What Determines how much...................

..........you will spend buying a watch? New or Used. What criteria hold you to a certain expenditure or what allows you to let it freely flow? Justifications are allowed! Poor reasoning is frowned upon Let's hear your story.................

Well for me...

My new rule is to buy one, I have to sell one (or multiples) to get what I want. So if I want a $1000, I have to sell $1000 worth of watches to get one...

My Panerai was probably the equivalent of 50-55 of my past Zodiacs...

My Breitling, 26-30 past Zodiacs...

I would LOVE a real Omega Ploprof but my Panerai would have to go and...

...that is not ENTIRELY out of the question.

Anomaly wrote:

Well for me...

My new rule is to buy one, I have to sell one (or multiples) to get what I want. So if I want a $1000, I have to sell $1000 worth of watches to get one...

My Panerai was probably the equivalent of 50-55 of my past Zodiacs...

My Breitling, 26-30 past Zodiacs...

I would LOVE a real Omega Ploprof but my Panerai would have to go and...

...that is not ENTIRELY out of the question.

I am also in the same boat as you Alan. Have to sell in order to buy but............when you get down to lower numbers of watches, your choices of what to sell get harder and harder. The obvious answer to what determines how much I will spend is; "How much do I have?" Saving up for what I want is still a bit difficult as there are still so many I lust after but, in my own self defense, I no longer jump at any and all, I hunt! Every now and then ( and this just happened today), I will come across what I feel is an affordable, good deal and I will make the move on it.

For me the cost of new over budget determines decision of new vs. used.

Several purchases forced me to look for used
* Movado 800 Chrono (1800 retail) got it for 600 used and 900 on SNBC (shoulda waited)
* Seiko Sportura Kinetic (1000 retail) got it via liquidators for ~400.
* Seiko Direct Drive (1000 retail) got it via liquidators for ~600.

Current used short list (= any better price/deal than new I can find)
* Doxa 600 or 750
* Oris Small seconds
* Seiko SBBN015
* Steinhart Nav-B Chrono
Not in priority order.

jaw wrote:

For me the cost of new over budget determines decision of new vs. used.

Several purchases forced me to look for used
* Movado 800 Chrono (1800 retail) got it for 600 used and 900 on SNBC (shoulda waited)
* Seiko Sportura Kinetic (1000 retail) got it via liquidators for ~400.
* Seiko Direct Drive (1000 retail) got it via liquidators for ~600.

Current used short list (= any better price/deal than new I can find)
* Doxa 600 or 750
* Oris Small seconds
* Seiko SBBN015
* Steinhart Nav-B Chrono
Not in priority order.

Used is a great way to go Jeffrey. Do you have any criteria (besides price) on how used the watch is?

[quote="Northwestguy"]

jaw wrote:

For me the cost of new over budget determines decision of new vs. used.


Used is a great way to go Jeffrey. Do you have any criteria (besides price) on how used the watch is?

Hah, Only one - How Bad I Want It

Seriously though - it all depends.
Like the SL tungstens I just bought - I knew they would be like 99% cause its tungsten right?
So 200 used vs 300-400 new made all the sense in the world at the time.

I look at the real prices these thing go for new, check to see where they are on the resale market and then look for the best deal possible whether we are talkng about a 100 dollar or a 5000 dollar watch! Try to find used watch in like new condition! Many people buy something new and dont do the research and find they dont like the watch or decide to move on to another piece! I've been using the system alan talks about for over two years and it really lets you get the collection down to a manageable quanity! then you get to the point that you really must want something because you know you will have to let that much (cost) go in watches you already own! Seems like its been a long time since i've picked up a watch!

cali kid wrote:

I look at the real price these thing go for new, check to see where they are on the resale market and then look for the best deal possible whether we are talkng about a 100 dollar or a 5000 dollar watch! Try to find used watch in like new condition! Many people buy something new and dont do the research and find they dont like the watch or decide to move on to another piece! I've been using the system alan talks about for over two years and it really lets you get the collection down to a manageable quanity! then you get to the point that you rally must want something because you know you will have to let that much (cost) go in watches you already own! Seems like its been a long time since i've picked up a watch!

