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michael22
·The world is diverse!
Watch snobs
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wagudc
·As someone that gets accused of being a Hard Alcohol snob on a regular basis I really hate the term Snob. Snob implies that you look down on affordably priced items. While its true that I have large amounts of expensive Whisky and other Spirits, its not all about price. Yes, the stuff at higher price points is normally measurably better, more complex, better balanced, more from the heart of the cut of the distillation etc and I have the knowledge and experience to judge it.... But I love affordable spirits also... Bullet Rye, Bombay Gin, Tito's vodka, etc is all great stuff! I was in the wine world for awhile but the snobbery was too much for me... Not everything can be a $200 bottle... Its true that I dislike over oaked CA Chards with a passion only reserved for Corona and Heineken beer... but that is another story...
As for tires I am a bit of a reverse snob... While I have a performance car, I run 275 rears (frankly 255 should be enough) and don't track the car in So Cal which means it never rains. I shopped the best deal I could get on Summer Ultra High performance tires, and have settled on Dunlop Direzzas after trying some other options from Goodyear etc... Look good, quiet, sticky enough for street driving and much cheaper then the Pilot's of any grade. I hate it when I see DOT R's like RS-4's, RE-71r's, Pilot Sport Cups, etc on street cars that will never hit the track, esp when they are running too low on high camber for fitment... Congrats you have a tire that will wear out very quickly, sucks if you hit any rain or water on the street and cost 2-3x as much per tire. Its just appears as conspicuous consumption, while I think they don't even know enough to know the tires the worst choice possible for what they are doing. Even the Super Car guys running around on those on the street just makes me shake my head... No reason unless your on the track... don't even get me started on Carbon Ceramic brakes...
I get asked about watch snobbery alot, and I usually say its the people that don't know anything about watches that are snobs. I tell people that a true watch guy who could be wearing a Patek would be more interested in my currently still affordable if you hunt Seiko 6117-8000 then the guy next to me wearing a new Ceramic Sub. Odds are anyone with a 6117-8000 (Review) has many other interesting pieces in their collection and took some time to hunt one down as they are not exactly common in very good condition. Granted I would flip out over a Playtona... but that is a great looking watch and anyone that has one only incidentally has alot of money. I don't think most where purchased just because of the price. I am still conflicted over what I think about John Mayers take on the Rainbow Daytona... really torn on it... at least in regards to casually talking about 300k watches and who would wear them.
TLDR: If the interest in something is primarily due to the cost and/or the cost is almost always perceived as an indicator of quality/desirability, its Snobbish... Looks at all the G Wagons that drive around in my area...
Aficionado is perhaps a more accurate term.
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michael22
·I think snobbery inherently lacks justification.
If there is good reason for a preference, it isn't snobbery.
If there is good reason for a preference, it isn't snobbery.
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Walrus
·Thanks guys, this was tongue in cheek and really meant about me. I don’t have much I collect now other than watches and have been very pleased with the past few purchases I made. That vintage constellation really made me happy but I find myself talking to my wife and coworkers about them a bit too much and need to stop. I’m not trying to brag I just like talking about them. Investments too, I never mention figures or amount of a particular stock I have but will talk about certain companies. Im not a watch snob yet and keep my conversations brief but I need to monitor myself. I was not at all implying anyone here is a watch snob.
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JwRosenthal
·Pirelli P Zeros, Michelin something or others, turntables?
If you're not running Dunlop R5s cross-ply (bias) tyres with no sidewall protection and NAB hub reel to reel tape for audio, then I won't even speak to you😁
Cheers, Chris
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JwRosenthal
·Thanks guys, this was tongue in cheek and really meant about me. I don’t have much I collect now other than watches and have been very pleased with the past few purchases I made. That vintage constellation really made me happy but I find myself talking to my wife and coworkers about them a bit too much and need to stop. I’m not trying to brag I just like talking about them. Investments too, I never mention figures or amount of a particular stock I have but will talk about certain companies. Im not a watch snob yet and keep my conversations brief but I need to monitor myself. I was not at all implying anyone here is a watch snob.
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steelfish
·I like to think I'm not a watch snob as I buy and wear (or try to when I can afford it) the watches that I like because of their history, movement but primarily because I like them. I buy and wear them for me, not to show off.
I'm not a fan of people who buy watches because it's 'the watch to have' or because of the brand, or just because it's expensive e.t.c. Sadly where I live there are a number of big name shops that are jam packed with these type of people of a weekend who clearly know nothing about the watches they're wearing, don't care at all and just buy for the prestige. That grinds my gears - maybe that means I am a reverse watch snob!?
I'm not a fan of people who buy watches because it's 'the watch to have' or because of the brand, or just because it's expensive e.t.c. Sadly where I live there are a number of big name shops that are jam packed with these type of people of a weekend who clearly know nothing about the watches they're wearing, don't care at all and just buy for the prestige. That grinds my gears - maybe that means I am a reverse watch snob!?
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ConElPueblo
·As someone that gets accused of being a Hard Alcohol snob on a regular basis I really hate the term Snob. Snob implies that you look down on affordably priced items. While its true that I have large amounts of expensive Whisky and other Spirits, its not all about price. Yes, the stuff at higher price points is normally measurably better, more complex, better balanced, more from the heart of the cut of the distillation etc and I have the knowledge and experience to judge it.... But I love affordable spirits also... Bullet Rye, Bombay Gin, Tito's vodka, etc is all great stuff! I was in the wine world for awhile but the snobbery was too much for me... Not everything can be a $200 bottle... Its true that I dislike over oaked CA Chards with a passion only reserved for Corona and Heineken beer... but that is another story...
