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Should I buy a expensive watch (Rolex, Breitling, etc.) or save my money?

Big D 51

Big D 51

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 15, 2011
771
0
Mobile, AL
Update

I am still shopping around as I am in no hurry. Plus I am limited on time as I mention before, and there are WAY too many options. As of now, these are my two favorites:

Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Magnate GMT:
GM2098C-SCAJ-SL_alt1.jpg


Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Chronograph:
205423_10150129082928924_72137523923_6681094_5825955_n.jpg

Here are a few reasons why. One is that the name of the watch has some meaning. Engineer which ties into my profession. The word magnate has some meaning. Hydrocarbon fits as well as I am in the oil/gas industry. I think I am leaning towards the GMT watch because I travel, but I also like the chronograph because it just looks a little dressier to me. I am not too crazy of the big numbers on the GTM watch. If I bought either of these watches, it would have some meaning behind it. They both also fit the color scheme that I am looking for.

I found a day date ii that I like, but most all the Rolexs that I like were $8,000 or up which is out of my price range. I have too many other things going on to spend a whole lot on a watch right now. IWC has a few watches I really like as well, but they seem to be out of my price range also.

Anyways, thank you all who have contributed. As I stated earlier, I will post a picture of my final product.



boss.king said:
How many people here actually wear a watch as means of telling time? I'm not trying to be rude, I'm genuinely curious.

I used to wear a watch all the time but now I always have my phone on me so it seems like a bit of a waste of money. I know a few people who were given a Rolex or a Breitling for their birthday, but they wear them as accessories mainly, not to tell the time.

What are your thoughts on this?
Click to expand...


Yup, just an accessory for me. I will occasionally look at the watch for time. However, it is just a piece of jewelry to me. I am sure some people use it as a valuable tool though. I can especially see divers and pilots using them as a valuable tool (I'm sure there are many more people. These two quickly came to my mind).
 
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TheGenerous

TheGenerous

macrumors 65816
Nov 14, 2010
1,096
405
I'm an Austronaut
If you were a fan of watches then you shouldn't ask in a Mac forum, probably would know a lot about watches, sites, photos. And not being a watch fan wanting to spend more than $500 doesn't sound well.

Maybe you want to become a watch fan, and that's great, just don't hurry and buy something just because you have some savings at the moment.

EDIT: many of those photos you posted you better try them on your wrist first and decide whether you like the size or fit.
 
Big D 51

Big D 51

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 15, 2011
771
0
Mobile, AL
TheGenerous said:
If you were a fan of watches then you shouldn't ask in a Mac forum, probably would know a lot about watches, sites, photos. And not being a watch fan wanting to spend more than $500 doesn't sound well.

Maybe you want to become a watch fan, and that's great, just don't hurry and buy something just because you have some savings at the moment.

EDIT: many of those photos you posted you better try them on your wrist first and decide whether you like the size or fit.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the comment. I wouldn't say I am wanting to become a watch fan. I just one nice watch. The amount of money that I am planning to spend is basically nothing. If I was a watch fan, then I could see spending $20,000 or plus on a watch. However, I am just wanting a nice piece of jewelry to wear to special occasions. That's all.
 
Vudoo

Vudoo

macrumors 6502a
Sep 30, 2008
763
1
Dallas Metroplex
Ball is a good brand. I have a few friends who own them and they have great lume due to the tubes. But I agree that the large numbers is too much on the GMT. That's the reason why I don't like most of their watches.
 
S

Somero

macrumors newbie
Sep 27, 2012
1
0
If u have like 30 to 200k , why not?? Depence on how much money you have
When I won $150k I bought a 24k Breitling for over $60k #Young and dum
 
T

TedM

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2012
356
2
California
I don't really ever wear watches. I own a couple. But the functionality is handled by my iphone. So I don't wear watches. Therefore my advice is not to buy an expensive watch, but to instead buy apple products. But since you asked what watch I would buy if I was going to conserve. Would be a swiss brand watch. Love those.
 
A

avro707

macrumors 68000
Dec 13, 2010
1,718
816
Big D 51 said:
I would have never in my life imagine they had watches that cost over $100,000. That's insane.
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Really top end watches go over $5,000,000, even more than $10,000,000.

To the OP, if you want a decent watch, you should have a Patek Philippe commissioned. However, this will probably do you no benefit at all. It might benefit your children however. It'll also cost you an enormous amount of money. You could probably buy a couple of nice houses with the money!

Otherwise, you might invest in a watch fund. There is an Italian investment banker who runs a watch fund, but I cannot remember his name at the moment.

Otherwise, you might scour the auctions world-wide to find rare watches that will appreciate and then sell them later down the line at higher price. This sort of investing takes serious money, 6 figures or more!

For ordinary Tag Heuer watches or any of the other common designs, I wouldn't bother. Most of them are watches anyone can relatively easily buy, and they are mostly pretty common.
 