I'm with you Trevor on trying to find a used watch that is in min condition. I will lower my standard to near mint or excellent if I have a reasonably good understanding of the condition of the watch and whether or not I can bring it up to a condition I will be happy with. Sometimes ( rare) sellers are not willing to do a little work on a watch before they let it go.

Northwestguy wrote:

cali kid wrote:

I look at the real price these thing go for new, check to see where they are on the resale market and then look for the best deal possible whether we are talkng about a 100 dollar or a 5000 dollar watch! Try to find used watch in like new condition! Many people buy something new and dont do the research and find they dont like the watch or decide to move on to another piece! I've been using the system alan talks about for over two years and it really lets you get the collection down to a manageable quanity! then you get to the point that you rally must want something because you know you will have to let that much (cost) go in watches you already own! Seems like its been a long time since i've picked up a watch!

I'm with you Trevor on trying to find a used watch that is in min condition. I will lower my standard to near mint or excellent if I have a reasonably good understanding of the condition of the watch and whether or not I can bring it up to a condition I will be happy with.

I hear you John, i'm not the easiest on my pieces, hell i just picked up a bracelet from doc but he let everyone see what was srong with it not like the douchebag would sold it to him and said it was perfect! I will buy a piece in less than perfect shape but the cost better reflect the condition!

First off I have to really like the watch. I would never buy anything because of the brand name. Second, the price-new or used must be reasonable in my eyes. I'm not a snob for any particular provenance but the contents and quality must be consistent with the cost. There are a few watches I have purchased used-probably would'nt have paid full price for them. Up til now, I have'nt spent more than $1100 on any watch. One voice in my head says I should pare down the number of watches I own so I could wear them more often. The other voice says don't spend enough money on a watch that you would worry about wearing it. Its a constant battle-hard to say who will prevail in the end.

How much do I want the particular watch? And is it one I'll probably keep for a long, long time.

A few criteria differing on what I'm looking at. If it's a new watch. its usually: how bad I want it, what the budget will allow, what it has to offer. For example, there's a lot of watches (especially boutique brands) with the same features, movements, case materials etc. but vary by hundreds of dollars. I've definitely scaled down my spend huge over the last year and have not made a larger purchase (other than the incoming Steihhart) in a long while. Part of what "I like" has evolved, grown or what ever to teach me to avoid spending 500-600 on a quartz chrono from TV Land.

I've purchased a few vintage Seikos over the last year and have kept my limit at $120 shipped. I've learned to wait for another go around on some, there's usually another not far behind one I may have missed on Ebay and have always lucked out in the end.

I too look in the gently used category. It's just not in my budget to consider new any longer. My tastes in what I want have changed immensely over the past couple years. My Super Ocean was my smartest purchase in my opinion. And yes, believe it or not I listened to Trevor! I researched the watch, went to a AD and tried one on and then he led me to the watch I ended up purchasing. My Breitling had been serviced and pressure tested within the last year and I picked it up for $1000!!! And yes, I had to sell watches to get it. And that will hold true for any further purchases.

Northwestguy wrote:

..........you will spend buying a watch? New or Used. What criteria hold you to a certain expenditure or what allows you to let it freely flow? Justifications are allowed! Poor reasoning is frowned upon Let's hear your story.................

Basically like alot of the guys are saying, it depends on how much
I like the watch I'm looking at !..I haven't really gotten to the near
or over $1000 watch level yet. Although I have a mental list of
a "bunch" of watches that I would like to get in the coming years.
I'm not really in a rush to get any one watch. As you guys know
I tend to still look at very affordable watches, from the $100 to
$300 dollar range. Case design, along with dials usually attract
me. However, movement is becoming more important, and I think
eventually I will begin moving up in price points as a result. Probably,
will still get lower priced watches as well, but will look into more
expensive watches from both micro and big brands. Also will
probably look for new watches, but used can be fine as well !
So, in short what determines how much I will spend on a watch,
besides the price..is how much I like a watch !..On a side note
I usually REALLY like watches, and as a result haven't sold any
of them yet !

