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Watches: Gadgets or Jewelry

gladhands

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I'm really thankful that I don't have a watch habit, because frankly I couldn't afford one. The thing is, they don't interest me in the least. I view watches primarily as gadgets, and the fact that the finest Swiss-made timepieces don't execute their primary function as well as a $10 Chinatown special leaves me with no inclination to spend my hard earned-money on them.
 

Metlin

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A little bit of both. They're ornamental fun toys whose functionality is incidental.
 

gdl203

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Neither. They're small feats of engineering and craftmanship that also happen to have functional and aesthetic qualities. Just like any luxury item, the functionality alone cannot justify its price, but the value derived from it goes beyond the time-keeping capabilities.

It's perfectly okay not to have any interest in them, just like it's perfectly okay for people to never try to pursue higher quality clothing above and beyond what you'd find at the mall. People have different interests and one cannot be interested in everything.
 

gladhands

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Originally Posted by gdl203
Neither. They're small feats of engineering and craftmanship that also happen to have functional and aesthetic qualities. Just like any luxury item, the functionality alone cannot justify its price, but the value derived from it goes beyond the time-keeping capabilities.

Interesting. So you liken the high-end watch to the luxury/sport car. Makes sense. I'm not into cars at all, so I'm unfamiliar with their culture. Would you say that car/watch enthusiasts place as much of a premium on status as performance?
 

Daseinflaw

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Jewelry:
Jaeger-LeCoultre.jpg




Gadget:
lg-gd9101.jpg
 

blazingazn

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g-shock = gadget

patek phillipe = jewelry
 

gdl203

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Originally Posted by gladhands
Interesting. So you liken the high-end watch to the luxury/sport car. Makes sense. I'm not into cars at all, so I'm unfamiliar with their culture. Would you say that car/watch enthusiasts place as much of a premium on status as performance?
Some are all about status, others are all about performance, other are obsessive-compulisve collectors/hoarders, others are all about the history of the pieces... Different types of WIS out there. But, yes, for some watch collectors, status is important.

For me, personally, I'm not too interested in measuring performance too closely. I collect watches that I find aesthetically pleasing first, with a secondary interest in the movement encased in it. I'm interested in the design, the finishing, the details of the case, dial, hands, etc... I'm also fascinated by how watches work and how a bunch of wheels powered by a simple spring can keep time as accurately as they do, in a world where everything is electronic and digital. It's really fantastic to get into the details of it and follow the flow of the energy from the mainspring to the hands.
 

bimmy

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Originally Posted by blazingazn
g-shock = gadget

patek phillipe = jewelry


I would argue that a lot of the pateks (their complications) are gadgets...calatravas are jewelry
 

in stitches

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Originally Posted by gdl203
Neither. They're small feats of engineering and craftmanship that also happen to have functional and aesthetic qualities. Just like any luxury item, the functionality alone cannot justify its price, but the value derived from it goes beyond the time-keeping capabilities.

It's perfectly okay not to have any interest in them, just like it's perfectly okay for people to never try to pursue higher quality clothing above and beyond what you'd find at the mall. People have different interests and one cannot be interested in everything.


neither, i agree 100%. i think watches are amazing. and i personally believe a 1 million price tag on certain watches is justified. they are marvels. a combination af high art, mechanical wizzardry and functionality with differing models exhibiting some combination of that mix.

im not saying everyone needs to be into it, but dont knock it just because its not your cup of tea.

Originally Posted by blazingazn
g-shock = gadget

patek phillipe = jewelry


sorry but thats just plain wrong. on the patek part anyway

Originally Posted by Daseinflaw
Jewelry:
Jaeger-LeCoultre.jpg


that is not a jewelry watch by any means, it is a simple, elegant and beautiful 3 handed time keeping machine

this is a perfectly good watch turned into jewelry

Rolex-Oyster-Perpetual-Day-Date-18kt-Yellow-Gold-Diamond-Mens-Watch-118348CBR.jpg
 

bimmy

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Originally Posted by in stitches

this is a perfectly good watch turned into jewelry

Rolex-Oyster-Perpetual-Day-Date-18kt-Yellow-Gold-Diamond-Mens-Watch-118348CBR.jpg


so then a watch needs to be bedazzled to be considered jewelry? what about simple, non-ornate rings, or bracelets? is a gold chain necklace not jewelry because it's not gaudy?

i would say any day/dates are jewelry, there are a couple rolexes that fall into gadgets.

a watch is almost completely unnecessary in today's world...they are fashion statements/accessories
 

in stitches

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Originally Posted by bimmy
so then a watch needs to be bedazzled to be considered jewelry? what about simple, non-ornate rings, or bracelets? is a gold chain necklace not jewelry because it's not gaudy?

i would say any day/dates are jewelry, there are a couple rolexes that fall into gadgets.

a watch is almost completely unnecessary in today's world...they are fashion statements/accessories


im sorry that you are marsupialed. i really am. i was making a little joak.

now to get serious. a day/date is not jewelry. period. its function, and on a mechanical watch a small complication. (larger complication with annual and perpetual calendars)

the fact that your cell phone does the same does not render a watch to jewelry or certainly unneccesary.

you dont get it/arent into watches. fine. but dont be dumb about it when you clearly arent well versed in the subject.

while im at it. complicated pateks arent simply "gadgets" to say so is to downplay what goes into making such a watch. and as far as the calatrava a watch isnt jewelry just because its elegant or pretty.
 

gladhands

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Originally Posted by in stitches
now to get serious. a day/date is not jewelry. period. its function, and on a mechanical watch a small complication. (larger complication with annual and perpetual calendars)

The mechanical watch is pure utensil is anachronistic. The most basic quartz is light years better at basic timekeeping than any mechanical. That's not to devalue real watches, but to say that they're purely tools is a bit disengenuous.
 

blazingazn

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lets just say most people don't wear watches because they want to know what time it is (myself included.)

other wear watches for utility, such as pilots, divers, hikers/mountaineers.


it's what you make it to be.
 

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