Do you believe that wrist watches reflect your personality. What watch you wear or is in your wish list , share your thoughts as to what makes them so special. Is it worth spending so much just to know the time or is it a statement .
Over to you .
Wrist Watches - Are These a Power Statement to You
Dpkmax on 24/03/2017 - 14:22
Last edited 24/03/2017 - 18:35 by 1 other user
Last edited 24/03/2017 - 18:35 by 1 other user
Comments
If you are important, people will wait.
I do not wear expensive watches as status symbol. I wear them as I appreciate the craftsman ship and the beauty of these time pieces. The same way people appreciate a fine wine or a piece of art etc. To each their own.
I'm currently wearing an 1960s vintage omega. Like many others in this thread, I see watches as an accessory rather just than an instrument that tells the time. Its always nice to have an accessory that holds value well as well as possibly having an interesting backstory.
I used to have a pebble and went to gear fit, but I get annoyed charging them. Now I just wear an automatic watch.
Watches are the only Jewellery a man can wear unless you're Mr. T.
Wearing a garmin FR 230 now and counting my steps everyday. Pretty handy for jogging…
I think it depends on where you are in life.. If you are only a 20 y.o and have Rolex… People won't see it as a power statement. Different if you are a successful CEO to a company (even if it's just a small one).
In saying that, whyyy is it so hard to look for a good low profile watch.
I've been trying to look for plain black leather women watch without branding/logo on the dial, pretty hard to find good one. Even tried Aliexpress. Most of them have weird branding on the dial :(I'm a doctor and with blood, mucous and other bodily fluids flying around at times, I can't bring myself to purchase expensive watches. Since I need a reliable one for work, I find myself buying casio G-shocks. They last, are durable and I can swim with them. Easy to clean. No issues. Have had my current one for 2 years no issues.
Not sure why or how a watch adds value to one's life, but to each their own. For me, it's purely functional and I'm not much of a fashion person anyways (if I was, I'd likely not be on ozbargain!)
For me watches are in the same category as diamonds, expensive suits and overpriced sports cars. The "waste of money" category.
im wearing a very expensive fashion brand watch (hugo xxxx) and it's more sentimental than anything. looks great too.
I'll buy my first tag when my salary reaches >$400k. not likely to happen but ya never know!!
F91-W
love itWhat a coincidence just seeing this post. Just saw someone I know post on instagram his brand new Lucky Edition Seven Friday watch. Never heard of them in my life. Looked like some cheap Chinese no name brand watch. Almost fell off my seat when I googled the watch and saw the prices! $1888!!!! For a made in China watch that uses Miyota 82S7 movement with a mineral crystal glass. Amazing what people will drop on a fashion watch that has viral trend appeal. For that price you could get something pretty decent. However the watch I can't stand seeing the most are the Daniel Wellington watches. If only I had come up with that idea haha
Daniel Wellington is about as successful a marketing campaign as could be imagined. They are selling $5 watches for $329 at Myers.
They represent the most successful of these new microbrands like MVMT and Chris Ward.
Do not buy these.
Way better off with a cut price $20 Casio.
Hence why I said I wish I had come up with that idea. Can't believe people buy them thinking they are quality watches. Would be the same people, happy to sit in a super trendy hard to get in fusion Asian restaurant and pay $20 for 4 dumplings either thawed from the freezer or made by a non-asian with absolutely no clue about Asian ingredients and then rave on about how good the food was. That is probably a bigger gripe for me than these watches haha
Agree about your Asian fusion point. Work took us to dinner and I ordered a 'paratha' (a traditional Sub continental bread wholemeal ) prepared in butter oil (desi ghee) and the bloody thing turned out be just a puff pastry .. so disappointed
Dont know if I would put Chris Ward in there. I had one of the early ones with an ETA Movement inside. It was definitely higher quality than many of the micro brand auto watches I've had. Was great value for the $600 or so that i paid for it.
