We regularly see expensive watches on the wrists of the rich and famous, but if you had the money, would you buy an expensive watch?
Firstly, it’s worth considering – what is an expensive watch? For some people, a £500 watch would be thought of as rather pricey; for others, only watches in excess of a couple of thousand pounds would seem extravagant. Your viewpoint will be dictated to some extent, by how much you earn. But if money was no object, let’s consider if expensive watches are really worth the cost.
- Looks
There is no denying that expensive watches ooze sophistication and good looks. They are artfully crafted to stand out from the crowd, and will be beautifully designed and finished. Whoever wears an expensive watch will be seen as having good taste and the money to back it up. If you’re sitting at a meeting with someone sporting a Rolex, it’s a fair bet that you will be quietly impressed that they are wealthy enough to afford such a beauty (and you’ll probably hide your trusted old timepiece under your sleeve if you feel it can’t compete!).
- Weight
Invariably expensive watches are heavy due to the materials used and all their complex components. This makes them feel satisfyingly robust on the wrist, unlike some of their cheaper counterparts.
- Robustness
Luxury brand watches are designed and manufactured to the highest of standards; their good name and price tag depend on it. Expensive watches are made to stand the test of time and to last for generations.
- Time Keeping
As the basic function of any watch, precision time keeping is a must. Although quartz crystal watches run accurately, expensive watches tend to run on a mechanical movement – an intricate series of springs and gears that are created and engineered by skilful watchmakers. In fact, it’s this craftsmanship that is so appreciated by lovers of expensive timepieces and part of the reason why expensive watches are worthy of their price tag.
Swiss-made watches are known the world over for their precision. They can be accurate to less than +7/-0 seconds each day, and have to be tested by the official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute before they can be labelled as Swiss-made Chronometers. Many of the world’s most famous luxury watches have this accolade, for example Omega, Rolex, Breitling and many others.
- The Sweep
The internal mechanical movement in an expensive watch is so well constructed and finely tuned, that the second hand moves around almost flawlessly. This is why true quality watches don’t make the “tick tock” sound you hear on cheaper watches.
- How They Make You Feel
If you sport a luxury watch on your wrist, you know it’s skilfully crafted, you know it looks stunning, you know most other people can’t afford one …. in short, it can make you feel absolutely amazing!
- An Investment
For many people, one of the key advantages about buying an expensive watch is that its value can increase with time. And for watches that last for generations, this is an important consideration if you’re planning to purchase one.
According to Esquire* there are a number of great luxury brand watches today which are destined to become vintage classics tomorrow. So whether you’ve £11,300 to spend on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox, £10,500 on a Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Self-Winding, £3613 on an Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition or “just” £1095 on a Farer Leven, you can partly justify the expenditure on the fact that you may be making an investment for the future.
So are expensive watches worth the cost? Weighing up the 7 key points above, it seems to us that, if you’ve money to spare, a luxury watch is definitely worth the price.
* https://www.esquire.com/uk/style/watches/news/g7190/10-watches-to-invest-in-today/