watch regrets

[ladykemma]

i was talking to a colleague today. she loves jewelry too.

over the summer i bought myself an upgrade from the usual timex. i bought a raymond weil tango stainless with two tone gold face.

i wish I hadn''t. everytime i look at it, it doesn''t give me joy, all i keep thinking about is "never again" why did i spend the money on this. it''s just a watch.

anyone else not "get" expensive watches?

next one will be a timex.

 

[IrishAngel7982]

I don''t get them either. I can''t imagine spending so much money on a watch. They get scratched so easily...my bf got a Citizen for xmas and he loves it because it''s a beautiful watch, but he only wears it when he dresses up and he''s always worried about banging it on something. The most expensive watch I have is a Fossil, which I received as a gift. As long as it tells me the correct time, I''m happy!

 

[TravelingGal]

I wouldn''t spend $5000 or something on a watch, but I love watches and will splurge on a watch that is 1000-1500 bucks. Before I got engaged, I never wore jewelry. To me, watches made perfect sense. Yes, it''s a lot for a hunk of stainless steel, but what other jewelry was I going to every day? It''s such PRACTICAL jewelry.

I recently spoke to a watch lover. To him it definitely wasn''t a hunk of stainless steel, but art. All the fine craftsmanship that go into making a watch precise and gorgeous to him was amazing.

 

[belle]

i agree with tg, to me it is like a piece of jewelry (practical jewelry!) and i enjoy wearing one. i take as much pride in my watches as i do my other jewelry. what better way to compliment a beautiful ring on the hand than a lovely watch on the wrist? obviously, i am one who thinks they are well worth the investment.

as far as scratching, look for a watch that has a sapphire crystal. it is much more resistant to scratching than the run of the mill plastic crystals that scratch so easily.

 

[diamondfan]

I am a watch freak. I love them and collect them. My tastes have changed, but I really love the whol ethin, fancy ones, and daily more durable ones...stainless, with diamonds and without...I am really jonesing for the rose gold mid size rolex...it is amazingly pretty to me. It has function as well as beauty, so investing in a gorgeous watch makes sense to me. But you have to love it!

 

[ladykemma]

sapphire face crystal - us that why i haven''t yet banged up the face?

running off to look in the box and instructions...do i have a sapphire face?

 

[Lorelei]

Diamondfan knows how I feel about nice watches....

 

[Giada]

I bought a SS Omega Constellation several years ago for around $1200. I''ve never regretted that purchase. I''m currently looking at an Ebel with diamond bezel that is a little pricier...$5K. I''m really worried that I will regret spending that much on a watch and wish that I would have bought a nice diamond bracelet instead.

 

[decodelighted]

Hum. If I had (and geez I wish I did) a 5K "fun money" lotto win that could only be used for "bling" I''d pick a great watch BEFORE studs, a pendant, a DBY necklace, bracelet - anything really (well -- except perhaps The Pokey Special.)

And this is what I''d get ...

 

[MustangGal]

I don''t "get" watches either. I''ve never owned anything better than a Fossil, and those work fine for me. Hubby is really hard on watches, he managed to kill a Fossil in just over a year. The whole band fell apart and the face graphic died, so he isn''t allowed anything nice either. We never go out anywhere nice enough to need dress watches.

 

[Sundial]

I only own a few watches, but I do like them and I enjoy wearing a good quality watch. I have a stainless and yellow gold Rolex and to me it is a classic accessory.

 

[movie zombie]

i just don''t appreciate expensive watches.....but i did see a red gold rolex in carmel that made me look twice!

movie zombie

 

[ladykemma]

huh. my watch has a sapphire crystal. this is why i haven't ruined it yet. good to know!

i also like the way it feels. i'm a tactile person.

 

[FireGoddess]

I don''t think I''ve ever worn a watch that cost more than $100! I''m fairly fickle and like to mix it up, so that price point allows me to do so without guilt. However, there are many watches I drool over...I just find other things to spend the money on instead!!

 

[SuzyQZ]

I''d say I''m middle of the road, not Fossil or Timex and not Rolex or Ebel.

I have a "no name" brand watch in 14K italian gold that I just love. There is nothing like the feel, and look of real gold. If I remember correctly it''s a Cartier Panther tank style replica. I like that I can wear it from casual to dressy. I get complements on it all the time. I''ve had it for almost 5 years and the price is now almost 3 times what I paid for it which was $500. I think it''s about 35-40 grams in gold weight. I''ve only had to replace the battery once and that''s it, it''s been keeping perfect time for the last five years and I wear it everyday.

I am now thinking about buying another Italian gold "no name" brand watch with a diamond bezel, but don''t know if I want to spend $3,000+ for it. I''m hoping the price of gold will go down and maybe I''ll think about it again.

 

[SuzyQZ]

Here's a picture of the real Cartier Panther watch. Mine is a copy, I couldn't afford the real thing!

[OMG-- Sorry the pic is so big, I don't know how to edit/delete it now that I've posted it!]

 

[ladykemma]

original poster here. I think I''m regretting not getting the yellow gold one.

but your posts are making me appreciate what i have, keep the learning coming!

