Breaking Down Brand Loyalty/Allure...

[SC1]

We are all, for the most part, into Omega otherwise what brought us here right?

But... do you ever ask yourself, "Why am into this or that brand, and often to the exclusion of so many other brands?" I do, I have, and I currently am often -- and it's befuddling.

Sure it's simple to not dig something because your experience with it was poor ~ "I ate Taco Bell and it gave me the shits so I am no longer eating Taco Bell" or "I can't afford ______ now so I am not buying it" ~ or because it's simply not financially a doable thing ever. But how about to things you can afford and don't give you the poops (be them literally or metaphorically)? Is it strictly quality or aesthetics or a memory that drives us to a brand repeatedly? Or is it something less comfortable to admit to ourselves - because others are, because it symbolizes affluence, because it includes me into a specific category or something else?

I am writing this because lately I am very slowly, very begrudgingly, almost painfully if you will, admitting to myself that some things I own I feel little towards... and some things I own that cost so much less speak to me far more deeply. And that realization is creating a kind of turbulence in my brain of "That's a good thing no? So why's it bugging you?" and to that I don't know. Yet maybe I do even though it's weird for me to admit to myself and even more strange to voice publicly.

In the case of watches I am most familiar with what was/is closest to me -- Omega & Hamilton. Those are traceable back to childhood for me. Of course Timex and names like Bulova as well. Rolex showed up into my brain through television advertising and once my dad purchased one for himself. Seiko, Casio appeared in my youth. So it's natural that once I could/had to purchase things for myself I started there... but why did I only stay there?

And then this, why when I do branch out into the waters that don't flow to the masses does it simultaneously leave me feeling like "fυck yes, I don't need to wear the same shit as everyone else," -and- "wow, this is sorta uncomfortable -- I'm not wearing what everyone else is"?
Dovetailing that... "I am wearing this while 20 feet away is something else I also own that cost 10 times as much and is desirable as shit to most, what was I thinking -- I'm taking this one off for that one."
But why?

If that "not well known, not desired by many, cost me a fraction of the others in the box" watch makes me smile, keeps my eyes peeled & affixed to it, marveling at how perfect it truly is - why the hell would I ever take it off? Yet the pull to pull it off is there.

I can't be the only idiot that has experienced this/experiences this, and while it does confirm some base stupid simple shit in my brain - embarrassing or not - I'm outing it because I want to know.

Has to be smarter minds here that understand this better than I. Or at minimum, someone here must also experience this.

I usually powwow with my wife on things that confuse me so I did go to her -- when I went through this long diatribe she simply looked at me and said, "You're a moron but I always love you. Me? You bought me this watch," and she pointed at her wrist -- it's an Islander, 38mm, diver, blue dial with a Seiko movement and a shit ton of lume, day/date complication, $225 clams, "and I could care less about anything other than it's pretty and keeps the time. You though, you have to dig in and learn everything about everything and that's fine other than this... the way I see it, learning too much can also create too much radio chatter in the head. And with radio chatter comes doubt and overthinking. You seemed happier when you had one watch, one pair of shoes, one bike. One is a good number. Okay, go away I want to read -- take this to your forum friends."

So there ya go.

 

[Spruce]

Simpler for me. For about 20+ years, I’d walk past a shop in the Strand (Austin Kaye) and see their windows stuffed with used Omega watches I couldn’t afford.
Big shock to discover in my sixties that if I bought (carefully) on eBay (which was also new to me) using my (new) iPad, I could afford the odd watch (or more) 😉

 

[p4ul]

Your wife nailed it “You’re a moron”, we all are in our own ways.

I wear one watch 24/7, why do I have another seven or eight (might be more can’t remember) in a draw hardly looked at rarely worn…..moron.
Why do I spend inordinate amounts of time either here or on saved searches/sellers in eBay looking for info or potentially buying more watches….moron.

Life and nature inputs stuff into all of us but we process it in different ways caused by many external nurture factors. Morons.

To quote The Life of Brian “You’re all different!” Man in crowd… “I’m not.”.

Embrace your inner moron and be happy, long time dead.

 

[STANDY]

The longer you’re in this game…..your taste changes.
The more you look the more you see….the more you notice.

Modern - Dress/Vintage - Beater
3 different styles and three differences in my taste.

Man I just sent my favourite beater a Luminox SAR Limited Edition off for a battery change and have spent 3 weeks looking at G-Shocks I don’t need or really want….🤨

 

[Watch my Whisky]

I like Speedmasters. I don’t really like Omega. I actually prefer Rolex and vintage Heuer.

