my only complaint is some lack simplicity

I have an Omega Speedmaster,
lovely watch, automatic, keeps time like it should, but has more gizmos that I will ever use


I have a Casio something another, got it for $50, because I was at a trade show and we ordered whatever quantity of SIG's the distributor wanted, +some,

nice lookign watch all blacked out except the hands, and I cannot see a damn thing on the blacked out screens it has unless I am wearing glasses and am in the direct sun,

takes me 5 minutes or so to figure out how to switch from Daylight savings, and even then it moves the hands automatically,


my other daily is a simple Luminox I bought from Dave, one of the group buys he did her, runs great, easy to read, and takes a beating


I have a few others, like a cheap Worwex,as we jokingly call the knock off Rolex, that actually keeps time really well,



meanwhile wife wants a nice Rolex,, but I have heartburn coughing up 5-6K for a watch, on the secondary market

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

Fine automatic mechanical watches are one of the best things humans invented in my eyes. Few things have brought me the same level of joy of ownership.

I think indoor toilets rank a tad above mechanical watches.

^^^^
straightshooter has an excellent concept of value!

Watches, for me, reach a point of diminishing returns at around $100. I'll pay hundreds for guns, optics and accessories, but not for a watch.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter01:

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

Fine automatic mechanical watches are one of the best things humans invented in my eyes. Few things have brought me the same level of joy of ownership.

I think indoor toilets rank a tad above mechanical watches.

You did see “one of” mentioned correct? Shitting on a toilet and owning a toilet is of course delightful too (Especially when you gotta go number two). You won’t get an argument from me on that.



Edit to add**

The worldwide watch market generates over $135 billion in annual revenue.

The luxury segment alone is valued at over $60 billion, and major individual players frequently post billions in yearly sales. For context, brands like Rolex bring in well over $10 billion in annual revenue.

Why does it exist? Because people enjoy watches. It may not make sense to you and that is perfectly fine. Many people spend money on things that make no sense to me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

When I was diving often, I went through a lot of brands of dive watches.

They all leaked until I bought a Rolex.

I gave it to my son it was still going and is thirty plus years old.

Egregore - if you try going a little higher, you might find some more comfortable G shocks, but yes it gets hard to beat.

I have an MRG-120t - and they have gone up a bit recently - but it’s hard to beat as a watch.

Same with my MRG-100t.

I look at "expensive" watches the same as I do any quality tool or piece of equipment. Buy quality and it lasts. Am wearing an almost 22 year old Omega Seamaster on my wrist daily. Has been sent in a couple of times for full service and keeps pretty good time. I come from the buy once, cry once camp. Watch currently has a Nato band on it and most people don't notice it or what it is and I am glad about that. I wear an automatic because I appreciate the mechanics and craftsmanship of it.

I’m pretty utilitarian in most things in life. I appreciate simplicity, but also quality. Pretty frugal in general.

I do appreciate a good bag. Spent a few dollars with Saddleback for bags that will outlast my lifetime.

Watches have been the one outlier. I enjoy wearing a mechanical device on my wrist that will never need a battery. I’ve gotten a bit of a collection, a couple of those were gifts from members here that will always mean a lot to me. The only kinda rediculous one I have is a Marathon JDD, the rest are not flashy. Even have my grandfather’s Patek that I wear on rare occasion when I need a dress watch.

But honestly I’m on the hunt for a basic solar G-Shock. May scale back the collection of watches I have purchased and invest the money in other things. Trying to simplify life a bit in my old age lol

Like so many have already stated, I am not a bling guy, have never worn any type of jewelry at all. College ring for a few years after getting it because my mom bought it for me with some money she had after my dad passed, and she knew how proud he was to have his kids finish college, a dream he was never able to achieve. Watches were completely a functional item but I was so hard on them that I regularly destroyed them, banging them against things I didn't even notice until I looked and saw a hole in the crystal.

A couple of years back, and now much, much older, my brother, who IS a jewelry/watch guy, gave me his Omega Seamaster after a health scare that the had and was grateful for all the assistance I had given him. As we have gotten older, thankfully we have gotten closer as we are all we have to depend on in this life. I have worn it every day, and mostly because of what it means to me more that because of what it is. But it has also kindled an interest in watches and has become a great topic of continued conversation between us. I have given him my knowledge and love of firearms, and this is a great way that we connect.

So I actually just bought my first Rolex, a 41mm Datejust Wimbledon dial/fluted bezel/Jubilee bracelet. I just love the classic look but with the splash of color around the Roman numerals in this model. My brother was as excited as I was, but a bit jealous, lol. Always good for a little brother-to-brother needling. Not sure if my watch collection will grow or not, I am more a gold/silver stacker but i guess we will see. Only upcoming milestone that I can foresee is retirement in a few years but that might be an occasion for another. Stay tuned.