 

[Christa]

I''m with you, LadyKemma--I like nice-looking watches, but if I had $1000 to spend I''d MUCH rather upgrade my pendant or studs. I also can''t imagine committing to just one watch for all the years I''d have to wear it to get my money''s worth from an expensive one!

Then again, lots of people don''t "get" spending money on diamonds . . .

 

[widget]

I''m guilty of loving expensive watches...I feel good weariing them! I like them for probably the same reason I prefer genuine gemstones over synthetics and CZs..

A great advantage to timex, etc, is that one could get LOTS of them, as fashion accessories to match lots of different outfits.

I know that true watch nuts think it''s CRAZY to spend big money on a label (Cartier, Patek, etc) if the watch has a quartz movement...apparently it''s different if one is considering automatic movements....(labels (ie quality) count).

Knowing all this, I still like my high-end watches....

BTW: My own "crazy" stainless steel watch just got back from cleaning and servicing. I requested that they polish it and it came back looking as it did when it was new in the box! Not too expensive.

Do it if you want to spiff up your old watches!

widget

 

[widget]

Oh, and I agree that crazy high end watches make no sense if one is fickle, and likes to mix it up and switch around..

I have two: one stainless, the other YG. I''ve had them for years and I''ll probably wear them to my grave!

 

[hlmr]

I love my yellow gold Movado watch but now I want something in two-tone so it doesn''t compete or clash with my white gold diamond rings. I have been wearing a cheap two-tone watch for a while now, but perhaps it is time to look for something nicer!

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 8/15/2006 10:05:53 PM
Author:ladykemma
i was talking to a colleague today. she loves jewelry too.

over the summer i bought myself an upgrade from the usual timex. i bought a raymond weil tango stainless with two tone gold face.

i wish I hadn''t. everytime i look at it, it doesn''t give me joy, all i keep thinking about is ''never again'' why did i spend the money on this. it''s just a watch.

anyone else not ''get'' expensive watches?

next one will be a timex.

Enjoy your Raymond Weil watch! I''ve owned several different models over the years and never had a problem. They are quality watches in a moderate price range that doubles as a piece of fine jewelry. Look at it as an addition to your jewelry collection...not just a "watch."

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[ladykemma]

Date: 8/17/2006 8:06:22 PM
Author: widget

I know that true watch nuts think it''s CRAZY to spend big money on a label (Cartier, Patek, etc) if the watch has a quartz movement...apparently it''s different if one is considering automatic movements....(labels (ie quality) count).

wha....?

 

[widget]

I guess I don't understand the "wa...?"

I meant to say that I've heard (I'm no expert myself) that fine automatic watches are justifiably expensive because of their intricate innards...wheels, gears, perfect balance, hand work, etc etc etc) but when you buy a watch with a quartz movement, all you're really paying for is a battery. The case, band, designer label, etc are all extra.

I am over my head here...I'd better stop.

Does this respond to your 'wha..?'

widget

 

[ladykemma]

yes it does help. so the really expensive watches don''t have a battery? huh, that''s interesting.

so what makes them run? do they wind up with the potential energy coming from a spring?

 

[widget]

Date: 8/17/2006 9:10:30 PM
Author: ladykemma
yes it does help. so the really expensive watches don''t have a battery? huh, that''s interesting.

so what makes them run? do they wind up with the potential energy coming from a spring?

OH...I HOPE some expert jumps in and answers your questions more intelligently! (Rodentman posts here occasionally...maybe he''ll turn up...)

As I understand it...wind up watches work with a spring (I could be wrong), and ''automatic'' watches (like Rolex) have mechanisms that keep the watch running indefinitely as long as the watch moves (is worn regularly) Put one away in the drawer for a week, and you''ll have to reset it and wind it to get it started.

Either way, there is more art and skill and time involved in making one of these. Apparently any quartz movement...be it Timex or Cartier, is cheap to make....or so I''ve heard...

Ironically, quartz movements are usually more accurate, time keepng-wise, than the others!

Any experts out there? Am I way off? HELP!

widget

 

[jcrow]

my thing is that i forget to wear them. i have a movado and a gucci but rarely wear them. in fact i pull out the thingy for the battery not to get run down. i also have a very fancy diamond encrusted rolex that''s my mom''s, but i need to take a link out of it for it to fit. when i do wear a watch i find it bothers me, especially when i''m working on a computer- not good for a graphic designer.

 

[ladykemma]

it was bugging me so i went and looked it up. apparently there is a gizmo in there like a stress ball. it bumps around inside the watch, transferring energy inside the watch so it can run. the bulova website said these watches run with a smooth glide instead of a tick of a quartz/battery watch.

also said if it runs down, have to swirl it like a brandy snifter.

interesting.

mine ticks so it's a quartz /battery

 

[jcrow]

they make watch boxes that rotate the watches for you when not on your wrist.

 

[Catmom]

I consider my watches to be jewelry just like any other jewelry piece that I wear. I don''t have anything too expensive, though. I mainly wear a Concord Impressario [diamond face] that cost around $1500. I also have a tricolor gold diamond face Geneve watch that I wear with yellow gold. I''ve had it a long time but I think it cost around $1200 20 years ago. While I love these watches and wouldn''t give them up, I don''t know if I would spend $5000 on a watch. I think I would rather put that much money towards diamonds or other jewels.