I have a Christopher Ward C60 Trident - old dial and it punches well above its weight. Draws many comparisons with more expensive Swiss counterparts on WUS. Obviously the marketing team is very successful. However, it truly is a well made piece from the construction, materials to the finish.
I think you forgot Dan Henry in your list too…
I have a really nice looking $325 Bulova fashion watch that I bought for $85 through Ozbargain, which I wear when I go out. Otherwise I don't wear anything and just rely on my phone.
if wrist watches arent your thing, then a manly bulge is certainly a power statement.
Absolutely love watches .. mainly for style but I only buy watches that are
1 on sale
2. Have something unique like gshock - Eco drive
3.I would agree with this too.
There has to be a 'hook' for me to buy now.
Is it a GMT? Does it have power reserve? What?
this list probably needs to be updated now, with a long list of social media popularised watches
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/watch-brand-has-worst-reputa…Don't worry about the "status" of a watch. I've been in meetings with graduate Drs that felt that they needed a Rolex. I thought that was a very pedestrian want to own a Rolex because that's what other people had. To me it's about individuality, choose something that you want and don't worry about what other people might think. I have a Seiko and I don't know what is exactly but I love it and I wear it 24hs.
Sometimes I wake-up too early and I check the time with the light glow of the dial instead of the smartphone.
I imagine gifting my kids/grandkids my watches as an heirloom and I'm not talking about 10k+ watch but you never know. I would like a Grand Seiko or an Omega Seamaster one day. I would have loved to have inherited a watch from my grandfathers but they were too poor to have this luxury. Now can you imagine where todays smart watches will be n 5 years time?
A nice watch is a timeless piece.
"Now can you imagine where todays smart watches will be n 5 years time?"
Most likely in the local tip with all the other outdated tech trash, which is why I will never buy one.
I dont agree with the heirloom angle. Problem is who can predict what people will like generation to generation.
In all likelihood your grandchildren could pawn that Omega or whatever.
Buy for YOU, not for anyone else. I also dont agree with the OP's premise. I dont think people buy to impress others necessarily. Australia is not a watch buying nation. The only time people have picked up on my Omega was OTHER Omega owners!
Australians buy real estate anyway (LOL) .
I think it really has to depend whether your future generation likes watches.
For example, my dad wants to give me his fountain pen, he's thinking about making it into a heirloom kind of thing. It was the first expensive thing he've ever bought for himself with his money I think (my dad kinda started from negative and work his way up). My brother had no interest in it whatsoever. I use fountain pens, so I am happy about given that fountain pen. While I never would've bought anything from that brand, I am going to keep it because it has meanings.
That said, if you don't know how to maintain one and never use it, I can see why you'd pawn it. It's a hassle to keep those things maintained (which applies to automatic watches as well). If you don't know what to do with it, it's an expensive thing that you can damage easily (that actually gets worse as time goes without proper maintainance).
Before anyone goes whether I am from stone age or whether I am doing it for the looks, I use fountain pen because I cannot use ballpoint pens without feeling like my hands are burning after one paragraph and because I cannot hold a consistent handwriting with it. It's not that expensive if you use it for a long time, if you go for entry level ones (under $50, can go down to $10 budget if you go Chinese brands or really cheap ones).
Lawyer here, and I hear you on the fountain pens. I learnt the magic of a fountain pen back when I was writing exams. The exam paper sucks, but my hand never hurts from writing and my grip stays consistent. Been refilling them for many years now. I don't have an expensive one either. Just two Lamys with converters cost me $30 each. Also wear an omega speedmaster from the 70s (was my dads). Quality does indeed last. I hate the throwaway society we live in. Still wear beautiful US made jackets that are 20 years old. Some guy made a joke asking if I bought a new jacket with my paycheck when I got a new job. He didn't believe me when I told him how old it was. Still timeless. I'm very particular with the things I own.
