Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

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Thegreyman
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Thegreyman »

I've never really felt self conscious as 99% of people don't notice or care what watch you are wearing.

I did once get one of the less senior guys at work ask about my Rolex and I did feel slightly bad that he was showing off a special watch (a ceramic Armani I think) he had got for his birthday and mine cost x times as much.

At the end of the day though it's each of our choice and right to choose how we spend our hard earned money. As others have said, some people like their sports cars, others their 5 star holidays, fine dining, motorbikes or whatever hobby you may have. It just so happens that to some of us, watches are a hobby/passion.

I think Rolex too is probably the one brand that everyone recognises and some will associate it (wrongly imo) with excess, or flashiness. I suspect many other brands of equal or even greater cost (e.g. Bremont, Breguet, JLC, Zenith, AP etc)
would pass them by completely unnoticed.
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Vansflyer »

In a word no.
Don't need to justify anything to anyone other than my wife, however if it's a tricky situation like you were in "it's a great fake I picked up for 30€ on holiday" diffuses the situation. Someone I know is very money orientated and always "how much did that cost" ... he thinks I have a box of fakes.. let him think it.
On the other side, never apologise for spending on stuff you want to spend on, dogs, cars, watches. As long as you have food on the table and a roof over your head it's not an issue.
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

MiniMpi wrote:Most of my friends think I am well deranged for spending so much money on watches and for having more than one never mind 16 ! :lol:
Same for me Ferg.

Except its not my friends but my wife! :shock:

Although, not strictly true as Sue has half a dozen or so; mostly inexpensive Swatches.

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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Thermexman »

Vansflyer wrote:In a word no.
Don't need to justify anything to anyone other than my wife, however if it's a tricky situation like you were in "it's a great fake I picked up for 30€ on holiday" diffuses the situation. Someone I know is very money orientated and always "how much did that cost" ... he thinks I have a box of fakes.. let him think it.
On the other side, never apologise for spending on stuff you want to spend on, dogs, cars, watches. As long as you have food on the table and a roof over your head it's not an issue.
Ha ha. I love this. Very nicely made fakes I’d wager? Those pesky counterfeiters are getting better every time!
I agree with all the sentiments so far. I’ll have to learn to remain respectful to the fact that you shouldn’t flaunt it but equally, I shouldn’t be embarrassed either. Screw ‘em! With respect though! 8) :D
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Mikkei4 »

I can't recall that I've ever had an opportunity to feel self conscience about a watch I'm wearing. Most of my friends are watch mad also so they don't comment.

The only occasion so far that anybody has commented on a watch was when I was wearing my black dial C60 600 Trident and they commented how nice it looked.

If anybody got into the question of cost I'd pass it off with "I have no idea as it was a present" because nobody spends £hundreds or £thousands on presents, do they?
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by StrapMeister »

I'm also of the same opinion as Bob and Richard.
My usual reply is "I treated myself for my (significant - 30th; 40th, 50th) Birthday" and then deflect the conversation to sellers, like Earnest Jones, Goldsmiths, et al, offering interest free credit.

On the flip side...
I've noticed a couple of colleagues, on separate occasions, wearing very nice timepieces, e.g. Omega, IWC, Rolex, etc..
I commented what nice watches they were but NEVER asked how much they were - that's just rude!
Besides I have a very good idea of the price of them.
One guy replied it was passed on by his father (costing him a pretty penny to get it serviced), the other, as a treat to himself for a long service award - great replies :thumbup:
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Bounce »

I don't tend to worry too much about what other people think of the watch on my wrist, I work hard & buy what I feel I can afford without getting into debt.
How other people spend their money is also not my concern really, a lot of people smoke, gamble & get **** every night & then claim to be hard up, that is their lifestyle choice.
I have had a few people say you must be well off wearing a watch like that, I just have different views on what I want to spend my money on as I am certainly not rich, but I like to think I am happy. :D
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Ian Mc »

Never.
I buy and wear a watch for myself and don't really care what others, except family, may think.
Having said that, I am always discrete and would never deliberately flash about an expensive watch.
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Thegreyman »

Bounce wrote:How other people spend their money is also not my concern really, a lot of people smoke, gamble & get **** every night & then claim to be hard up, that is their lifestyle choice.
I have had a few people say you must be well off wearing a watch like that, I just have different views on what I want to spend my money on as I am certainly not rich, but I like to think I am happy. :D
This is in no way meant to be condescending as I myself as a young man was a smoker. A packet of 20 cigarettes is roughly £11 now in the UK :shock: If you smoke 20 per day that equates to over £4,000 per year. This Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39's RRP is £4,150. Food for thought.

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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by kiter65 »

No....I don’t have to justify what I spend my hard earned cash on to to anyone and I certainly wouldn’t talk cost with anyone unless I was with a group of watch enthusiasts
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by nbg »

@Thermexman I think that in the situation you found yourself in, I too would have felt self conscious.

Other than when wearing short sleeves, I think there would be virtually no chance of anyone clocking the watch I was wearing to even think of asking the cost. Mother in law did however once ask me how many watches I had, and I muttered something about a man wouldn’t ask a lady how many handbags they had and changed the subject.

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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by FloridaPhil »

Nope. And if I was ever asked, I'd just wink and smile mysteriously.

Let em wonder.
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Richard D »

FloridaPhil wrote:Nope. And if I was ever asked, I'd just wink and smile mysteriously.

Let em wonder.
I’d be amazed if anyone asked me.
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by hughesyn »

Yes.
I sometimes wear my Omega at work, but I'm conscious of it. Even though it's by no means an expensive watch.

I would wear it to a meeting with high level customers, who are all wearing Rolex anyway.
However, with shop floor level customers or buyers, it doesn't pay to look like you earn too much money.

If I had a Rolex, there's no way I'd wear it at work.
I have a lot of conversations along the lines of, no you can't have a pay rise or no, we can't buy this thing you think we need.
That conversation would be a lot harder if I'm sitting there with 5 bags of sand on my wrist. Same reason I don't have a flash car.

A relative of mine used to had a new Ferrari, but also had a beat up old XJ6 for work. If he turned up in his Ferrari, his staff and customers would realise he was making too much money.
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Re: Have you ever felt self conscience about your watch?

Post by Jeff Spangle »

I have felt self conscious about my wrist wear before. But not for a while. It's my money and it gets spent how I want, it will be obscene to some and a gentle nod to others. I understand the OPs comments, but if you feel you can't wear something to a particular event as others have hinted at, then don't. I wear what I think will look good and feel right.
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