6 mistakes you should avoid when buying a luxury watch
Buying a watch is a big investment. No matter where you set your budget, it's not a small amount of money.
When it's such a big purchase, you don't want to make any unnecessary mistakes.
I'll show you some luxury watch buying mistakes so you can avoid them from the start.
The most devastating mistakes are: Buying a big watch, not paying enough attention to the interchangeable strap, buying on impulse or as a replacement, underestimating the maintenance and the variety.
Because even if, as the saying goes, you can learn from your mistakes and grow up, it's still better not to make them when it comes to watches.
Bigger is always better
You want to buy a luxury watch.
Sooner or later you notice that watches with a diameter of 36mm carry the same price as watches with a diameter of 42mm. So the logical conclusion is: if I take the big, watch, I get more watch for the same price and I finally want as much for my money as possible.
Yes and no!
On the one hand, you're absolutely right. You do get, if you go for the 42mm, a watch that is heavier and as a result takes up more space. In other words it's more watch for the same money. But if you buy a watch that's way too big for you, you'll definitely get less out of it, since you won't wear it as often or as much as you'd like to wear the smaller one.
Accordingly, remember: bigger is not always better!
The important thing is that the watch suits you and you like it. Everything else is secondary. Any day I would prefer a watch that I like to wear to one that looks big and ostentatious.
The bracelet is everything
Does the following scenario sound familiar?
You bought a watch and it was perfect. You wore it every day and got used to it pretty quickly. Then you started looking at other watches and you're already thinking about what watch you want to buy next....
You may have bought a few watches since then, but the one, the first, has been sitting motionless in your watch box for a while. It just doesn't fill you with enthusiasm like it did in the very beginning.
If this sounds familiar, I have a tip for you: Change the bracelet.
You will be surprised how much the appearance of your watch will change by giving it a different strap and who knows, maybe it will become one of your favorite watches again.
Is your watchknowledge up to date?
Here is our list of must-know watches!
Bet you'll find a watch on it that you've never seen before.
Impulse buy
You start your watch collection full of euphoria.
You want this kick of buying a luxury watch again as quickly as possible, with brand and price playing a secondary role. The important thing is that it looks good, you like it and gives you that dopamine shot that gives everything you buy new.
Quick insert about dopamine:
Dopamine is a nerve messenger (neurotransmitter) that conveys positive emotional experiences in the process. It is considered a happiness hormone. The disadvantage of this is that the dopamine itself always wants more and, since we feel downright euphoric after the dopamine is released, we also follow this desire. So it can quickly become an addiction to whatever is giving us that dopamine rush.
You feel addicted to the thrill of buying a new watch and tend to make impulse purchases. You then regret these purchases as soon as the dopamine wears off again.
That's why I advise you to set yourself a limit. That means if you want to buy a watch that is more than 2'500€ give yourself the rule that you have to wait a week before you can make the purchase. This way you can find out if you really want the watch, or if you are just going for the lucky feelings.
Replacement purchase
The replacement purchase goes somewhat hand in hand with the previous point.
However, this is not about the addictive signs of wanting to buy a new watch over and over again, but how you react when your current dream watch is not available or attainable.
This is where your patience is tested.
One devastating mistake you could fall victim to, should you fail to maintain patience, is substitute purchases.
Instead of the longed-for GMT Master II from Rolex, you decide to buy a Black Bay GMT from Tudor.
Don't. Do. That.
You'll regret the purchase later. Wait until you can afford your dream watch, it will be very worth it for you. You can see what these watches look like here.
Is your watchknowledge up to date?
Here is our list of must-know watches!
Bet you'll find a watch on it that you've never seen before.
The maintenance is negligible
Luxury watches are expensive.
However, not only in the purchase, but also in the maintenance.
Find out before buying, how often the watch should be treated and what this fun costs.
Because not doing the maintenance work, avenges itself later all the more.
If you realize that you can't afford the repairs, you may have to make a budget, setting aside an expendable amount each month to cover this cost. After all, it would be a shame if you couldn't buy the watch just because you couldn't afford the upkeep.
Diversity is overrated
If you plan to open a collection, sooner or later you will be confronted with the issue of multiplicity.
You need to make sure that your collection both follows an approximate theme so as not to lose sight of it. As well as it should be diverse at the same time.
For this I would like to tell you a little story that happened to an acquaintance of mine.
He bought a Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G as his first luxury watch. Later, he received a Breitling Avenger II GMT for his anniversary at his company. After that, he decided to buy a GMT Master from Rolex. So now he had three watches that all looked related. The logical result was that he virtually never wore your first watch, the Tudor Black Bay.
So look to cultivate some diversity in your collection so that all watches get the attention they deserve.
Is your watchknowledge up to date?
Here is our list of must-know watches!
Bet you'll find a watch on it that you've never seen before.
Conclusion
There are countless mistakes you can make as a watch buyer and watch collector. But that should not stop us from our hobby.
Despite all the stumbling blocks and dangers that lurk, luxury watches are something fantastically fascinating and there is something we must never forget when looking to buy new watches:
To enjoy the admirable timepieces we already own.
Source cover image: Pexels | edited post
About the author
Benno Büchler
In pursuit of more charmingly atypical watches, the teenage interest developed into a real passion. I strive to find the perfect combination of deviant and ravishing for the wrist.