@jenkemjunkie: Ironic thing is, I use a smart watch. For different reasons to what people use watches for. It's just to track my health and be able to be notified with things while keeping up with time. I did mention that I own an automatic watch once on this post, I am not using them because the reason I mentioned with why people would want to pawn "an heirloom".
Anyways, I am hoping my smart watch would last 3 to 4 years at least (with replacing batteries). It's definitely not going to be a timeless piece, but I don't need it to be.
Though other things, I tend to go with your logic a lot. I buy things so that they last more than just a year or two. My dad taught me that it's usually better to use something for long than replacing a cheaper version of it every year.
I would typically wear a Xiaomi Band 2 and my Seamaster on left wrist. What of it?
I think the mass market watch industry doesnt want to foster long term ownership. Why not buy a watch every year to fit fashion? That's a swatch or mvmt or DW or…
People like me who buy an Omega and service it once every 5yrs doesnt make for decent business.
I got nothing against smart watches, it's pretty impressive what they can do. I owned one for a bit but I found it to be a conduit to be bombarded with more information I don't need and I'm just at the point where I don't want to be tinkering with my things so I keep it simple from the start. But that's just me.
@jenkemjunkie: I was just pointing out that smartwatches and automatic watches serve different purpose. Some people tend to put smartwatches with automatic watches and argue against or for those. Like why is automatic watch expensive when smartwatches does more, or smartwatches will be obslete whereas automatic watches wouldn't be in future. Well, at least in my opinion, they target different audiences.
Eh, never thought you did have anything against one, kinda thought I should mention that regardless.
nah just kidding. A $30 fitness band is no thing. They do a task. If it dies in a year you could buy a better one for less.
I work at one of the big four banks and yes i say they are.
You notice senior management wearing nice luxury watches and it correlates with their position.
Similar to that of a car, i mean you don't need to drive a luxury car to make a power statement but a <2 year old decent car (like a Mazda3) v.s some old claptrap says alot.
Nothing more tacky than finance guys wearing oversized pateks that make them look like frat bros.
I don't work in upper management or anything, but it's office based. I've amassed several watches from collecting, one of them being a Rolex. However, not once have I worn the Rolex to work. There's a lot of social stigma with the brand.
I have a fancy watch that I pretty much only ever wear to interviews or important meetings. I just think it makes you look the business.
Same. Just hope that they dont ask me the time because the battery is flat.
Haha. Mine doesn't have batteries, so I just have to remember to set it before I leave home.
expensive watches work because as many people have pointed out above, they can be a heirloom to your kids and their eventual kids and so on. a cheap watch just doesn't have that same sentimental value, or maybe I'm just being superficial. Perhaps that these expensive watches are "harder to attain" makes gifting them so much more special. Regardless, watches stand the test of time and connect generations. Just my 2 cents
Fossil .. good / cheap / branded
I wear a power rangers communicator wrist watch. It's testament to the power I yield
Yes.
Currently wearing a square G-Shock (gwm5610) on a factory bracelet in around the house, or a King (gxw56) when I'm out and about.
Wishlist: None, but I wouldn't mind a Gulfmaster https://www.g-central.com/casio-g-shock-gulfmaster-gwn-q1000…
Other than the G-Shocks, I also like Chinese mechanical watches in particular Beijing and Seagull. I have a couple of those.
If I won the lotto I'd probably get an SBGA029 Grand Seiko diver and a Snowflake.
The same watch but bigger. Nice.
Which color scheme?
Why not get the MR-G?Thanks mate. All black with positive display.
MR-G would be nice too, but for the price flipabillity is a great factor. I'd rather get something easier to flip like a Tudor black bay or a big fat Seiko tuna …. ?
BTW, the Q-1000 Gulfmaster are made in the same flagship factory in Yamagata, as the MR-G alongside Oceanus etc.
Oh and I believe my GW-5000 was made there too. The only square that's still made in Japan.
