I don't understand high-end wristwatches

[Ted Striker]

Yeah I have never understood this either. I only buy watches because of the aethetics only. Like Asher, I use the cell phone as the clock.

Flubber,

I was dating this girl who was going nuts over this Louis Vutton purse, I was like, "DONT BUY IT, you can buy 15 purses for the same price!"

She had a really low self esteem about herself and was always so consious about everything, including the brands that she bought.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by snoopy369
There is one major advantage to high-end watches ... the crystal the watch face is made out of is unscratchable. I have a $200 Casio G-Shock, low end of that line, and I can't scratch this if i TRY ... every other watch i've ever had scratches almost immediately, as i'm sort of klutzy and have poor depth perception (running into things a lot).

I wouldn't call $200 high-end, but even so, you can replace a crystal. Admittedly, I've only done so in Turkey, where it was really cheap, so maybe I have a warped sense of how cost-effective that is. But it's hard to imagine that paying 10x what my watch costs in order to get a scratch-proof crystal would be worth it, either.

[Az]

I have this 200 USD watch my parents bought me for my 20th birthday..

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


I wouldn't call $200 high-end, but even so, you can replace a crystal. Admittedly, I've only done so in Turkey, where it was really cheap, so maybe I have a warped sense of how cost-effective that is. But it's hard to imagine that paying 10x what my watch costs in order to get a scratch-proof crystal would be worth it, either.

Turkey

Will post Turkish chick pics in a week when this thread drops to page 5 so as to keep Rufus out of trouble.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

I've never spent more than £20 on a watch. When the batteries go, I throw them away.

Mrs Gimp bought me my latest, a classy (£40!) diver's watch.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
She had a really low self esteem about herself and was always so consious about everything, including the brands that she bought.

I think that hits the nail right on the head, it's about acceptance. Somehow commercial society has managed to associate acceptance with spending ludicrous amounts of money on crap. It's selling a dream, yet somehow exploiting loopholes in the human psyche...

[Az]

It's consumerism 101 - selling a lifestyle, not a product. You're paying to be that chick from sex and the city, or paris hilton - not to have a nice purse.


Sometimes, though, I prefer branded products because they're the only ones that work for me.
I've bought these 140 USD shades, for example, because they were the only ones who fit my scull.

[Provost Harrison]

You could have got a pince-nez

[Combat Ingrid]

My lab timer is my watch and life companion

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Az
It's consumerism 101 - selling a lifestyle, not a product. You're paying to be that chick from sex and the city, or paris hilton - not to have a nice purse.

A friend of mine was chatting to a very attracting woman in a New York bar. She happened to notice his inexpensive watch and abruptly walked out.

[Zopperoni]

Re: I don't understand high-end wristwatches

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
Does anybody actually understand this?

Yes, in marketing we use a model called the means-end chain to analyze consequences of product use.

The starting point are the product's attributes. Some of the attributes of a high-end watch could be brand name, the inclusion of precious metals and/or gems, and advanced technology. Attributes can be concrete or abstract.

From these attributes, two types of benefits can be derived: functional and psycho-social. You (and some other posters) have been thinking very functionally about product benefits. Some have already mentioned status or higher self-esteem, which are psycho-social benefits that a high-end watch brings.

If you go higher-up, you end up with (terminal or instrumental) values, which are usually stupid things like "happiness".

Generally, you'll find that luxury products can all be categorized similarly. The outcome for attributes, benefits, and values isn't much different for high-end automobiles, for instance.
These aspects are also emphasized in advertising, where you see the product being used in a very luxurious and sophisticated setting.

[Zero]

u guys are all in denial cauZ jooz jealous of my bling biatch!~`

[Spiffor]

High end wristwatches are an accepted form of jewelry. Anybody who enjoys wearing jewelry would enjoy wearing a high end watch, or a lookalike.

[Alexander's Horse]

Rufus understands it

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Flubber,

I was dating this girl who was going nuts over this Louis Vutton purse, I was like, "DONT BUY IT, you can buy 15 purses for the same price!"

She had a really low self esteem about herself and was always so consious about everything, including the brands that she bought.

mrs flubber has fine self esteem but she just goes nuts for these vutton things . So last Christmas I got her one and it made her delighted. I would take a thousand bucks and flush it down the toilet for that level of "kid in the candy store-- omg reaction" and this in many ways felt similar.

I don't understand it but frankly I don't need to. What's the point of making good coin if you can't buy something stupid and frivolous for someone you love??