So I am thinking about a new fancy watch...

[Koolau]

Hearing that "service" could even be "mandatory" would ruin it for me - especially if it were $500 to $1000 every 3 to 5 years. It would especially chap me to need to "send" the watch someplace - no local service. I'm sure I'd wear such a watch until it quit and then put it in the safe-deposit box and forget about it.

I would have assumed (apparently, wrongly) that "occasionally" a watch would fail and need service - like replacing a battery in a car every 3 to 5 years when it fails. My dad's Accutron watch needed a battery every so often. But, IIRC, it never quit except for a dead battery, requiring service but I might be wrong about that. I'm almost certain he could walk up the street to the jeweler who replaced watch batteries for everyone in the neighborhood and get his replaced.

My Toyota that burns that dirty gasoline does need the oil changed every year (or 5000 miles IIRC) but only needs most repairs (brakes, tires, flush) every so often due to failure or getting dirty. Why would a watch get dirty? I'd never wear a $15K watch to work on my car or work in the garden.

It sounds like a racket, but I guess that's why I just appreciate "looking" at the ads and don't REALLY want to own a fine watch. It would bother me too much to think about breaking it, losing it, having it stolen or be thinking ahead to sending it for service, even though it was working fine.

Apparently, it's a mind set I don't possess. The "jewelry" factor, I get. Wearing nice jewelry is something I appreciate - especially on my wife and I have often purchased a nice gold chain for her (theoretically, they have appreciated - some, dramatically.) BUT they don't need routine maintenance. Her favorite chain that she's worn 2 or 3 times/week for 35 years finally needed a new clasp - cost her $35 to repair a chain with just under a troy oz of gold in it. I think the chain cost me $400 new.

Sorry, I don't mean to denigrate ANYone's choice of a BTD movement. Just sharing what would ruin it for ME - keeping in mind that YMMV.

 

[Dd852]

One more thing to add - the reason I didn’t do as well on the resale of my watches as I could have/should have is simple: I dumped the original boxes and papers. Fool’s error - that knocks many, many thousands off the value. If you have any thought of you or your heirs wanting to sell the watches on, you must must must keep all original boxes and papers (certificates, manuals, everything). People who are serious about buying used watches insist on the complete package. And then do the obvious - keep them well maintained, and don’t bang them up. That was the other reason I eventually got rid of them - I can’t help myself: I bump into things, I swing my arms while walking and bang into light poles, I’m basically a klutz who scuffs his shoes and has a hard time keeping nice things nice.

 

[srpuywa]

something to consider - if you buy a rolex and don't wear it every day - all that accuracy isn't worth crap when the watch stops because it needs winding

 

[Dd852]

something to consider - if you buy a rolex and don't wear it every day - all that accuracy isn't worth crap when the watch stops because it needs winding

If you don’t wear it every day you definitely need a mechanical winder (another cost of ownership!). Without that the oils pool and you’re in for expensive repairs….

 

[Koolau]

If you don’t wear it every day you definitely need a mechanical winder (another cost of ownership!). Without that the oils pool and you’re in for expensive repairs….

Who knew an expensive watch was like a Tesla. Use it (the Tesla battery) or lose it. YMMV

 

[Ready]

It cost more to perform maintenance on a high end watch than it does on a high end car. That’s just crazy.

 

[Koolau]

It cost more to perform maintenance on a high end watch than it does on a high end car. That’s just crazy.

Heh, heh, and the clocks in my '99 and '00 BOTH still work!! YMMV

 

[travelover]

It cost more to perform maintenance on a high end watch than it does on a high end car. That’s just crazy.

I wonder if a fake Rolex only requires fake maintenance.

 

[aja8888]

I wonder if a fake Rolex only requires fake maintenance.

The fake Rolex I bought in Singapore decades ago ran pretty well as it had a Swiss movement inside. Best $20 I ever spent on a timepiece. However, the fake gold plating came off and the crystal cracked after a year!

I have a Garmin Versa now. All plastic and still works after 2 + years.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I have a silver-colored Rolex Submariner knock off that I got for under $20 shipped. It's a mechanical watch that if you don't wear it for a few (days/a week) winds down and you have o set the time again. You can see the (mechanical) movement running on the back-side.