The Rolex forum, however, is full of cucks and cranks. This forum has normal people.

 

[Dash1]

Some people follow the crowd, some make a point of walking in the opposite direction and others don’t give a sh*t either way. I think I tend toward the latter view (although I’m by no means immune to the sheeple principle.)
For me the allure of an object tends to be connected with quality, materials (not big into plastic) and good design (particularly when the form follows the function.) There’s also an emotional response to some things, particularly if you have a personal connection with it. I’m sure we’re particularly susceptible to things that made an impression on us at a young age.
When I got into Omega it was before I had internet access and I knew nothing of the brand, or its connection to the space race etc…I just saw a picture of a Speedmaster and something about it stood out for me (form following function + quality.) it took me a few years to track one down but I never looked back.
I suppose it’s interesting that once I did get on line and discovered there were other people mad about these watches, and that the history of the brand was incredibly interesting, the desire to own more of them increased considerably. Safety in numbers?

 

[Spruce]

Watch my Whisky

I like Speedmasters. I don’t really like Omega. I actually prefer Rolex and vintage Heuer.

The Rolex forum, however, is full of cucks and cranks. This forum has normal people.

“No, no! I’m different!” 😉

 

[Larry S]

I have two vintage Speed Masters and Two Vintage Pie Pans. I like the SM 300 but have not pulled the trigger. When I bought my first Speedmaster, I discoverered UG Tri-Compax and lo an behold we have a UG Sub here. Rolex, Longines …Other Watches….I’m a grazer who enjoys the community here.

 

[Arancio601]

For me it’s a design thing. I’m drawn to early iterations of iconic and notable design across many areas. With watches I personally am not drawn to the new homage models that reference the early designs and can’t follow the many iterations that have small changes to earn themselves a new name. I find the first revision (if they get one) after the original model tends to be the sweet spot for what draws my eye. I had mainly been exploring vintage Japanese watches but the history,proven quality and usefulness of Omega shines as ah enduring Swiss brand that I couldn’t resist.

 

[DrmexicoII]

Mi biggest conclusion from your post is that your wife is a genius! I think the watch hobby (hobby sounds patronising but I don't know a better term) is similar to the car "hobby". There are enthusiasts who love cars for what they are not what they necessarily represent. Same with watches. I drove an automatic Peugeot 306 once that had a great chassis. Some people would turn their nose up at it. I enjoyed it for what it was, not what it "said about me". I think it's the same for watches. Some people will see a watch that's less than 5k and call it a shitter. I think there's a hell of a lot of watches in that bracket that are brilliant.

Guess I'm saying there's a whole bunch of mechanical and historical appreciation in watches and cars that appeals to me and also many others. And deserves further research!

Not sure that made much sense but either way... Your wife is a keeper! 😁

 

[gbesq]

There isn’t anything about “collecting” that is rational - whether it’s watches, baseball cards, cars or anything else. In my case, I became attracted to Omega because my stepfather wore one and my parents gifted me a Speedmaster for my high school graduation. There are lots of great watch brands out there in addition to Omega, but you can’t own everything. You’ll enjoy the hobby more if you don’t try to analyze the whys too much.

 

[SC1]

I need to buy another watch ASAP to take the edge off all this.

 

[Aroxx]

You could make a psychology class out of this. A few of my thoughts. Humans are emotional creatures that like stories. Marketing tells stories. Whether it’s the moon landing or climbing Everest. Or an emotional connection like what your dad wore, etc. People feel some connection to a brand and go with it. A recent personal example for me. I’ve never felt anything towards Longines. I think I don’t like the name. Then I learned about their impressive history and started thinking I should look into them.

Also, whether we admit it or not, we’re social creatures and care what others think to varying degrees. Status seeking etc. It’s deep in our DNA. So it makes sense people gravitate towards status symbols like Rolex.

I think a lot of us are interested in tinkering and engineering so that’s a fascination as well. When it comes to collecting at some point you kind of have to specialize because there is just so much out there. So it makes sense people zero in on a specific brand.

The thing your wife said reminds me of something too. People can actually be happier when they have less choice. I remember a study where people who carefully weighed many options and spent a ton of time analyzing the best purchase option were less happy with the purchase than the people who basically just bought the top rated item with minimal thought. It’s because the people who over-analyzed were always second guessing if they made the right choice and nit picking everything about the item.

