They're an indicator of wealth, yes. That is not (always) why people buy them. Some (like you, and I) like the craftsmanship, and the quality that comes from it

They're an indicator of wealth, yes. That is not (always) why people buy them. Some (like you, and I) like the craftsmanship, and the quality that comes from it. Nobody sees my hand-woven Egyptian cotton sheets, but I have them. The watch, because of how it was made, and because I like to look at it. The bed linen because of how it feels. I drive a 1972 BMW 3.0CSL because (no particular order) of how it looks, how it drives, because it doesn't have a single chip in it, and because of how it sounds. Not because it turns heads (which it certainly does). All of this leads to expensive smart watches - I have a Microsoft Band for the SDK (I want to try multi-factor authN with it, based on this - https://www.wittenburg.co.uk/Entry.aspx?id=69e92695-f6eb-42ed-9258-dc4443493059 https://www.wittenburg.co.uk/Entry.aspx?id=69e92695-f6eb-42e...). Beyond that, nothing. The (few) nice things I have are because they please me - not for their ability to impress others. But then, I'm not wealthy. Maybe when you get there, the outlook changes.