I have quite a few watches, none of them expensive. I need dozens of watches because there may be a watch-apocalypse (watchocalypse) and may never be available again.

I have quite a large variety of sport and casual and dress watches most of which were purchased for between $10-20 direct from China. It takes a month (or more) for the cheap postal service I use to get me a watch. If you skip the very bottom end watches, then you'd be surprised at the quality of inexpensive Chinese watches

From my point of view, an expensive watch is just jewelry. I would be tired of an expensive watch in a month or two and want something different.

For $25k that the OP is speaking of spending, I would much rather have a 5 year old Corvette.

 

[aja8888]

For $25k that the OP is speaking of spending, I would much rather have a 5 year old Corvette.

I second that!

 

[Dtail]

I second that!

+2

 

[Calico]

Very good. They were great in concert.

I spent many happy hours listening to them, although I never got the chance to see them in concert.

 

[EA-Sports]

For $25k that the OP is speaking of spending, I would much rather have a 5 year old Corvette.

5 year old Corvette means it’s a C7 gen (2014-2019). Sorry, Vette market, just like Rolex market, has been on fire lately. For $25k you can probably get a base C6 Corvette (2005-2013) maybe with Z51 package if you’re lucky. Definitely not a C6 Z06 or C6 Grand Sport. C6 Grand’ Sport and Z06 are in the mid to high 30s. A base C7 is probably at least $45k if you’re lucky.

 

[travelover]

5 year old Corvette means it’s a C7 gen (2014-2019). Sorry, Vette market, just like Rolex market, has been on fire lately. For $25k you can probably get a base C6 Corvette (2005-2013) maybe with Z51 package if you’re lucky. Definitely not a C6 Z06 or C6 Grand Sport. C6 Grand’ Sport and Z06 are in the mid to high 30s. A base C7 is probably at least $45k if you’re lucky.

Doesn't matter. When you are 70 years old, bald with a pony tail, a Vette is a Vette.

 

[mbooth]

I wonder if a fake Rolex only requires fake maintenance.

I bought a fake Rolex on a China trip..most accurate time-keeping I've ever experienced.......it used to lose exactly 15 minutes every hour!

 

[Broland]

Watches

Every time we traveled I invariably would purchase a new "cool looking" or "cool featured" or "fill in the blank here ..." watch. I now have a safe filled with watches that need to be wound, batteries replaced etc. and are never worn.

Now the only watch I wear is my Samsung that has everything I need, in addition to being able to use it as a phone if I don't want to carry my phone along.

If I had to do it over again, I'd save the money and use it elsewhere ... My 2 cents.

 

[Koolau]

Doesn't matter. When you are 70 years old, bald with a pony tail, a Vette is a Vette.

AND it has a nice clock in it, no doubt!

 

[Nick12]

My iPhone 6 phone serves the purpose of my watch.

 

[Crosscarver]

Get a sports watch like a garmin etc (ca.150$). They do all the smart watch things (notifications etc) plus you get heartrate monitoring, sleep monitoring, stresslevel monitoring Vo2 in the blood monitoring (covid). With this (new) tech you can monitor your health, physical condition and stress level and get all the other smart watch benefits.
I don't see the benefits of spending a large chunk of cash on a "dumb" watch if you can get al the benefits of a sportswatch for much less....

 

[Koolau]

Get a sports watch like a garmin etc (ca.150$). They do all the smart watch things (notifications etc) plus you get heartrate monitoring, sleep monitoring, stresslevel monitoring Vo2 in the blood monitoring (covid). With this (new) tech you can monitor your health, physical condition and stress level and get all the other smart watch benefits.
I don't see the benefits of spending a large chunk of cash on a "dumb" watch if you can get al the benefits of a sportswatch for much less....

All basically true and I do not own a "good" watch - or even a sports watch. BUT I see the appeal of a truly fine watch. I will often notice and admire someone else's watch. I just can't justify it for myself. I guess I'll say that's a good thing but YMMV.