Edited: Apr 16, 2023

 

[pdxleaf]

I don't care what other people think, which is why I post in WRUW and create a thread for every new watch I buy. 😁

My first new modern watch purchase was a Speedmaster. It had it all, bringing me back to when I was a boy watching the moon landing, an era before the modern age when we had fewer things but also when the things we had mattered more. Loved my Chuck Taylors and my Duke football and my Schwinn bike. When I rediscovered watches, this was the one.

Most of the world watched the moon landing. There's probably going to be other people who like the same watch for similar reasons as I do. Doesn't make me less impressed with it.

I am also lazy with obsessive tendancies. Top ten lists are cat nip to me. I can let other people do the hard work of researching through all the crap and still obsess over details. But this doesn't explain why I owned three Renault Caravelles or two Buick Roadmaster Station wagons. Sometimes when you follow your heart you'll find yourself in a the middle of a crowd with like-minded people. But that's okay because it'll probably be fun to share. Some crowds are fun, like the floor of a concert. Other times you'll be all alone in your wierd car, but that'll be okay because you'll still be doing you and will be happy.

As to why we have more than one watch, that's for another time.

 

[wagudc]

I like a watch that tells a story. So mostly I enjoy vintage. My grandparents owned a small town jewelry shop that sold watches, so I have a connection with certain brands they sold. Omega was their top of the line, but pre-quartz their bread and butter was Wyler. My aunt tells stories of the Wyler rep having dinner at their house when she was a kid. I also like the old American brands Bulova, Waltham, and Hamilton, and of course Accutrons are super cool. I can't imagine spending much over $1000 on a watch, so I doubt I will own a modern Omega. Few watches in their current line are appealing to me anyway. I like Speedmasters, but I have a vintage one I inherited.

I do own a few modern watches for rainy days: a Max Bill, a Tissot PRX (the true to original quartz version), and a Vaer because it was assembled in America with an American made movement.

Edited: Apr 16, 2023

 

[lillatroll]

I just like the aesthetics of watches. I don't care about their technical abilities or what they are powered by. Mechanical, automatic, battery,I really don't care.

Omega has a lot of interesting designs in its line up. I have around 30 watches in my collection, around 20 + must be omega from a dinky little chronostop driver to a chunky SM300 co axial. The only thing that matters is that I like the look of it ( well, price too, I can't buy much on a teachers salary)
On another note, I think it does not help your head to spend too much time contemplating questions that may stop you buying watches. Like all pastimes/hobbies you should just enjoy it for what ever it gives you.

 

[JwRosenthal]

To speak to the title of this thread, I think it comes down to value of the item for the money which is highly subjective and has many variables. Like @lillatroll, I am on a public servant’s salary, so my buying is limited to what I can afford. My threshold for splurging on a watch is about $3k, and I have to plan and save for that. $500-$1k for a watch once or twice a year isn’t a hardship the way I have structured my finances, but beyond that takes planning and that planning requires thought:

Is this worth the effort
Can I recoup the value if I don’t like it
Is this actually worth not having this money for something else?

Without speaking to vagaries, you Scott want to know if your Rolex’s (and the one that you have in order) are worth the money versus buying several other watches you may find just as appealing- if not more so- for far less money.

I have 4 Rolexes which I purchased before the madness and love them all (one I traded other things for so don’t consider that an expense- collectors justification), They are awesome watches and were actually once affordable to even the middle class. But it’s not a matter anymore of “could I” afford to buy them now, it’s “would I”. I find the prices out of line (actually offensive) with what their value is (to me) as an object. When you could compare them apples to apples with a comparable model from another brand- paying the slight premium for the branding wasn’t such a leap- maybe a 10-20% stretch. When I could buy a vintage Constellation for $1k or an Oyster Perpetual date for $1.5k, I could justify the stretch. A Seamaster diver for $3.5k or a Submariner for $4.5k, a little extra planning and it was attainable.
But now the market is out of whack so it requires one to stretch their justifications of “what is it worth to afford this watch”. Any one of us crazy collectors can justify buying anything- but I think the reality comes down to a couple primary factors:

Will buying this item cause financial hardship (pushing off life expenses or accruing debt).
Will this item give me joy (and not stress) when I use it without fear of damaging or losing it because of its financial value?
Will I have to forego buying other items than may give me as much joy or possibly more because I chose this more expensive item?
Will buying this item fill whatever hole I am trying to fill- or would the money be better spent on more therapy?

 

[wagudc]

I couldn't agree with you more James. Especially the part below.

JwRosenthal

Will buying this item cause financial hardship (pushing off life expenses or accruing debt).
Will this item give me joy (and not stress) when I use it without fear of damaging or losing it because of its financial value?
Will I have to forego buying other items than may give me as much joy or possibly more because I chose this more expensive item?
Will buying this item fill whatever hole I am trying to fill- or would the money be better spent on more therapy?