AtomicTom wrote:

On a side note I usually REALLY like watches

NAH!!! YOU? LIKE WATCHES? YOU HAVEN'T MET A WATCH YOU DIDN'T LIKE TOM!!!!

. . . joining here and DWC made me realize just how unsettled I still am with my collection and that I still wear a broad variety weekly. Until I settle down and get stable ( like that's gonna happen soon ) . . . Setting still is the best thing for me do.

. . . WHEN I do settle, Omega here we come!!!! Seamaster please.

bodypeersur1 wrote:

AtomicTom wrote:

On a side note I usually REALLY like watches

NAH!!! YOU? LIKE WATCHES? YOU HAVEN'T MET A WATCH YOU DIDN'T LIKE TOM!!!!

Very good point there Duff !

Northwestguy wrote:

..........you will spend buying a watch? New or Used. What criteria hold you to a certain expenditure or what allows you to let it freely flow? Justifications are allowed! Poor reasoning is frowned upon Let's hear your story.................

With dive watches,the sales forums are the place to get them.Most buy them and never wear them.I'll find out what was paid for it,
then look at the seller and the condition,then the price.Sometimes I'll pay more if its a seller that I know.

For new Omegas,Tags,Breitlings,Rolex,Zenith,I'll only buy new.That requires alot of phone calls to a number of ads.I'll not buy them
gray market either.While others do to save a buck,if it fails during warranty,whos going to fix it?
Price is subjective when looking for a new watch.My chase for the Seiko Velatura was only about price and an autherised retailer.
My hunt for my Citizen diver was the same.Its so new that they aren't on the sales corners yet.
All have to have solid build and quality movements,even for a beater watch.

My preferences and attitude about buying have changed immensely over the past 5-6 years.

Initially it was all about the cheapest watch possible. Bought Russians (most suck bigtime, but a few are really great watches - sadly the prices have shot up 2-3-400% in the past couple of years), then sold all but 2. Have always seen Seikos as good value for money. Have bought them new, used, AD, and Gray. Only one problem with any of them and that was with my oldest one. Had Ken Setser fix it up.

Then I started looking at pieces with better fit and finish. Knew that just because its Swiss doesn't mean shit after owning a Rolex (sorry guys) but that there are some really great Swiss watches. For a long time I only bought used and had a HARD upper limit of $500. Did pretty well with that approach with buying the seller, researching the real new costs, etc. Got my Mido Multifort Chrono for $500 shipped and it still had the plastic on it - seriously. The WIS that bought it flips 20-30 watches a year and bought it, never wore it, and sold it for about 30% of what he paid for it . Got the Mido Pulsemeter from another WIS, who is a dick, but he told me that it had scratches under the lugs and an aftermarket strap. Got it for $250 shipped and have been very happy with it. Bought a used Speedy Pro via the Omega forum at WUS because I had always wanted one - the NASA and Moon landing thing. Fixed it up, got original parts for it, an Omega presentation wooden box, and turned it into a show piece. Ended up paying a good bit for it with all those improvements. Realized that it just isn't much of a watch IMHO and sold it within 8 months and broke even. Taught me that wanting and owning are not the same. Now I think about whether I'd wear it, where, how would I use it, what will it replace before I buy.

That's when I shifted to a 1:1 $ program like many here. I had to sell watches to fund another purchase. I've been trying to buy watches that I'm more likely to keep, that have something unique about them, and that are in good shape used. So, I've winnowed down the collection a good bit over the past 18 months. Nowhere near the dramatic deescalation that Alan went through but stil, smaller but better quality IMHO. I still own 4-5 quartz watches for really rough service but have decided no more for me. Just don't enjoy them the way I do my Autos. Also decided to buy with SS bracelets if they are made for the watch because its cheaper to do so up front, even if you plan to wear it on leather.

So, it would take a lot for me to break my guidelines now. The Sinn is a 1:1 $wise with the Cyma already sold, the bracelet leaving for Trevor's later today, and another up on the block.