...
TLDR: If the interest in something is primarily due to the cost and/or the cost is almost always perceived as an indicator of quality/desirability, its Snobbish... Looks at all the G Wagons that drive around in my area...
Being a snob - which I am, no doubt - does not mean that your buying motives are price driven; having "expensive" as a deciding/very important criterion when buying is choosing from a Veblen perspective. The four classic (at least that's the ones I was taught) buying motives are Thrifty, Bandwagon, Veblen and Snob. Snob and Bandwagon are opposites; where one group of consumer buys goods because others do, Snobs buy what's different. This is mirrored with Thrifty consumers opposed to those who decides from a Veblen perspective where the interesting parameter is price - cheap or expensive.
There is some crossover between the groups (items that are low in supply (snob) are often expensive too), naturally...
I could buy a Rolex (Veblen), but would rather wear a vintage Mido (Snob) as I like to set myself apart from my peers. This is pretty easy when my peers are my colleagues at work, more difficult when it is a group of discerning collectors as found here (nice Mido, @JwRosenthal) 👍
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Vercingetorix
··Spam RiskSo I am a thrifty snob when it comes to watches, and a veblen snob with tires. Good to know. I once bought a set of Pirelli P Zeros simply because they were the most expensive option.
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77deluxe
·This is pretty easy when my peers are my colleagues at work, more difficult when it is a group of discerning collectors as found here (nice Mido, @JwRosenthal) 👍
When it is a group found here (Veblen) engaging in conspicuous leisure?
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flw
··history nerdI'm opinionated about watches, if somewhat unschooled. OmegaForums has been an invaluable education to me, but I'm not qualified as postgraduate.
I'm a firearms snob. If a firearm is fabricated out of cast steel, sheet metal, aluminum alloy, or plastic (polymer as the aficionados are wont to call it) then I'm not having it. It's forged blue steel and walnut for me and bonus points awarded if it's a John M. Browning design.
In numismatics, I'm a condition rarity snob. I prefer a higher grade common date and mintage coin that is sharply struck over a low mintage worn slug.
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ConElPueblo
·When it is a group found here (Veblen) engaging in conspicuous leisure?
I like what is really uncommon and it is hard to impress most of the old hands here 😀
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77deluxe
·I like what is really uncommon and it is hard to impress most of the old hands here 😀
Clearly. You also like uncommon, deep-bench economists and managed to work behavioral Econ into a watch thread. That is impressive.
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JwRosenthal
·Being a snob - which I am, no doubt - does not mean that your buying motives are price driven; having "expensive" as a deciding/very important criterion when buying is choosing from a Veblen perspective. The four classic (at least that's the ones I was taught) buying motives are Thrifty, Bandwagon, Veblen and Snob. Snob and Bandwagon are opposites; where one group of consumer buys goods because others do, Snobs buy what's different. This is mirrored with Thrifty consumers opposed to those who decides from a Veblen perspective where the interesting parameter is price - cheap or expensive.
There is some crossover between the groups (items that are low in supply (snob) are often expensive too), naturally...
I could buy a Rolex (Veblen), but would rather wear a vintage Mido (Snob) as I like to set myself apart from my peers. This is pretty easy when my peers are my colleagues at work, more difficult when it is a group of discerning collectors as found here (nice Mido, @JwRosenthal) 👍
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JwRosenthal
·I have a friend who collects bobble heads- he has been collecting since he was a kid and is now in his late 40’s. His wife despised them so he was relegated to the basement for his collection. When he bought a new house he has us over for a house warming and I went into his basement and he had installed a narrow ledged shelf that ran the entire circumference of the basement like a picture molding. Upon it was his entire collection, we are talking hundreds. I am not one for bobble heads but seeing this collection in its entirely it was very clear he was a bobble head snob- perfectly curated, beautifully displayed, years of searching and collecting- it was impressive. Passion like that is an amazing thing to behold..
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77deluxe
·Passion like that is an amazing thing to behold..
Yes. It bobbles the head.
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flw
··history nerdI have a friend who collects bobble heads- he has been collecting since he was a kid and is now in his late 40’s. His wife despised them so he was relegated to the basement for his collection.
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Faz
·I'd consider wine snobs to be the lowest of the low.
Edited:
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michael22
·Being a snob - which I am, no doubt - does not mean that your buying motives are price driven; having "expensive" as a deciding/very important criterion when buying is choosing from a Veblen perspective. The four classic (at least that's the ones I was taught) buying motives are Thrifty, Bandwagon, Veblen and Snob. Snob and Bandwagon are opposites; where one group of consumer buys goods because others do, Snobs buy what's different. This is mirrored with Thrifty consumers opposed to those who decides from a Veblen perspective where the interesting parameter is price - cheap or expensive.
There is some crossover between the groups (items that are low in supply (snob) are often expensive too), naturally...
I could buy a Rolex (Veblen), but would rather wear a vintage Mido (Snob) as I like to set myself apart from my peers. This is pretty easy when my peers are my colleagues at work, more difficult when it is a group of discerning collectors as found here (nice Mido, @JwRosenthal) 👍
snob
/snɒb/
Learn to pronounce
noun
- a person with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth who seeks to associate with social superiors and looks down on those regarded as socially inferior.
"her mother was a snob and wanted a lawyer as a son-in-law"- a person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people.
"a musical snob"
- a person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people.
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