes, emotional attachments are frequently the culprit behind seemingly illogical decision making. Watch is jewelry. You can have 2 identical looking pieces with one being 200 and the other 2000 and do the same job. I would spend the 200. But im also a firm believer in spending your own money however you please.

[ohai]

I admit to having bought a rather extravagant watch recently. However, in the greater scheme of things, the price doesn’t matter. The cost was 1% of my income last year. I will probably have the watch for 20 years. It’s a good conversation piece. It makes me look more professional and established when I meet business associates. I would not notice any change in my life if you gave me the money that the watch cost. To me, the intangible value is worth the price.

If you make $50k a year and buy an multi thousand dollar watch, yes you would be a fool. However, if the cost is not significant to you, who cares?

[former_trader]

before or after tax?

[Inner_Evil_Voice]

The thing with expensive watches is if the people you work with all make well above say $250K, and we all know our ballpark numbers, it’s kind of weird to have a $100 citizen. You don’t want to be the hippie dude in the office. You may either not wear a watch, which is also reasonable, or have one that cannot be questioned as cheap. You don’t have to bring a platinum Audemars Piguet (sp?), but you need at least something that gets you through any eye and brand test. Even a $2K Omega or Tag may do the trick, so is not like you’re breaking the bank anyway.

In my book decent watch > nothing > cheap one, provided that you’re very comfortable with your income level.

[itera]

@Inner_Evil_Voice

The thing with expensive watches is if the people you work with all make well above say $250K, and we all know our ballpark numbers, it’s kind of weird to have a $100 citizen. You don’t want to be the hippie dude in the office. You may either not wear a watch, which is also reasonable, or have one that cannot be questioned as cheap. You don’t have to bring a platinum Audemars Piguet (sp?), but you need at least something that gets you through any eye and brand test. Even a $2K Omega or Tag may do the trick, so is not like you’re breaking the bank anyway.

In my book decent watch > nothing > cheap one, provided that you’re very comfortable with your income level.

I don’t agree with that.

If I saw a managing director wearing a Eco-drive Citizen $200 watch, I’d be more inclined to think, this guy is probably pretty chill and down to earth.

If I saw some young junior analyst wearing a $1,000+ watch, my first thought would be either: stupid, dbag or trust-fund-baby(none of these are good)

[Turd_Fergeson]

yea it’s a delicate balance and can be difficult when the top dog wears a (gasp!) quartz tag as in my case. this is giving me pause in picking up a PO.

the struggles we have to deal with…

[zero69m]

Former justin938 here, posting from an undisclosed location: My watch cost $29.97, if I remember right. It tells me the time, which is life-or-death important when I am trying to find a safe place to stay by evening, and I have to take the battery out of my cell phone in order to avoid unwanted phone calls.

[Greenman72]

@zero69m

Former justin938 here, posting from an undisclosed location: My watch cost $29.97, if I remember right. It tells me the time, which is life-or-death important when I am trying to find a safe place to stay by evening, and I have to take the battery out of my cell phone in order to avoid unwanted phone calls.

Bizarre post.