Would you wear a $5,000 dollar watch?

amother

Dill

Tue, Aug 31 2021, 10:03 pm

how do people even have the money to buy a 500$ watch??

I guess im saying this bc both dh and I are unemployed (starting to work october) but even together we'll only make about 7k a month. we have 1 small baby at home and I worry about the future. oh well. maybe speech therapists will start getting paid more one day.

wear ur watch in good health! my mother has a cartier and I love it! hope to get one when I can start making more $$

amother

Vermilion

Tue, Aug 31 2021, 10:40 pm

I honestly wouldnt notice if someone was wearing a fancy watch and never even thought about such a thing. I thought my $150 coach watch (or something like that) which was a chanukah gift was fancy...

but if you have the money and want to spend it. go for it! not judging you but also really truly not noticing.

amother

Lightgreen

Tue, Aug 31 2021, 11:57 pm

I wear over $20k of Jewelry daily. It’s all milestone jewelry and very precious to me. I would love a $5k watch (Cartier) so I’m waiting for the next milestone (probably my 30th).

I don’t care what people think. I’m not looking to show off, I just love jewelry.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:00 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Would you purchase a name brand $5K watch?
Why yes, or why not?
If you see someone wearing one, would you think they are comfortable financially? or would you think its more than that?

Im in the process of buying one, and was wondering what people would think.

I would and I know a few people who do.
They are definitely comfortable financially, or plain rich. One of them is not very rich but just like to show off.

Whenever I feel uncomfortable wearing something very expensive I remind myself that I wear a couple thousand dollars on my head every day to work - aka sheitel. We do own and wear expensive items. This will be another one of them.

camp123

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:10 am

In all honesty

I would never notice how much its worth.

But, if I did
I would think you had missplaced values and were just an example of how American materialism had influenced our culture.

I would probably also pity you.

And, I can also afford it, but, money should be used wisely and considerately.

amother

Molasses

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:24 am

camp123 wrote:

LOL to American.

Recently went on vacation to Europe and was very underdressed.
All the Israelis were dripping in diamonds and Louis Vuitton, all in lace wigs.
All frum.

amother

Magnolia

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:24 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

If it could be identified as a $5,000 watch, then absolutely not.
When I see people wearing such items, I think they must be either rolling in money or have more money than brains, or be so into externals that they don't care if they have money for something.

I wonder how they react if their child scratches the watch, breaks it, or if it gets lost. How badly they explode and how abusive they act towards their kids if their kids aren't angelically careful about and around the item.

I would think that anyone wearing such a watch and not to a high-powered event like a White House meeting or meeting Queen Elizabeth, is taking a risk and drawing unnecessary attention to themselves...possibly for the express purpose of being noticed.

Hey I'm judgy but you did ask.

If I was gifted a $5k watch, I would sell it and put the money either into savings or into something we've really wanted. Actually, it would be almost exactly enough to "pay myself back" for what we took out of savings for something that I didn't want to do. So I'd see it as Hashem telling me I did the right thing and paying me back for the expense.

amother

Bisque

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:32 am

DH has a watch that’s very expensive. He received it from his parents, it was his grandfathers whom he is named after. They felt it was right to pass it on to him.

He wears it on shabbos and I don’t care about the worth, I like how it looks, and it holds meaning for him.

To all those saying they’d sell it they probably never thought of a scenario where a watch would be passed down from a deceased family member. How could you just sell such a thing?

My parents were (and are still) in a huge debt when we got engaged. My father basically had to take tzedakah to cover out side. My father offered to buy DH a watch and he refused.

amother

Magnolia

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:42 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

OP said she was looking into a purchase.

You seem defensive. Is the watch something that could be purchased today? If its age is somehow obvious (wear, style, etc.) then of course that's what people will assume when they see it, that it was passed down, especially if he received it as a teen or single bochur.

amother

Magnolia

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:49 am

vintagebknyc wrote:

Sentimental value. Insurance can’t replace that piece of it.

Yeah, the bracelet DH got me for our engagement is sitting in my closet. Its clasp came loose one Shabbos and it fell off me. BH we were at home and found it and fixed it, but I won't wear it outside anymore. It's only worth $400 (and he paid $150 on sale) but to me it is worth much more than that.

amother

Amaranthus

Wed, Sep 01 2021, 12:53 am

I personally would not wear a $5,000 watch, but I drive a $20K+ car, have a $300 smartwatch, and a $4,000 laptop. People spend on things that enable them to serve Hashem better. If a watch makes you happy every day and therefore makes you a better wife and mother, I think that's an excellent investment. (And it will likely outlast the $4,000 shaitel, and my laptop.)