If there was a way to perfectly duplicate a Patek Phillipe watch for 1/50 the price, would you? I bet not.

Good market in fakes, you can get very good ones too for not too much – much less than 1/50

If there was a way to perfectly duplicate a Patek Phillipe watch for 1/50 the price, would you? I bet not.

No because the price of the PP would fall. Why would you do that?

Buying the fake is even worse surely? Falling for the marketing man’s dream but buying something that will become worthless quickly.

If I was loaded I would have an expensive watch, why not.
I would have a brand new Mercedes too.

A flash watch does not say bell end to me, it just says i can afford and expensive watch. And to be honest it’s not something I would even notice unless they pointed out their expensive watch.

I’ve seen more expensive watches that, to me, look horrible, than ones that I like the look of.

If I had millions in the bank this might tempt me though. Horses for courses obviously.

A Patek Phillipe is not a watch.

Well, it’s secondary function is as a watch, it’s primary function is a piece of jewellery to demonstrate how much money the wearer has.

it’s primary function is a piece of jewellery to demonstrate how much money the wearer has.

Muggers say it performs this function very well.

Hilarious thread, expensive well made things shouldn’t be allowed is that what people here are saying? What about a really expensive hairshirt, would that be OK?

Someone who owns a £20,000 watch probably does not wear a hundred pound suit or drive a £2000 car.
More likely a £1000 suit and a £50,000 car. And I would just think he obviously earns a few quid and no more.

No because the price of the PP would fall. Why would you do that?

So it’s purely an investment, nothing else? How do these things perform compared to say the stock market or gold?

What a grimy little advert. I feel dirty having just watched it. Step aside Elite Singles, bad taste just moved up a gear.

Wow, haters gonna hate. Confession, I have a nice watch, although not AP money. British made, employing british workers and paying uk tax. When I bought it vat went to the govt. Some on here would see them all out of work. Maybe we should close all the rolex, omega and other fancy watch emporia whilst we’re at it. What about the porsche, Ferrari, rolls-Royce showrooms too. No one needs a boat, so let’s close all the yacht showrooms and marinas too. no one needs a £5k bike so let’s ban the sale of expensive bikes, they’re just showing off….the list goes on.

my cash is very hard earned, I’m not rich but I’ll spend my money how I like thanks. In my case that’s an 8 year old car 5 year old bike, and yes a nice watch, which is well engineered, looks great and to me is better investment on my wrist than the money sat in the bank earning no interest. Get over it.

I’m pretty certain most people on here would be aghast at what I hang on my wall. If what I spend my money on really offends people on here I truly am sorry they feel that way.

You shouldn’t feel that way, after all it fuels the hand wringing, consternation and feelings of fiscal resentment that keep the very essence of STW angst threads going. For that I would like to thank you.

You miss the point, homer.

expensive well made things shouldn’t be allowed is that what people here are saying?

No, it’s not.

Hilarious thread, I love the humour here and a classic Flounce!

No better way to start a happy new year everyone..

I do wonder however how a 48 grand bike would go down though, would it have a single apologist?

Weekend bump, any Patek owners care to comment? 😕

I’ve got one, a Nautulis it’s a very nice watch, bought it the same time as a bought a Cove G shock the watch is worth 3 times what I paid for it, the bike is worth about a tenth.

So it’s purely an investment, nothing else?

No it also tells the time! 😉

How do these things perform compared to say the stock market or gold?

Well. Over past decade average prices have risen 5% per annum. Compound that and it’s a good return in absolute and relative terms. Some brands have risen much more in value.

I’ve got one, a Nautulis it’s a very nice watch

Genta’s best design IMHO would have one over an AP Royal Oak any day.

Even after working in financial services marketing for 20 years I’ve always thought that Patek Philippe positioning was pretentious and smug… and really not a brand I’d want to work on…

But marketers know what people don’t know or aren’t prepared to admit about themselves and that’s that status matters, and the brands and products we choose for ourselves are as much about status display as the essential functionality they deliver. On that note, Patek Philippe know exactly what they’re doing. As do Porsche, Range Rover, Gillette, Waitrose, Apple, Rapha, Estate Agents, Armani etc etc etc.

There is absolutely no rational need for a Patek Phillipe – you can get perfectly accurate timepieces for under £10. But people still buy them – so clearly there is a need amongst some people to spank several grand on one…

It’s often quite interesting to get people to rationalise why they’ve spent a huge amount of cash on something they could’ve bought for a fraction of the price which would deliver the same functional benefit… they’re quite complicit in the game but generally refuse to accept that…

Look at all the slow MTBers and roadies with expensive bikes which they’re not skilled or fit enough to ride to the bike’s real capability and tell me there’s not something else going on in the decision-making process…

amazing that we haven’t had any mention of ‘veblen goods’. the Godwins law for luxury non-essentials threads.

roadies with expensive bikes which they’re not skilled or fit enough to ride to the bike’s real capability and tell me there’s not something else going on in the decision-making process.

Not quite the same comparison.

A lighter, £2000 road bike, will make someone go a bit faster and it will also be more pleasant to ride, compared to a £150 BSO.

MrSmith – Member

Genta’s best design IMHO would have one over an AP Royal Oak any day.

I’ve got a soft spot for the Oyster Quartz he did.

There really is some haters of nice watches on here. The fact is its whoevers money and they can spend it however. The comment regarding people on flash bikes stands very true. At ardrock this year there were people coming over the line very late on very expensive bikes, were they still smiling, of course they were, happy just to have made it round as much as the bloke on that old fashioned 26″er. I’m happy to admit I’m jealous of other people’s bikes sometimes, however I’ve never looked at someones casio and thought what a peasant.

