I had an idea for a fun way to annoy a certain friend of mine, let’s call her “B.” As watch enthusiasts, we know our hobby can be expensive at times. I blame YouTubers and other influencers that have somehow convinced people that a 1000 USD watch is “entry level” and a 4000 USD dive watch with the ugliest set of hands known to exist is a Rolex for poor people. B has been blessed by not having to deal with this twaddle in her hobbies. Horses don’t have an RRP, at least I don’t think so. At this point, I’m too afraid to ask.
For the first watch, I showed her the ever-popular STD-special Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 with the blue waffle dial.
Bear in mind that all she had to go off of was a picture and the occasional hint regarding case material, country of origin and brand history, although she was brave and didn’t really make use of many hints. I won’t have to lose another friend after explaining the history of a watch brand. She guessed 16 000 ZAR*, or 843 USD, which is really close to the RRP. It’s possible to find it for less, but her price strikes a convenient midpoint between the highest and lowest prices near me. One point for B then.
The next one was a bit of a curveball: the IWC Ingenieur. To the layman, this looks almost exactly like the Tissot PRX. In fact, anyone with eyes can spot some similarity; they’re both stainless steel integrated bracelet sports watches with textured dials with the words “Swiss made” printed on.
Her guess was 18 000 ZAR (950 USD.) Anyone here own an Ingenieur? My friend thinks you’re cheap… well, cheap relative to the actual price of an Ingenieur. In light of this, allow me to take it off your hands for you. I have a special thing for the Ingenieur. I don’t like sports watches, nor do I like integrated bracelets, but there’s something about the IWC that just tickles me in the perfect spot. It’s a tool built for engineers and scientists, who are, to me at least, the coolest people in the world. Sorry, B, negative ten points for this one.
Next up was another favourite of mine. This one is a guilty pleasure, the Breitling Aerospace Evo.
B remarked that it looked expensive, which is the opposite of what most people think when they see a digital watch, so I’ll doff my hat to her there. She hit the nail (almost) on the head with a round 100 000 ZAR. RRP is 99 600 ZAR, although you’ll be violated if you were to pay that. Find me one person (other than myself) who wakes up one morning and thinks to him- or herself “yes, my life can only be complete if I buy a 5000-dollar titanium digital watch.” Consequently, they are probably not the best sellers, so Breitling will be very happy to offer you a discount. You can also save a lot by buying grey market; there’s one for sale right now for two thirds of RRP. B gets another point here.
The next entry was nothing short of a massacre. For a lot of my time as an enthusiast, I never really understood the Cartier Santos. I thought it was cool and all; I never dismissed Cartier as merely a jewellery brand, but it just seemed that everyone and their goldfish had a Santos somewhere. Then I tried one on. The saleswoman was nice, but very protective of the watch. I couldn’t touch the clasp. Maybe there are wear and tear reasons why only the salesperson can use the clasp, but I think that she saw through my disguise and knew that I didn’t possibly have the stones to buy a Santos.
B’s guess was again 100 000 ZAR. She was about halfway there. RRP is 10 300 USD or 193 903 ZAR. I like B, so I’ll only subtract one point. I didn’t even mention a point system to her, I literally just came up with it while writing. I’m enjoying this.
Now I’m sure you’re tired of currency conversions and I refused to torture B any further. I was going to add the Patek Philippe Calatrava, but that would have been cruel. I will admit, this post was never meant to be something that would open one’s eyes and encourage deep self-reflection or thought, it was merely my idea of a fun Sunday afternoon with a good friend that I’ve known since childhood. I don’t know if B found it fun, but I got to see an outsider’s perspective, which is refreshing. It’s easy to get drunk on big names shoving big numbers down our throats to the point that eye-watering sums of money seem like the change you find between your couch cushions…
Well… damn. Anyway, take this as a reminder that you buy these things for yourself. We all at some point in our lives desire to be perceived as wealthy or successful. Most of us here are fortunately past that and either take the “stealth wealth” route and/or rock a basic and cheap watch. If you do buy a watch to impress others, you won’t end up happy, especially if you buy an IWC Ingenieur, although I presume most people who buy those are gigantic nerds like me.
*1 USD = 18,83 ZAR at the time of writing, but the exchange rate is about as stable as a broken marriage with alcohol added for spice. You may wake up tomorrow and find that we’ve gone back to a bartering system, in which case 1 USD might be equal to 69 cowrie shells.
The Escapement Room 