Wasting money on expensive items

Bluemanc100 said:
Do I really need to answer that question?

I’m all for a free market economy but his mark up is extravagant to say the least
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No one has to pay that though. If somebody does he's made easy money, if no one does, he lowers his price.
 
Thaksinssoldier said:
This.

A lesson I learned far too late in the day.

It makes far more sense to buy expensive clothes and treat them well than contributing to the disease that is fast fashion. It’s better for the planet, plus you’ll treat those clothes very well and if you do it right they’ll be timeless. Or buy some shitty H&M gear each and every month.

Same for cars. Buy a piece of junk and pay for endless servicing.

I own a few luxury watches and they are great conversation starters and people who dismiss them need to understand them better. The sheer level of diligence that goes into making them is remarkable.
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The problem is people conflate designer branding with quality and it’s not the case.

Spend £1500 on an Armani suit and the same on an unbranded but bespoke tailored suit and the difference in quality of materials, fit and finish are far superior on the bespoke suit.

That’s maybe an extreme case but is a lacoste polo shirt any better made than one from Next ? Nope you’re just paying for a little crocodile badge.

One of the few exceptions to the rule for me is shoes. Generally they don’t go out of fashion quickly and a good pair of Church’s will last many years.
 
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crublue1 said:
Cross ball point pens.
3 times the price of a Parker jotter, but 10 x the quality.
If you like a nice pen, but don't want to spend a fortune, get one of these.
Feels heavy in the hand, and quite chunky, but you soon get used to it. (Stop sniggering at the back)
I've had one for ten years, still looks like new. Uses the steel tube refill, so no leaks.
Just need to learn to write now...
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A man after my own heart
 
Trevor Morley's Tache said:
I have a £15.00 Casio watch for work. I've had it about 10 years, and it's had 3 new batteries in that time at about £1.50 a go.

That's less than £20 for TEN years worth of pretty flawless timekeeping
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Well believe it or not, you have horology to thank for that.
Watches have evolved as the requirement to accurately measure time has dictated.
For instance, pilots during ww1 modified pocket watches to wear on the wrist, which enabled them to time the flight, and ensure they wouldn't run out of fuel.
This led to purpose made pilots watches, with built in slide rules, large oversize dials, and lume so they could be read in the dark.
As international flights became more popular during peacetime, the gmt movement was developed, allowing pilots to tell the time in 2 different time zones at once.
Early divers needed a timing device that could tell them how long they had been underwater. The compression case was invented, basically the deeper you dive the pressure got greater, thus making the seal tighter. An adjustable bezel let the diver zero the watch so he could read off how many minutes of oxygen he had left. Later, depth guages became common on a dive timer.
The chronograph movement was invented to enable racing drivers to time laps.
When we went to the moon, the astronauts relied on a mechanical chronograph to time re-entry into earth's atmosphere.
The g shock, when launched, was a game changer, and it continued to be refined and developed to offer what the market demanded. A watch doesn't need to be expensive to be relevant and respected.
The history of watchmaking is a fascinating subject, and I could bang on for hours about it.
When someone pays a lot of money for a watch, they are buying into the respect for the pioneering watchmakers of the past.
It costs a lot of money to design and produce a mechanical movement, some appreciate it and are prepared to pay for the privilege of owning it.
Some, like you, (and me as well) like the fact we can buy a cheap, accurate watch.
But the fact we can do that is thanks to what went before.
Sorry for the ramble.
 
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crublue1 said:
Well believe it or not, you have horology to thank for that.
Watches have evolved as the requirement to accurately measure time has dictated.
For instance, pilots during ww1 modified pocket watches to wear on the wrist, which enabled them to time the flight, and ensure they wouldn't run out of fuel.
This led to purpose made pilots watches, with built in slide rules, large oversize dials, and lume so they could be read in the dark.
As international flights became more popular during peacetime, the gmt movement was developed, allowing pilots to tell the time in 2 different time zones at once.
Early divers needed a timing device that could tell them how long they had been underwater. The compression case was invented, basically the deeper you dive the pressure got greater, thus making the seal tighter. An adjustable bezel let the diver zero the watch so he could read off how many minutes of oxygen he had left. Later, depth guages became common on a dive timer.
The chronograph movement was invented to enable racing drivers to time laps.
When we went to the moon, the astronauts relied on a mechanical chronograph to time re-entry into earth's atmosphere.
The history of watchmaking is a fascinating subject, and I could bang on for hours about it.
When someone pays a lot of money for a watch, they are buying into the respect for the pioneering watchmakers of the past.
It costs a lot of money to design and produce a mechanical movement, some appreciate it and are prepared to pay for the privilege of owning it.
Some, like you, (and me as well) like the fact we can buy a cheap, accurate watch.
But the fact we can do that is thanks to what went before.
Sorry for the ramble.
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What sort of watches do you have for sale? :)
 
crublue1 said:
Well believe it or not, you have horology to thank for that.
Watches have evolved as the requirement to accurately measure time has dictated.
For instance, pilots during ww1 modified pocket watches to wear on the wrist, which enabled them to time the flight, and ensure they wouldn't run out of fuel.
This led to purpose made pilots watches, with built in slide rules, large oversize dials, and lume so they could be read in the dark.
As international flights became more popular during peacetime, the gmt movement was developed, allowing pilots to tell the time in 2 different time zones at once.
Early divers needed a timing device that could tell them how long they had been underwater. The compression case was invented, basically the deeper you dive the pressure got greater, thus making the seal tighter. An adjustable bezel let the diver zero the watch so he could read off how many minutes of oxygen he had left. Later, depth guages became common on a dive timer.
The chronograph movement was invented to enable racing drivers to time laps.
When we went to the moon, the astronauts relied on a mechanical chronograph to time re-entry into earth's atmosphere.
The history of watchmaking is a fascinating subject, and I could bang on for hours about it.
When someone pays a lot of money for a watch, they are buying into the respect for the pioneering watchmakers of the past.
It costs a lot of money to design and produce a mechanical movement, some appreciate it and are prepared to pay for the privilege of owning it.
Some, like you, (and me as well) like the fact we can buy a cheap, accurate watch.
But the fact we can do that is thanks to what went before.
Sorry for the ramble.
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I get that, and I respect it.

I'm just not into the whole expensive fashion accessory/conversation starter/status symbol element of watch owning.
 
Trevor Morley's Tache said:
I get that, and I respect it.

I'm just not into the whole expensive fashion accessory/conversation starter/status symbol element of watch owning.
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Fair play trev, watch geeks can be boring, snobby, even downright rude.
I'm more into the history and engineering of it really.
I've never viewed a watch as a fashion accessory or jewellery.
It was originally designed as a tool, and that's how I look at them.
 
Thankfully my daft expenditures has always been on antiques. So at worst can always sell.
 
Kompany Car said:
The problem is people conflate designer branding with quality and it’s not the case.

Spend £1500 on an Armani suit and the same on an unbranded but bespoke tailored suit and the difference in quality of materials, fit and finish are far superior on the bespoke suit.

That’s maybe an extreme case but is a lacoste polo shirt any better made than one from Next ? Nope you’re just paying for a little crocodile badge.

One of the few exceptions to the rule for me is shoes. Generally they don’t go out of fashion quickly and a good pair of Church’s will last many years.
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It is well known as being called snob value.

Snob value doesn't exist in industrial markets or business to business as they started calling it in the mid 90s.
 
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