What Motivates You to Buy a Watch?

Jun 07, 2014,17:07 PM
 


What Motivates You to Buy a Watch?



Recently I posed the question of whether celebrity ambassadors help sell watches and received numerous thought-filled responses. The different opinions and viewpoints that arose were indicative of the personal nature that surrounds watch collecting.


 

Some of you said that indeed celebrities did have an effect on the overall sales of a watch, especially since brands continue to use them. Others expressed distaste for celebrity endorsements altogether. The vast majority however said that although they believed celebrities do help sell watches, they do not play a factor in their own purchasing decisions.

 


As an extension to the sentiments that were expressed previously I would like to follow up by asking everyone then, "If celebrity ambassadors don't get you to buy watches  then what does?" What in particular motivates you to consider a watch over another one when you make your purchase?

 


We always see individuals in a mental battle as they seek help trying to decide between two timepieces.  Sometimes the two choices are very similar and it's simply a matter of brand but other times they are very different and more factors come into play. 





The criteria points may seem pretty obvious but since watch collecting is such a personal thing, each person will have a different set of factors in a different order of priority. Feel free to reveal your secret formula here. Who knows, maybe the information will prove useful to watch brands in their market research. 





 

Of course we can’t speak for the mass watch buying public, some who proudly “like” watches for the personas that are attached to them. but for the lovers of the science and art of watchmaking, the Purists, we represent them loud and clear.


 

Some motivational factors in watch buying to think about:

• A good price

• The brand name or brand loyalty

A review from a reputable and trusted source

• The watch just has a great look to it

• The watch has a spectacular movement

• The watch has a spectacular story

• You admire the watchmaker and want to support him

• A really good, knowledgeable salesperson

• A really "hot" salesperson

• The watch has a high resale value

• There's a current high demand for the watch on the market

• It is rare. Only a limited number were produced or exist

• A really good picture of the watch

• You see someone else wearing the watch and it looks good on that person

• Your "significant other" says that he or she really likes how the watch looks on you

• When they say, "We only got 3 in and 2 of them were sold within a day. There's a guy coming in this afternoon to look at the one we have left but..." 

• Other factors that are not listed  


Which ones are likely to get you to buy a watch?



This message has been edited by pingtsai on 2014-06-07 17:12:51

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Usually I get the informations of some watches from

 
 By: 中野れい : June 7th, 2014-18:34
magazines or websites like The Purists/TZ (yes, those dangerous scans people post! Lol), and looks like my brain unconsciously processes them and all of the sudden, after some time which ranges from few months to years, I will start wanting some. Friends ... 

Nice to see we sometimes help :)

 
 By: pingtsai : June 8th, 2014-19:42
How do your friends play a role?

I think it's more on the pics on forums/twitter than friends :)

 
 By: 中野れい : June 12th, 2014-19:27
Most of my friends just stick to Rolexes/Panerais which to me are getting too common (Rolex vintage, on the other hand, are not haha)

What motivates me to purchase a watch? The watch in itself.

 
 By: amanico : June 7th, 2014-22:17
Nothing else. It can be its coolness, its refinement, its originality, its history, its charm, its eccentricity,it doesn't matter, because any of these reasons is a good reason. Don't forget that I am attracted by both vintage and modern watches, so the p... 

Pure and simple

 
 By: pingtsai : June 8th, 2014-19:43
as it should be. The watch should stand alone and be able to sell itself. :) Completely agree.

+1, Nico

 
 By: ztirual : June 11th, 2014-11:03
The time spent researching, hunting and considering The passion shared (i am afraid not much here on PSP...) And mostly, as Nicolas so simply puts it, the watch in the collection, their beauty, their history, etc. No special preference for blondes, brunet... 

off course I fully agree, I meant

 
 By: ztirual : June 11th, 2014-11:48
there is much passion here and many other places. I wrote of my own experience and contribution. Sorry for the possible confusion.

