As a "watch person" I generally tune out when someone brings up the "Rolex vs Casio" example. I do not care what people think of me. To wit, I choose to live i

As a "watch person" I generally tune out when someone brings up the "Rolex vs Casio" example. I do not care what people think of me. To wit, I choose to live in a place (for various reasons) where I deal with racism on a daily basis. It's hard to care about status when the average person around you is ignorant enough to believe they're on the winning side of some kind of race math. I do care what is attached to my body or inhabits my personal space. I use a Mac mostly because it looks good. I drive a BMW because of the level of trim inside. Ditto various designer clothing brands. My Submariner is almost never off my wrist and is honestly one of my favorite (non-human) things. It's built like a tank, is appropriate for any occasion and yes, is more accurate than I need. As a watch person I also see the value of a Casio (as do collectors) or an Apple Watch. But I only have one watch slot on my body and my favorite happens to be a Sub. I do not evaluate people by their watches. I know lots of people don't value the things I do, may not like watches or may not care. All I learn by looking at someone's watch is whether or not they're also watch people. Often, if someone is wearing a watch that costs 4+ digits, there's an interesting story behind it. They may have bought it to celebrate something or it may be one of a collection. I recently made a friend after asking him about his AP. Turned out he bought it towards the end of his first career, which was in the same area as my first career. There was a time when a mechanical watch was near the pinnacle of technology. Watchmakers were the "rocket scientists" of their day. A lot of iconic watches have really interesting histories that can go back over 100 years. They're still at the pinnacle of craftsmanship and aesthetics. They're the opposite of general, disposable consumer culture. They're built to last decades, hold their value well and are often multi-generational. They're green. Investing in a mechanical watch today helps keep that tradition alive. If your reaction to a Rolex is eye rolling cynicism, you're poorer for it.