Expensive Watches, Are They Worth It?

If you have the money and are looking at a Rolex as an investment for the future, it very well may be worth it to you.

There is one major issue with wearing an expensive watch, and that issue is your attitude. Some guys would be so excited to own a Rolex they would wear short sleeves at the North Pole just to make sure everyone saw it.

If someone asked about the watch, without even thinking, they might announce in the most offensively upbeat manner possible, "Oh, this? It's a ROLEX."

And there it is.

Unless the person you're talking to is of means like yourself, he may draw conclusions about you that you are not going to like. Arrogant prick. Thinks he's somebody because he has a Rolex. Probably a fake.

Is that really the impression you wanted to make? Was it worth it?

There is nothing inherently wrong with owning and wearing a Rolex. Well, let me qualify that. If you move in a jet-set crowd where everyone owns expensive watches, nobody is going to think much of it. Oh, John finally got his Rolex. Good for John. In that world, owning one may even be worth it because it helps you fit in. The watch doesn't scream wealth because everyone around you already has money.

But for the rest of us?

We don't give a shit. Seriously, we don't care.

It Is Still One Watch

But let's assume you are not that guy. You own an expensive watch because you genuinely love it. You wear it quietly. You do not shove it under anyone's nose, and you could not care less whether anyone recognizes it. Fine.

You still have one watch.

One case color. One face. One band. One size. One level of formality. One visual personality. It may be a magnificent watch, but it still cannot be the right watch for everything you wear and everywhere you go.

A gold bracelet watch may look terrific with certain business clothing or warmer combinations, but it may not be what you want with black casual clothes, brown leather, rugged weekend clothing, or a more restrained evening look. A thick sports watch may work with jeans and a polo but fight with a French cuff. A black leather strap may be perfect tonight and wrong tomorrow afternoon.

That is the real issue. It is better to have watches that support the different looks you actually wear than one expensive watch you keep trying to force into places it does not belong.

Forget The Price For Ten Seconds

◄ View ► 1 2 3 4 Take a look at these four luxury watches. They range in price from approximately $49,000 to $60,000.

They are beautifully made. Some contain extraordinary mechanical complications. Some use precious metals. You are paying for craftsmanship, engineering, materials, history, prestige, and perhaps even future value.

But dude, they still just tell the time.

Maybe the date too.

I am not going to insult your intelligence by pretending a $25 watch is the same thing. It is not. But I am going to ask you to forget all of that for ten seconds.

Forget the logos. Forget the price. Forget the prestige.

Which one would you actually rather wear?

One of them looks to me like I would need a PhD to operate it. That does not mean it is not impressive. It is impressive. It is also complicated, crowded, and not remotely the kind of watch I want on my wrist.

I want a watch to support what I am wearing. I do not want it to become a small gold control panel demanding attention every time I move my hand.

What I Found Under $30

While working on the previous watch guide, I searched Amazon for men's watches under $30. I expected junk. Instead, I found some of the best-looking watches I saw during the entire search.

◄ View ► 1 2 3 One had a gold case, cream face, and brown leather strap. It cost $19.99. When it arrived, it was really, really nice. Another was a rectangular gold watch with a pale face and gold bracelet. The more I looked at it, the more it looked like a watch that could cost well over $1,000.

That watch may not impress a watch collector, but it very well could impress you.

Then I ran other searches. I looked at watches in the $100 to $200 range. I looked at watches in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. For my taste, the more they cost, the busier they became. More dials. More pushers. More numbers. More bezels. More little pieces of information I did not ask for and would never use.

Some were so bad I could barely believe anyone thought they looked good. Out of hundreds, maybe three interested me enough that I would have bought them. I did not.

The under-$30 search produced some of the best-looking watches I found. That does not mean cheap is always better. It means price does not automatically create style.

Where My Head Is At

I am going to insert my personal feelings on this subject. I am not being judgmental or preachy or anything else other than 100% completely honest.

I do not own an expensive watch, nor would I ever wear one. If I were given a stunning Rolex watch, I would sell it and divide the money between my charities. I can't say my favorite charity because they are all very special to me.

I would do this because I personally feel it is too excessive and just makes the kind of statement DougC would never make. I think they are beautiful. I enjoy looking at them but have absolutely no desire to have one.

Again, if you have one, I am not judging you. I am just explaining where my head is at. That's all.

The Real Question

For the price of some expensive watches, you could wear a different inexpensive watch every day for more than three years. I am not suggesting any sane man should do that. The point is scale.

One very expensive watch may be beautifully made, but it is still one watch. One look. One statement. One choice. A group of carefully chosen inexpensive watches can support many different parts of your life: business, casual, evening, warm colors, cool colors, gold jewelry, silver jewelry, black clothing, brown clothing.

The watch collector may care about the movement. The person across the room may care about how the watch looks on you.

Those are not the same thing.

If you can afford a $50,000 watch and want one, buy it. Enjoy the hell out of it. But do not confuse owning an expensive watch with owning the right watch.

I would rather have a watch that supports every look I wear than one magnificent watch I keep trying to force into places it does not belong.

Sometimes the better choice is not one expensive watch. Sometimes it is having the right watch for the right moment.