This is a great question

 
 By: docsnov : June 7th, 2014-23:11
and one to which for me the answer has changed over time. Fifteen years ago I bought my first "high end" watch, an entry level Rolex, because I loved the way it looked and it was a statement that I had arrived. I had just graduated from medical school, wa... 

Change is often inevitable...

 
 By: pingtsai : June 8th, 2014-19:45
...and expected. We change so it's not surprising that our outlook on watches changes as well and our actions regarding them. Thank you for sharing how it has changed for you. It's always a personal journey and one that I am continually fascinated by beca... 

Good reason!

 
 By: pingtsai : June 8th, 2014-19:54
Why is an in-house movement so important to you?

A few criteria for me

 
 By: rnaden : June 8th, 2014-01:58
1. Design - looks, comfort and wearability - this is going to be on my wrist and I must like having it there 2. Cost - Obviously 3. Availability and ease of future servicing - would probably rank as high as cost, and this is where the movement is not as i... 

All great reasons and some

 
 By: pingtsai : June 8th, 2014-19:58
I didn't think about like #4. I hear this a lot. Sometimes people will pick one watch over another simply because they don't have something like it. #5, do you mean not flashy or do you mean an unknown brand? And #6, what kind of watch usually excites you... 

The definitions will be different for each person

 
 By: rnaden : June 9th, 2014-04:59
For me, #5 is both. An example would be a Rolex in markets (which is most), where they are known by everyone, regardless of whether they love watches or not, and are perceived to be a status symbol and somehow goes to indicate that the person wearing one ... 

All great reasons and some

 
 By: pingtsai : June 10th, 2014-21:26
I didn't think about like #4. I hear this a lot. Sometimes people will pick one watch over another simply because they don't have something like it. #5, do you mean not flashy or do you mean an unknown brand? And #6, what kind of watch usually excites you... 

Difficult to find an answer to this interesting question

 
 By: Mark in Paris : June 8th, 2014-02:33
This question helps to find what we like in watches and can even help us choosing the right one (we see from time to time people getting rid of a watch a few weeks/months after buying it). Well, first, I take a very long time studying, trying the watches ... 

Thank you Mark...

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-21:29
...for your honest response. I think you have summed up the common criteria (for the most part) of a WIS. :)

Great question ...

 
 By: nilomis : June 8th, 2014-03:18
Ping, It made me thing and I ended up discovering that I use a lot of negative logic: The brand don't make me ashamed to wear the watch The watch don't have lots of "bling" The brand is not popular among thieves (a serious concern here) No precious metal ... 

Actually that is also a very good way to look at it...

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-21:34
...and another good follow up question - What turns someone off from buying a watch. May get some interesting answers for that too. :) Thank you for sharing what you care about in a watch. I like that you don't care about too much an in house movement. It... 

Answering the "What turns someone off from buying a watch" ...

 
 By: nilomis : June 10th, 2014-06:46
Ping, Here is my very personal "turn off" points: 1) Brand image There are brands that I associate with the "nouveaux riches" buyers, meaning excess of bling or because their advertizing focus on social groups that I don't belong. I also put on this class... 

I buy..

 
 By: drphileasfogg : June 8th, 2014-04:43
I buy the watch itself; it has to speak to me and be understated (these days). Then the movement has to mechanical and the brand established long enough to offer proper service in the future (which explains why I don’t buy from the independents). I don’t ... 

Hi Stan

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-21:39
Thanks for sharing your values in watch buying. "It has to be understated" this is at the core of Purist values , among other things. The people factor is one of the most fascinating elements in horology. Thanks for pointing it out.

I usually ...

 
 By: mycroft : June 8th, 2014-05:01
... Buy or acquire a timepiece through processes that go through my heart and my head or some combination of both. The percentage of either that weighs into the final decision varies with the watch and over time. So you can say that I am right and/or left... 

The impulse to acquire a watch goes so deep . . .