I'm also looking into the Black bay Steel.
https://www.tudorwatch.com/watches/new-black-bay-steel/m7973…I'm thinking of the MR-G but not sure on what occasion it suits? Casio @ a ball? Too baller for sports?
A wrist watch can help define your personality. As an IT professional and a lover of gadgets, I wear my Pebble with pride and love it, but I've seen Board members that make $1 mil. wearing $50 swatch watches and Help Desk staff wearing a $50k rolex, so I don't think what you wear can contribute towards a power statement.
I've got a few nice watches (speedmaster II and an IWC portofino) but ever since I've gotten a 500 dollar samsung smart watch I find myself rarely ever wearing my nicer watches. The samsung vibrates when I get a call or text (very useful as I'm often in situations where I can't have my phone off silent), it acts like a fitness tracker, notifies me for appointments, can make calls, has an alarm and automatically changes time zones.
People can go on and on about the precision of a swiss movement and the time and effort it takes to craft them but I think in terms of functionality, traditional watches really have nothing to offer over a smart watch. The only reason I'd ever wear a luxury watch is to formal events as a sort of statement item as you've said and even then, I hesitate sometimes as I don't think it's always a positive statement.
the only thing they reflect is that you're old school and haven't caught on with the times.
Smart watches is where it's at.My brother gave me a fake Seiko Kinetic in the 90s in high school.
I bought a genuine used one off eBay from a guy in Norway a few months back… and I love it.
The other plus point is that it's a FREAKING SEIKO KINETIC! MAAAAADDDDDD!
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d9/92/a2/d992…
I love wearing watches. I don't have anything high-end, but I really like my Seiko Solar and my Citizen Eco-Drive.
I also have an Original Grain that I got as a present. That definitely gets the most attention. The rosewood and chrome work really well together!
I had a look at the Orient Ray 2 mentioned in this thread, and I think I'll be getting one of those next! Or maybe a Tissot dress watch…
Seiko:
http://cdn2.jomashop.com/media/catalog/product/s/e/seiko-pro…Citizen:
http://cdn2.jomashop.com/media/catalog/product/c/i/citizen-e…OG:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0814/0539/products/40_Clas…
If you are considering the Orient Ray 2, then you should also look at the Seiko SKX007K2 as it's a legendary watch.
Here is an old post for specs & reviews.Thanks mate! Will definitely keep that in mind. I'm drawn to the Ray 2 because blue is my favourite colour!
Well just to make your decision even harder, you might like to have a look at this thread -
I got the blues… Show us your Blue Faced Divers WatchesDammit…
@j4ck: Haha, also the Seiko SKX009K2 appears to come in a blue dial.
I haven't seen one in the flesh so I couldn't say how blue it is. Reviews & photo's on Amazon.Haha, stop fueling my watch fire! :D
i saw a photo of these rebel watches on kickstarter i think they look nice
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chazanow/the-most-rebel…I wonder how many people would laugh and ridicule the idea of luxury watches…..because they just use their phone to tell time, but then those same people would make fun of somebody with an old or outdated smartphone. in other words, the idea of a watch as a status symbol is fake and ostentatious, but the idea of the latest phone as a status symbol is OK?
I wear Swiss Automatic Watches. I own my own software company, most of my developers wear Apple Watches. I often joke with them when i am on-site about whether they all got a group-buy discount. I use a Garmin watch when I run and I use a Garmin bike computer when I ride. I have no interest in tracking my steps around the office. I'm struggling to think what I could get from an Apple Watch. i think of myself as being quite 'tech savvy' and tech forward, I just registered a patent yesterday for a biometric data - Data Analytics platform yesterday for a product we are working on. I wear my Omega and other Swiss watches because they aer things of beauty. I dont show them off, i dont care whether anyone else sees them, I wear them because they mean something to me. i dont wear any other jewellery except my wedding ring. i like the idea that there is a perfect little machine cranking away on the end of my arm under my sleeve doing its thing based only upon the motion of my wrist. All I have to do to tell the time is look at my wrist, I dont have to get anything out of my pocket, dont have to enter a password or swipe a screen or scan my fingerprint, just look at my wrist. If I had a bigger software company and made more money there are even more expensive watches i would love to own, not to impress anybody else, just because I like them.