So for the haters, if I decided to buy a man bauble that was just a beautifully designed and finished piece of engineering, which had a lovely mechanism that moved a couple of dials with no other purpose than being decorative, is that better or worse than if the same thing tries to indicate the time of day? Trying to understand whether it’s the timekeeping that’s behind all the frothing or if it’s something more. Oh, then what if the same thing doesn’t have a mechanism at all but is just a nicely made bauble for a lady? Did you all buy the cheapest engagement ring in the shop because a more expensive one doesn’t make you any more engaged.

Haters +1

Did we not have a similar thread some time ago when someone said there was a documentary on about rolls Royce.
The scorn poured on anyone who owns the trappings of the well off is beyond me.

Some people are well off and spend there money on expensive things. Does not make them a bell end just fortunate.
Every now and again you read of some poor old codger who’s popped their clogs after living the life of a pauper only to find out they were worth a small fortune. Now that’s weird, if you have earned it you may aswell enjoy it.

I’d never heard of Genta. For those of you that like his designs, I found This interesting. (8 page pdf file)

It was linked at the foot of this page Gérald Genta, a historical interview

BBC2 7:00pm Sun 3 Jan
The Millionaire’s Gift Guide – part of which is: “A vintage watch dealer attends the world’s most exclusive timepiece auction in Geneva.”

Lastly, if you don’t already know, there are VERY convincing ?f?a?k?e?s? reproductions of most high-end watches available nowadays, some with ETA movements.

Trying to understand whether it’s the timekeeping that’s behind all the frothing or if it’s something more.

Of course it isn’t. Why would timekeeping be a problem? Given that you can buy a great timekeeper for £20, that makes expensive watches a pretence.

Re engineering – I consider them terrible engineering. A key requirement for a good engineering solution is efficiency, and given they cost thousands that’s not efficient.

Re the bauble – if it’s art, then go ahead. But I maintain these things are not art. They don’t say anything beautiful. I believe that people only love these things because we (as a society, over decades or more) have been conditioned to do so by the people that make them. And nothing on this thread has made me think otherwise.

The scorn poured on anyone who owns the trappings of the well off is beyond me.

Nooo, its not the trappings I am scorning, it’s specifically watches. And a few other things.

That’s all fine. What expensive treats do you enjoy or buy for yourself on a landmark occasion?
Just curious ?

last December i oversaw a job/exhibition at some swanky Munich Hotel (Charles) for Jaeger LeCoultre.

the cheapest watch on display was 240,000€. the most expensive was over 1.4m€…!

by the end there were more security standing around than chippies, sparks and technicians setting the exhibition up.

needless to say, the guests were of a certain ilk. lots of pink trousers, neckerchiefs, **** glasses, fur coats, air kissing/pouting, and gawdiness going on….

was fun telling them to leave at the end of the evening and ripping up the carpet whilst one woman was half-asleep/drunk on the stage.

nice watches? not really.

money can buy you anything, but not necessarily good taste.

What about dog baubles ?

If you can afford it, why not.

Sorry I’m just not getting it.
Why buy an 8 bed house, you can live fine in a 2 bed terrace
Why buy a Bentley, a skoda bra will do everything it can
Why buy a £5k Armani suit, one from M&S will do just fine
Agree with the engagement ring thing above, perfect example.

The answer is because you can, and it gives pleasure to own it. So if you can, why the hell not.

None, I just buy things as and when. Why wait for a landmark occasion? If a bike/car/guitar or whatever appeals I’ll buy and if it doesn’t I won’t. I can’t remember buying anything at all for my 40th, had one Christmas present (a head torch from Madame), but don’t worry about the cost of toys when I buy them.

A Celestion alnico guitar speaker sounds differnt ot a cheap one; a Look bike goes uphill easier than a cheap one; a full bounce Lapierre is easier to handle than something from halfords. But a watch?

Some French politician claimed you’d failed in life if you didn’t have a Rolex by a certain age. I reckon a sign of success is not needing a watch at all at the youngest possible age. Not carrying a phone or a watch means you’ve really made it good.

My problem with most of this stuff is on aesthetic grounds.

It’s all just such gaudy tat!

Take the daft price tag and the ‘prestige’ name off it and most of this stuff would look perfectly at home in the jewellery section of an Argos catalogue, in with the sovereign rings and charm bracelets

Re engineering – I consider them terrible engineering. A key requirement for a good engineering solution is efficiency, and given they cost thousands that’s not efficient.

Not true. Any design will have requirements. ‘Efficiency’ isn’t defined enough to be a requirement. Efficiency in what? Cost? Production time?
The marketing department will write the spec, and I’m sure the designers meet the spec.

But I maintain these things are not art.

In your view. That doesn’t mean they’re not art, or that some people think they are, and get pleasure from looking at them.

You can park a Skoda (not that I’d buy one) anywhere and people will ignore it, drive a Skoda and other road users won’t discriminate against you, it probably won’t go wrong (perhaps because there’s less to go wrong) but if it does you will have no trouble getting it fixed. The Skoda is simply a better car for almost anything you use a car for than a Bentley, the only advantage of the Bentley I can see being it tells people you’re a ****.

Love my breitling and I work in investment banking

Good for you.

Thanks for sharing

Binners +1

It really is not about hating or envy.

Anyone can buy what the hell they want. They can think it is worth whatever they want. But they can’t expect the rest of us to believe it is about taste, or engineering, or an investment strategy.

It’s a symbol which purchasers think is of class and style. But you don’t just buy those.

Love my breitling

Even after watching what has to be one of the dumbest adverts on television with some bimbo hanging around on the ground while some smug, macho prick flys a plane around trying to impress.