JoshMKB24

JoshMKB24

macrumors 6502a
Jan 5, 2013
520
44
Midwest
avro707 said:
Really top end watches go over $5,000,000, even more than $10,000,000.

To the OP, if you want a decent watch, you should have a Patek Philippe commissioned. However, this will probably do you no benefit at all. It might benefit your children however. It'll also cost you an enormous amount of money. You could probably buy a couple of nice houses with the money!

Otherwise, you might invest in a watch fund. There is an Italian investment banker who runs a watch fund, but I cannot remember his name at the moment.

Otherwise, you might scour the auctions world-wide to find rare watches that will appreciate and then sell them later down the line at higher price. This sort of investing takes serious money, 6 figures or more!

For ordinary Tag Heuer watches or any of the other common designs, I wouldn't bother. Most of them are watches anyone can relatively easily buy, and they are mostly pretty common.
Click to expand...


Or a Richard Mille!!!!

As the owner of Rolex and Breitling watches I'd say it depends what you are going for. I don't really wear the Rolex watches anywhere besides family or work functions because everyone now days assumes its a fake. Breitling isn't as common and isn't as common in the knock off realm.
 
Tsuchiya

Tsuchiya

macrumors 68020
Jun 7, 2008
2,310
372
I've had my eye on a white dialled Breitling for a while now. I wouldn't actually put down money on it yet though.

Maybe when I'm closer to 30..
 
B

bmt134

macrumors 6502
Dec 6, 2012
378
4
Here's the best advice you are going to get: Go to Watchuseek and Timezone and just read. This is not the place to ask about watches.
 
MICHAELSD

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,414
3,408
NJ
There are plenty of nice watches under $500. Unless you're trying to impress, you can find a great watch likely better than those options in that $500 range.

I honestly prefer upscale Fossil options to all but the best Rolexes.

----------
Somero said:
If u have like 30 to 200k , why not?? Depence on how much money you have
When I won $150k I bought a 24k Breitling for over $60k #Young and dum
Click to expand...

How'd you win $150k? If serious...
 
A

a.guillermo

macrumors regular
Jan 12, 2015
109
3
I obviously haven't read this whole thread, but my opinion about the watch subject has always been rather simple.

I would rather spend $5000 on something fun. I do not consider watches to be fun.

If I had an extra 5k, I would probably take a vacation with my family to somewhere warm, and we could build family memories together. I would personally rather have that than a watch.

But I know there is a status symbol behind an expensive watch. I just choose to ignore that aspect of life. It seems rather "Kardashian" to me.
 
Apple_Robert

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
34,317
49,614
In the middle of several books.
Save your money or invest it.

You may have a good job now with no health concerns or unforeseen bills. That sunny forecast can change in blink of an eye, and hits us all at one time or another. How important will that $5,000 watch with the fancy band be then?

Just because we can buy item A, that doesn't necessarily mean it is wise for us to do so.
 
Y

yg17

macrumors Pentium
Aug 1, 2004
15,027
3,002
St. Louis, MO
MICHAELSD said:
Guess the above bump is relevant to the Apple Watch Edition?
Click to expand...

Even moreso. A $5,000 watch could still be resold for nearly $5,000 a few years down the road. Your $5,000 Apple Watch won't get anywhere close to that when the Apple Watch 2S comes out in a few years.
 
MICHAELSD

MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,414
3,408
NJ
yg17 said:
Even moreso. A $5,000 watch could still be resold for nearly $5,000 a few years down the road. Your $5,000 Apple Watch won't get anywhere close to that when the Apple Watch 2S comes out in a few years.
Click to expand...

Unless the Edition is an undersold piece of tech and isn't continued into future gens.
 
Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,980
46,445
In a coffee shop.
Ulenspiegel said:
A watch is the only jewelry of a man.
It does not mean though that someone has to buy only a Rolex, Breitling, Tag Heuer etc.
I would suggest visiting a watchshop and buy what you really like.
Click to expand...

You have made a very good point there.

In fact, precisely because of this - that watches are viewed as an acceptable form of jewellery (as well as having an actual function - to tell the time, so it can be argued that it is not worn purely as an adornment), men tend to notice watches that other men wear, and - as well - sometimes they note what sort of watch a woman is wearing, too.

So, I suspect that at times men use the short hand of watches to judge the relative status of other men; then again, quite a lot of people simply like well made and elegant time pieces.
 
Sodner

Sodner

macrumors 68020
Jan 12, 2011
2,112
78
Pittsburgh, PA
Personally, I think my purchase of a Rolex Submariner when I got my 1st real job out of college back in 1985 was THE BEST single purchase I ever made!!!

Thirty years later I still wear that same watch and new one's now sell for around $7k. I paid around a grand.
 
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