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
my only complaint is some lack simplicity

I have an Omega Speedmaster,
lovely watch, automatic, keeps time like it should, but has more gizmos that I will ever use


I have a Casio something another, got it for $50, because I was at a trade show and we ordered whatever quantity of SIG's the distributor wanted, +some,

nice lookign watch all blacked out except the hands, and I cannot see a damn thing on the blacked out screens it has unless I am wearing glasses and am in the direct sun,

takes me 5 minutes or so to figure out how to switch from Daylight savings, and even then it moves the hands automatically,


my other daily is a simple Luminox I bought from Dave, one of the group buys he did her, runs great, easy to read, and takes a beating


I have a few others, like a cheap Worwex,as we jokingly call the knock off Rolex, that actually keeps time really well,



meanwhile wife wants a nice Rolex,, but I have heartburn coughing up 5-6K for a watch, on the secondary market

the only "gizmo" a Speedmaster has is a stop watch.

quote:

the only "gizmo" a Speedmaster has

Well, there's that crazy tachymeter bezel with a whole bunch of numbers too!

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
When I was diving often, I went through a lot of brands of dive watches.

They all leaked until I bought a Rolex.

I gave it to my son it was still going and is thirty plus years old.

That's illuminating, and a great testament to Rolex.

I imagine a mere fraction of a percent of people who buy "diving" watches actually dive with them.

The thing which fascinates me about Rolex is their incredible rate of appreciation in value. A person with money to invest long-term might consider putting a portion of it towards Rolex watches. It really does make a lot of sense, especially since these are compact items, unlike automobiles, for example.

I like watches. I don't collect them. I do have a couple. I have a Rolex submariner datejust my Dad gave me. It has our family crest engraved on the back. I also have a Seiko PADI Pepsi. I have a solar/atomic G shock.

But, my favorite watch is a Steeldive Rolex homage. It uses the 316 stainless, has a Seiko NH35 movement, sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel. It's just black. I wear it all the time. I've beat the hell out of it and it still looks like the day I bought it. I didn't want anything expensive knowing I'd be hard on it.

I had an Apple Watch Ultra which was really nice but it drove me nuts. All the notifications kept going off. So, I turned them off. Then, I realized I wasn't using it to its full potential so a guy at work bought it from me. He loves it.

I'm completely happy with this Steeldive. I just kept the stainless bracelet it came with.

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
my only complaint is some lack simplicity



meanwhile wife wants a nice Rolex,, but I have heartburn coughing up 5-6K for a watch, on the secondary market

There’s a lot of simple luxury watches out there!
IWC, Blanc Pain, AP, Cartier, Tudor…
No complications outside of a date, simple in design and presentation. Classic “Gentlemens” style watches.

As far as buying watches-
I don’t think I’d get one, especially a Rolex new.
I’d always look at the secondary market! There’s a bunch of reputable sights out there!
Get Bezel
Chrono 24
Bob’s

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
When I was diving often, I went through a lot of brands of dive watches.

They all leaked until I bought a Rolex.

I gave it to my son it was still going and is thirty plus years old.

How deep were you going?
What were you doing? Recreational or Commercial type stuff?

I had a Citizen Aqualand that I got when I graduated a course in the Marines, used it on all my dives and was my EDC watch for +/- 30 years. I beat that thing like a rented mule.
Never leaked.

https://share.google/xBt4xU7h18zCuCbtM

This one^

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
meanwhile wife wants a nice Rolex,, but I have heartburn coughing up 5-6K for a watch, on the secondary market

Mrs. Lee got the bug a few years ago, sent me a photo of one she was trying on, said she wanted it. Local AD said she'd put it on my wishlist. I got the call about three mos. later than I could put 50% down and I would get the next one that came in and I did a few mos. later. I think it was $7500 new from the AD. They go for more than that used.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

The thing which fascinates me about Rolex is their incredible rate of appreciation in value. A person with money to invest long-term might consider putting a portion of it towards Rolex watches. It really does make a lot of sense, especially since these are compact items, unlike automobiles, for example.

Indeed. Almost 30 years ago I bought a Sea-Dweller and 1 yr later picked up a GMT Master II “Coke” bezel with Jubilee bracelet at a really good price. Total for both roughly 5k. They were returned to new condition at very reasonable cost by Rolex 2 years ago in first servicing. Smart splurges but unknowingly. At the time I just liked them.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
my only complaint is some lack simplicity



meanwhile wife wants a nice Rolex,, but I have heartburn coughing up 5-6K for a watch, on the secondary market

There’s a lot of simple luxury watches out there!
IWC, Blanc Pain, AP, Cartier, Tudor…
No complications outside of a date, simple in design and presentation. Classic “Gentlemens” style watches.

As far as buying watches-
I don’t think I’d get one, especially a Rolex new.
I’d always look at the secondary market! There’s a bunch of reputable sights out there!
Get Bezel
Chrono 24
Bob’s

thank you for the sites

I have 2 ROLEX GMT Masters.
One is my father’s Pepsi that he bought in Hong Kong when we were there for R&R from Saigon in 1961. He paid $150.00 for it.
The other is a 1981 stainless and gold with black face and bezel with a jubilee band. I bought it after returning from an extended trip to the Bahamas. It cost me $1,750.00. I’ve had to put 2 bands on it and they both cost more than the watch originally.
When they get sent for service I have to send a note to not change bezel inserts, don’t polish the case, etc..
Both the watches are worth much more than I’ve paid for them.
I don’t wear them much. I wear an Apple Watch daily due to cardiac issues.