Why Luxury Watches Aren't As Expensive As You Think

As a young "millennial," I've noticed a trend in how many of my male peers talk about watches. Some of them don't see the need to pay top dollar for a watch, especially when they have their phones to check the time (not exactly fashionable, but yes it is functional). I find that a lot of them are content buying a cheap watch instead of paying extra money to buy a quality watch, because they don't perceive much added value.

What I try to tell my friends and anyone else around my age that thinks they can buy a cheaper watch that'll last them awhile is that there's a price to pay for these "cheaper" watches. A quality watch is typically more expensive for a reason, and the price paid upfront often pays for itself in the long run.

Think Of It As An Investment

An issue with millennials in general sometimes is that we tend to only think in terms of the present. There's a struggle to foresee extra costs down the road, and the focus is mostly on the immediate cost. I'm constantly being bombarded with notice of sales and price markdowns from fliers, emails, social posts, etc. I also have the luxury of going on Amazon and finding the best price for any item I could possibly want. We make ourselves bargain shoppers without stopping to think about quality sometimes.

Even though luxury watches often come with a heftier price tag than what my peers are used to paying for personal items, it should really be seen as an investment in the future. There are the obvious classic luxury watches, like TAG Heuer, that are tough for the average person to afford. However, there are a few watch brands that have lower price points but still have that same great quality that is characteristic of these more well-known watch brands. For example, brands like Victorinox Swiss Army and Longines have less expensive watches that are still built to last and are extremely durable. These brands are affordable for many young professionals and are perfect for your first luxury watch purchase.

A good watch can last for many years without having to be repaired. Luxury watches can even be passed down between generations because they really can withstand the test of time.

Elevated Resale Value

There's a resale value to buying a higher quality watch. Buying watches without a brand name or plastic and/or plated alloys could leave you with a watch that is worthless to the market in just a few short years.

Because luxury watches are meant to last a very long time, you can often get a great price when you go to resell these watches down the road. The brand names also carry a lot of value for buyers. This money earned from reselling your watch can then be reinvested in a new luxury watch, and the cycle continues. Cheaper watches, on the other hand, can lose a lot of value and probably will be hard to sell later on. The money spent is essentially lost in this case.

Craftsmanship

One of the biggest reasons that brands like TAG Heuer charge so much for their watches is the amount of time and effort that is spent creating them. I always tell people in conversation that it's the same concept as buying anything homemade. Your mother's homemade apple pie will never come close to the mass-produced pie that you find in your local chain supermarket. The same thing goes for that cheap watch you found on Amazon that you think will last you a lifetime. There just isn't the same amount of time and attention put on producing that watch to get it at that price.

There is a heightened level of quality associated with a product that is hand crafted. Luxury watches are created with extreme precision by trained watchmakers, which is why you can expect them to last longer.

There Are Less Of Them

Each luxury watch takes many hours to create by a skilled watchmaker, so there are less of them in existence over the mass-produced cheaper watches. This could be a huge advantage to you in the long run.

Because there is so much emphasis put on the craftsmanship and creation of these luxury watches, the parts used are expensive and of high quality. Not only does this help with the resale value of the watch, but it also helps maintain the integrity of the watch in the long run.