 
 By: Dr No : June 8th, 2014-12:03
. . . that it's really not possible to articulate, Ping. I don't know why I'm so drawn to watches (and, curiously, not to clocks). All I know is that the fascination started at a very early age - before I was six - and continues to this day. Art

Yup Art, you're right about that :)

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-21:45
That's why it's so fascinating to talk about.

Usually buy if..

 
 By: Salamanca : June 8th, 2014-15:55
There is a In-House movement. The older the company the better. Can not be made in the U.S.A. and I need to feel the magic of attraction!!

This "magic" is crucial for many people it seems...

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-21:49
...Many have said they simply have to feel something. What exactly initiates this feeling for each person is sometimes a mystery which makes it so interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

If I see a part of me in it...

 
 By: Echi : June 8th, 2014-20:50
It has to embody something that I hold important. It can be an ideal that I try to live up to, a state of mind that I am in or struggle to be in, an attribute that I find lacking in today's workplace that is standard in a piece, or a design aesthetic that... 

First Time Poster/Longtime Reader

 
 By: letvio : June 9th, 2014-00:32
This is an great prompt by the OP (pingtsai), and I'm sure something that many watch enthusiasts spend WAY too much time pondering... :) With limited funds and time for research set against a limitless pool of potential (current and vintage) purchases- so... 

Hi Jason! Thank you for your response!

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-01:01
And what a superb one it was. I am so impressed by your thought process and elegant expression in words. Thank you for your detailed and thought provoking response. I believe you have put in to words what so many here have thought about and felt during th... 

I'm troubled by this statement "one significant high value purchase...

 
 By: cazalea : June 9th, 2014-15:38
is always better than multiple small purchases of watches that may be cosmetically attractive but not horologically significant. Sometimes, however, while waiting for your dream watch to come along, you may have difficulty abstaining from a "fun" purchase...  

Such a profound answer. ..

 
 By: pingtsai : June 9th, 2014-21:52
All I can say is that I totally get it. And especially the fit. I don't believe in buying a watch unless it fits just right - physically and emotionally.

The watch has to be an extension of myself and my personality

 
 By: AnthonyTsai : June 9th, 2014-17:04
Without both, the watch will never come home with me. If it did, I would have buyer's remorse and sell the watch off in the very near future. - AT

First of all

 
 By: Arie - Mr Orange : June 9th, 2014-17:55
the N# 1 reason: I need a watch just because I like them. Always have, always will. Why? No idea. It's an emotional primary thing which needs no reasoning. Now When the virus gets lethal (expensive) reasons do come in to play for me. - what model will fit... 

For me the motivation to buy a particular watch has changed over time.

 
 By: Mitch K : June 9th, 2014-20:11
At this time there are a number of factors that come into play: 1. The story - every watch that I buy has some kind of story associated with it. The pursuit, the relationship with the watchmaker/company, where I was when I got the watch, what was going on... 

Being fortunate enough......

 
 By: Kasey : June 10th, 2014-09:02
to have the money to buy the watch that makes you happy!

Heart...... and bank balance!!

 
 By: vernon : June 10th, 2014-10:07
Hello, If a watch 'sings' to me then that surpasses everything. Some watches just make me smile or go 'oh wow'! How I find out about a watch can be from seeing a post on here, to seeing someone wearing one, to a magazine or book etc but when I've discover... 

The Reply to this question could open hundreds of other discussions..

 
 By: moc : June 12th, 2014-08:43
regarding:personal brands awareness,psychological motivations, exclusivity perceptions etc etc....very stimulating.... In order: -WITH KNOWLEDGE COMES WISDOM.... Hence my own personal tastes evolve and adapt to my culture and maturity.....what moved me to... 

+ 1 on practically all you said.. Several very well taken points.. And..

 
 By: hs111 : June 12th, 2014-10:15
.. for me, as you so well have implied also, it often is quite a complex process, but not necessarily so - and definitely not really always purely rational: Allthough not at all in a position, to have ".. tailored watches.. " for myself, and also very oft...