A discussion unpicking the thought processes beneath a purchase, looking at watch characteristics and in particular, assessing the true meaning of value – which is of course going to vary depending on who you ask!
Author: kingflum
An energy industry professional passionate about a greener world. Sharing thoughts on watches and productivity...
The Ambiguity Effect & Watch Collecting
When you’re considering two watches, which one would an average buyer be more likely to buy:
A watch made by a ‘traditional’ company or household name with global recognition, and an average global user rating of 4 stars out of 5 or A watch made by a largely unknown watchmaker whose name you have never heard mentioned outside the four walls of your local Redbar gathering – but rated 5 stars out of 5 by every collector you meet (admittedly a much smaller sample)?
Subtract negatives
About ten years ago we purchased a custom mattress. This thing seemed extremely unnecessary at the time – but looking back now, it might be one the best purchases I’ve ever made. The hesitation at the time was likely related to cost, or something along the lines of “why does one need to spend so many multiples more than what seems like a very nice bed from a reputable retailer.” Obviously I was wrong.
Brevity
A couple of weeks ago, Moser launched their new Streamliner, and I thought Ed Meylan did a great job of taking the absolute p*ss (in true Moser style), when he addressed comments about the dial colour being ‘salmon’ vs ‘brown’. Apparently Ed is a keen fly-fisherman, and went on record with this gem of a tale…
AI and watch collecting
The last time I referenced AI / ChatGPT, it was indirectly, in a post about ‘framing’. This post is more direct, and talks about the astronomical pace of AI development and how this might be relevant to watch collectors. I am no expert, and just like the pace of AI, I will probably be proven wrong within a week or so… with that in mind, let’s opine anyway.
Social status and watch collecting Pt 2
A previous post I did on this topic covered the concept of ‘the status game’. This post is a step deeper, looking at how status can transcend our possessions, and permeate our beliefs, too. Do you think our beliefs confer status? Does this, in turn, inflict an unseen cost on lower social classes? How can we course-correct?
ScrewDownCrown 