I mostly like to wear watches with big dials and digital clock. I even like analog watches also but I prefer to have the dial in different color like blue or so.
I believe majority of the time it can reflect a bit of the persons personality, or so I have noticed from what my friends wear. Nice big fancy watch that really stands out on my friends wrist, he can be loud, he likes something unique that stands out, etc.
Me personally am a quiet person most of the times. I like plain clothes, plain watches, not too big, not too small. I like gemstones and appreciate good make, I appreciate the effort that goes into things being made so my watch is a handmade watch, meteorite watch face, etc.
TL;DR
Watches can reflect a bit of ones personality, but this doesn't go for everyone.
Source: Taking note of people I know and their personalities.Seems I'm late. So you mean to tell me I should spend over $20 for an extra device that tells me the time and weighs my hands down.. interesting.
Do you believe that wrist watches reflect your personality.
Like anything, it can but doesn't have to, necessarily. I don't know that anything you buy can really reflect your personality fully though: there are way too many aspects of a personality to be condensed into a product. Marketers focus on image and prestige and peer pressures, insecurities and aspirational desires that people have to sell their rubbish foods, clothes, cars, homes, etc. I don't give 3 sheets about those things. I often laugh at how easily people are manipulated. I guess my watch reflects part of my personality: practical & cheap.What watch you wear or is in your wish list , share your thoughts as to what makes them so special.
I have zero wish lists. I wear a Casio 'cause it's cheap and it has a digital display. But I did consider some Chinese companies via ebay because the Casios I were looking at weren't cheap enough for the tech offered, which has been refined for well over 30 years now at greatly reduced costs in that time. I think Casio is making plenty of margin on these things & nearly all of the market relies on fashion trends to boost sales of basically very refined 'boring' technology. The tech is super-mature in all low-end models & doesn't change much. Sidenote: I think reading the time with 2 sticks pointing at numbers is one of the mysteries of the ages. I cannot believe it isn't extinct yet & cannot believe people still choose to read the time this way. It always takes me longer to process the time this way.Is it worth spending so much just to know the time or is it a statement
For me, the concept of making a statement with anything I buy is marketing rubbish. I think spending more is fine for those who want to do it (as long as I'm not paying). Whatever reason they choose to buy is fine by me. I can think of millions of things I'd rather buy before even considering a second watch, let alone a fancy one. I have a watch now, so the task is 'done' for me. It shows the time. It is reliable. I'd like to have it running for decades. I have zero desire for an upgrade or a different design. For me, watches get fancy at around $30.I think it's amazing what work man has gone through to be at a point to produce reliable, cheap timekeeping for the masses. From the early big pieces to mechanical wristwatches to what we have now - so cheap and so reliable (and waterproof). I think all modern smartwatches have lower reliability and longevity than just about all regular watches. I shake my head when I see 'new' smartwatches fail so early, for various reasons, with people upgrading to new ones, adding to the e-waste pile. Personally, a watch to me is a simple device that does its job exceedingly well, without being tied to the smartphone & without the use of harmful wireless tech, short battery life and annoying/expensive maintenance and constant upgrade cycles due to outdated tech and over-reliance on phones and other devices syncing with it.
I like the time. I like the date. I like to not worry about the battery. I like a glass face so it's not so scratch-prone. I like it to not be too big (all the smartphones I've seen fail here). I like excellent sunlight visibility. I like a timer. I like a stopwatch. Anything extra is a bonus (or undesirable if it takes away from the utility of the basics).
Yes I do. I pick them based on the shirt I'm wearing