Why people collect luxury watches (it's not about telling time)
Psychology, economics, and cultural signalling. Why grown adults spend serious money on tiny mechanical objects they don't technically need.
Why people collect watches
Some people collect stamps. Others collect coins. And then there are those who spend serious money on watches, only to lock them in a safe and check on them like they're made of plutonium. Why? Because luxury watches aren't really about telling time. They're about something else entirely.
The reasons break down into psychology, economics, and a bit of cultural signalling. Sometimes all three at once.
The emotional side of watch collecting
Ever met someone who refers to their watch by its nickname? "This is 'The Hulk.'" Not a Marvel character. A green Rolex Submariner. Welcome to watch collecting, where timepieces become extensions of personality.
Psychologists who study collecting behaviour tend to categorise luxury watch buyers roughly like this:
The sentimentalist buys watches to mark life events. New job? Watch. Survived a bad year? Watch. Turning 40? Two watches.
The investor swears they're not in it for the money but keeps a spreadsheet tracking resale values with the same intensity as a day trader.
The historian loves vintage pieces and can talk for 45 minutes about the "golden age of horology" without pausing for breath. Has strong opinions about patina.
The status buyer. Let's be honest, sometimes it's about letting the world know you have a Daytona before anyone else could get on the waiting list.
Most collectors are some combination of these. The emotional connection is real, regardless of the entry point. A watch can mark a turning point in your life, remind you of someone, or just make you feel good when you glance at your wrist. That's worth something, even if it's hard to quantify.
The money side of wrist candy
If you've heard someone claim "watches are a great investment," they're partly right. The right watches can appreciate. But for every Rolex Daytona that gains value, there's a "limited edition" that depreciates faster than a new car leaving the dealership.
What actually drives resale prices:
Brand perception. Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet dominate the secondary market because they've mastered controlled supply against high demand. Other brands can make equally good watches and still not hold value the same way.
Rarity. Fewer pieces produced means higher resale. Ask anyone who's been on a Patek waitlist since 2018 how supply and demand works.
Trends. What's hot changes. Two-tone watches were considered uncool for years. Now they're back, and the people who bought them at a discount are feeling smug.
The secondary market has grown substantially, with platforms making it easier to buy and sell pre-owned pieces. One caveat: "lightly worn" in an online listing can mean anything from "tried on twice" to "survived a motorcycle crash." Buy from sellers you trust.
Watches as cultural objects
Watches have outlasted trends, tech disruptions, and the entire smartwatch revolution. That's unusual for any product category.
Part of the durability is cultural. A luxury watch is one of the few socially acceptable ways for men to wear something decorative. It signals taste (or at least spending power). A G-Shock says "I'm practical." A Richard Mille says "I have more money than most people have sense." A vintage Omega says "I did some research."
There's also the heirloom factor. A well-maintained mechanical watch can be passed down through generations. Your phone won't be relevant in 5 years. A properly serviced Rolex from the 1960s is still keeping time today.
Watches sit at a strange intersection of craft, status, and sentiment. Very few objects occupy all three categories simultaneously.
So why do people collect them?
Luxury watches are emotional anchors, occasional financial instruments, and cultural markers. Whether you buy them for the mechanics, the status, the design, or just because something about them appeals to you on a level you can't fully articulate, the pull is real.
Next time someone asks "why would you spend that much on a watch?", the honest answer is usually: because it makes me feel something. And sometimes that's enough.