Stop the Watch Buying Gymnastics...Part 3: Pseudo-Intellectualism

 

    As an aspiring pseudo-intellectual myself, I really just wanted to use "pseudo-intellectual" in a title so I sound smart but I'm not sure pseudo-intellectual is the right adjective though, because all I'm focusing on are weird/weak justification to buy a watch and weird/weak excuses not to buy a watch. I didn't want to write this installment of the series first because I felt like there was just too much subjectivity on this topic; in fact I almost decided against it altogether but after mulling it over I figured worst case scenario I can delete the post later if it feels too nebulous. I've said it a handful of times already, but I think your primary justification for buying any watch should be that you want it and can afford it. That said, there can be a lot of good reasons why you want to buy a certain watch, just as there can be a lot of good reasons to pass on it. These "good reasons" are not what I'm trying to call attention to, but I'll touch on them (or some of them) just for comparison's sake. 

    From my perspective, a "good reason" is any reason that comes from a place that's honest and genuine. For me, I've always wanted an Omega Seamaster Professional because I saw it in the newest run of Bond movie with Daniel Craig and fell in love with it. To this day I'll randomly pull up pictures or posts on WatchCrunch or Google just to look at Seamasters, waiting for the day I add one to my collection. If anyone asks, that's the reason I give them; I saw it in a movie franchise that I liked and I've wanted it since. I don't waste time trying to come up with some deep intrinsic or existential rationale to try and convince myself or other people that getting that watch has any significant meaning beyond "I wanted it and I could afford it". Doing that would feel disingenuous and almost undermine the connection I have with that watch, as silly as that connection might be. That's not to say that someone couldn't have a genuine philosophical or existential reason for buying a watch, I'm just saying that more often than not they don't.

    Not that I haven't tried, though! I've definitely tried to make arguments that demonstrated how watch collecting was somehow an extension of my intellect, and God knows I've heard even more. Let me take y'all for a walk through some of mine and others greatest hits:

1. "Watches are a testament to the spirit of human and societal ingenuity over time, with watch models being built and adapted to address specific situations relating to aviation, railway travel and management, ocean exploration, racing, space travel, and more." 
2. "Wearing a quality watch is a form of signaling and can be a way to open the door to making connections with the types of people you want to meet and work with."
3. "Watches are miraculous feats of engineering that also can serve as an analogy for effective teamwork and even society; every piece has it's role in making the machine move. If any part of the machine ceases to function at optimal levels, the entire operation is degraded."
4. "Wearing a quality watch is a way to show that you actually do value your time, so much so that you'll invest a significant sum of money to keep track of your time."
5. "This watch was innovative in the world of watch making, owning one would be like owning a piece of history."

And I'm sure I'll think of others long after I post this. Those all read like pompous LinkedIn titles, right? Some of those things I still believe in some form, like how watches are a representation of ingenuity or how a watch can be a conversation starter, but these days I wouldn't use any of those as a justification to buy a watch. Why? Because I can believe those things regardless of if I even own a watch. Besides that, there's no single watch that any of us could buy that would perfectly encapsulate any of perspectives(well, except maybe the last one).  You or I can believe any or all of those things, but an Omega Seamaster is just as much a mechanical feat as a Rolex Submariner...and of the two which one is more of a testament to human ingenuity? Hell, people can't even agree on which of those two watches is of better quality. Which one shows people you value your time more? You can repeat this test with any watch (seriously, try it) and see they never really pass the smell test to be considered "good reasons".

Thanks for reading,

Dillon

Part 1: Introduction | Part 2: Investment/Resale | Part 3: Pseudo-Intellect