 

[Danwales]

Spruce

Simpler for me. For about 20+ years, I’d walk past a shop in the Strand (Austin Kaye) and see their windows stuffed with used Omega watches I couldn’t afford.
Big shock to discover in my sixties that if I bought (carefully) on eBay (which was also new to me) using my (new) iPad, I could afford the odd watch (or more) 😉

Ah Austin Kaye.

Indulge me in a quick story. 2001, an 18 year old me fresh from the Welsh valleys starts his first job as a gallery assistant in Somerset House In the Strand. On lunch breaks I gaze through the window at all of the beautiful watches at Austin Kaye but can't afford any of them.

Fast forward to 2015 and I have just broken up with my girlfriend. I go to Barcelona with my mates for a drunken weekend to drown my sorrows. On the way home after getting off the Gatwick express I detour to Central London and find myself outside Austin Kaye. Still " half cut" I go in and buy a Tag Heuer GMT 60s reissue on credit card but what the hell! My first " big" watch purchase. I sold it a few years later to buy an engagement ring for my now wife. Austin Kaye is no longer there but I pass by the old premises frequently and I always smile to myself when I think of a slightly p*ssed, dishevelled me going in and buying the Tag!

 

[mydeafcat]

JwRosenthal

To speak to the title of this thread, I think it comes down to value of the item for the money which is highly subjective and has many variables. Like @lillatroll, I am on a public servant’s salary, so my buying is limited to what I can afford. My threshold for splurging on a watch is about $3k, and I have to plan and save for that. $500-$1k for a watch once or twice a year isn’t a hardship the way I have structured my finances, but beyond that takes planning and that planning requires thought:

Is this worth the effort
Can I recoup the value if I don’t like it
Is this actually worth not having this money for something else?

Without speaking to vagaries, you Scott want to know if your Rolex’s (and the one that you have in order) are worth the money versus buying several other watches you may find just as appealing- if not more so- for far less money.

I have 4 Rolexes which I purchased before the madness and love them all (one I traded other things for so don’t consider that an expense- collectors justification), They are awesome watches and were actually once affordable to even the middle class. But it’s not a matter anymore of “could I” afford to buy them now, it’s “would I”. I find the prices out of line (actually offensive) with what their value is (to me) as an object. When you could compare them apples to apples with a comparable model from another brand- paying the slight premium for the branding wasn’t such a leap- maybe a 10-20% stretch. When I could buy a vintage Constellation for $1k or an Oyster Perpetual date for $1.5k, I could justify the stretch. A Seamaster diver for $3.5k or a Submariner for $4.5k, a little extra planning and it was attainable.
But now the market is out of whack so it requires one to stretch their justifications of “what is it worth to afford this watch”. Any one of us crazy collectors can justify buying anything- but I think the reality comes down to a couple primary factors:

Will buying this item cause financial hardship (pushing off life expenses or accruing debt).
Will this item give me joy (and not stress) when I use it without fear of damaging or losing it because of its financial value?
Will I have to forego buying other items than may give me as much joy or possibly more because I chose this more expensive item?
Will buying this item fill whatever hole I am trying to fill- or would the money be better spent on more therapy?

Sage considerations, James. I may print this off and a) hang it above my computer, and b) make myself a wallet card to remind myself not to be a total yotz when out shopping for shit I likely don't need.

In my view, I see this as coming down to good marketing (brand positioning). With the established luxury market, and by this I mean Rolex and not, say, the deeper end, less well-known brands of the luxury pool like ALS, PP etc, this is often - but certainly not always - combined with a need to meet a perceived or desired status. There are those who will buy a thing simply to attain a particular status (most often giving in to the voice in their head); others may have a more nuanced or, dare I say, justifiable, motivation (still subjective, I know - don't hang me on this one): rarity, style, movement, etc. Now, I have heaps of respect for Rolex's storied history; I have no use for the company now nor its business practices. I think most of their new offering are blingy dreck. And yet.... I'd love a vintage Sub, SD or OP but not because I hope someone sees me in the wild with it but because I simply love them for what they are - to me. It's not luxury or status but rather 'history' within the context of my so-called hobby (my uber lightweight status notwithstanding). Can I live without them? Easily. I do every day and lose not a wink of sleep over it. I mentioned this in the Tudor/Rolex discussion the other day. I love my Tudor for what it is, not for what I wish it was.

Edited: Apr 16, 2023