[auburnf30x]

Old thread, but an interesting one...

As time goes on, my inclinations towards watches has gone towards simpler and less expensive.

I started out as a kid with a Timex my dad bought me, and since then have been all over the spectrum trying out different ones. At one point, I had a Rolex. Regardless, they all fall into the same life cycle for me.

I vastly prefer metal straps over leather or any other material. Which, unfortunately, is the root of my problem. No matter how hard I try, they get banged up with scratches, wear marks, etc. Nothing that anyone else but myself would see, but that's the problem. I can. And I know some people appreciate the wear marks and see it as added character, but I don't. They bug me for some reason.

I thought that the more expensive I went, the better they would hold up. I have generally not found that to be the case. I suppose it did overall hold up better, but eventually the Rolex did still develop scratches and at the same time didn't keep time any better than the $30 quartz Timex I started with. I do know that the finish could have been polished or restored, but that can be a fairly expensive or risky process to undertake on your own. I couldn't find a way to justify it, especially being a new dad at the time. I gave up on trying to find the ultimate finish after that. I sold it, and the proceeds from that added to the down payment on the home I live in now.

Since then, I've kind of spiraled down into my current pattern. I buy a new one, and wear it for a couple of years until it looks worn to me, then either sell it if I can or toss it into the dresser drawer with the others if I can't.

So with that in mind, it doesn't make sense to get anything that expensive. I only have two criteria: something that looks and feels stylish to me, and that will provide good service over the time I intend to use it. I don't care for fakes or trying to impress people with a name. I get compliments on them, although generally from people who don't know much about watch brands. But I don't really care about that, either. I just want it to be pleasant to look at for my eyes and have a nice, solid feel to it.

So, my current stock can vary between Citizens, Seikos, Invictas, Sturhlings, hell, I've even got a quartz Kenneth Cole I wear sometimes when I'm in an especially apathetic mood. Most are automatic, but several have been quartz. No one but me is going to see the way the second hand moves anyway, so who cares? They all keep time the same. And none of them cost more than $1000, pretty sure none of them cost half that. I'll only have them for two years anyway. Some for less than that, if I get distracted by something else shiny.

Just me, and my thoughts. I understand why people buy and seek the more expensive brands, I love antique chiming clocks and have several around my home because I enjoy the sound. Even though a quartz one would do the same job. But I don't feel the need to buy a new one of those every couple of years because I'm not satisfied with them anymore, either. So I suppose that's where the difference falls for me, anyway.