These watches are our armour; my theory

[Thor]

Okay, I'm going to throw this out here for whatever responses you folks have got. This is my theory:

The replica watches we collect are part of the armour that we must use to protect ourselves out there in the Big Bad World everyday; more than that, I believe they create opportunity and positive assumptions.

Armour has always linked protection and status. Since the dawn of armoured combat (yes, I mean armoured, not armed), the most affluent have had access to the finest armour. In the middle ages, while the best the Serf could hope for was thick leather with a few sparse studs, the aristocracy was fitted with custom plate; each peice carefully measured and custom made for the individual wearer. The decorations of heraldic devices (crests) further distinguished the combatants on the battlefield. It was very easy to see the priveledged in the throngs of hacking warriors; their colours and armour helped separate them from the masses.

We don't use armour anymore (at least, not in the same sense), but it does play a role in our business and professional environment. To a great extent, we have the same need of those distinguishing markers and devices in the workplace to set us apart from our masses. If you are one of many who work in a suit-and-tie culture, you know what I'm talking about.

If you're in sales, or marketing, or consulting, or finance, or (like me) entertainment, then you will agree that our jobs at their basis consist of asking people to give us money. Whether you're looking for an invesment for a new start-up, or securing financing for a television pilot, it's still asking someone to open their wallet and give you money. Of course, who you are, your connexions, your demeanor, and your attitude all play huge roles, but equally (and more to the point, immediately) so does your appearance.

Today, the suit is our armour of choice, but unlike the armour of yesteryear, it's far more affordable. You do the best you can; mine are hand-made in France. But they're available to anyone who wants to walk down to the European store I get them from and pick up a few. Expensive, yes, but not out of reach for anyone who thinks their dress is important; point is, anyone can have them. So what does that leave? That's right: the watch. Nothing in our modern business environment so small can so quickly separate us from our colleagues. The luxury watch is instantly recognizeable, and with the same instancy conveys a wealth of likelyhoods. You have money. You have (some, at least) taste. You have enough (providing your shoes don't look like total crap) disposable income to spend several thousand on an excellent chronometer. You are (likely) not a complete screw-up. These are complete and total assumptions, yes, but then again, first impressions always are. But very few can afford to have these kinds of status symbols. That's why we buy replicas.

I know that some members here are fans of specific rare watches, but I will bet that most are people with a healthy aesthetic sense, that want the beauty and status associated with luxury timepieces, but who also have the common sense not to spend $65K on a friggin' watch. I will also bet that very few of the members here actually show off their watches to their peers, or outwardly draw attention to them claiming they are the genuine article. That's not why we buy these things. We buy and collect these watches because we are attracted to their beauty. Because they give us a small confidence boost when we wear them. Because they say to the people of position we are trying to interact and do business with, "I am stable. I am secure. I am worth taking a chance on". Because to some small extent they help to reduce the anxiety associated with the insecurity even the most egotistical person must contend with in the modern business environment. Because, in a phrase, they protect us. Like armour.

Just like armour.

End of theory.

Well said. Excellent early post! :beer:

The same may be said in other circles. For instance, my circle of friends are very outdoors oriented. So for

example today I am wearing a $400 pair of mountaineering boots, trying to get them sweaty and broken in.

There are few people who'd recognize them outside my circle, to most they just look like big clunky boots.

Same with gear in general... my jacket also cost nearly $500, but it was money well spent and it's saved me

from terrible hypothermia many times. Wool sweaters likewise, at $300 a pop but they are survival gear.

Julbo glacier glasses have saved my vision 100 times in snowfields, but they look dorky.

Armor comes in all shapes and sizes, pertinent to many different battlefields.

After reading Nanug's post, my French suits suddenly seem so... fruity. I have to go home now and throw some hay up the loft. Feel... so... corporate... and... DIRTY!

Nooooooooooooooo!

Not to worry, friend... here's what a good quality suit looks like in Alaska!

I have NEVER heard, collecting reps put so glamorously! Comparing the armour and staus of the Dark or middle ages with reps! But sorry Ethan, this theory of your's is very nice and all, but most of it is just the opposite! Basically what you're saying is, put on a false impression to get ahead in life, or crack the deal!

Let's be honest. I can't afford, and even if I could, would never buy a Gen. I'm a lot more practical than that. Sorry guys! But, I just put it like it is!! :wink:

And their's my desiest wolf friend again! :sad:

Uh, I'm not even sure what that means, Russt...

Regarding your "deceased" wolf "friend" ... have you ever been stalked by a pack of wolves, in the wild?

They are predators and they don't fear man nearly as much as a bear does. I'm fairly confident the "friend" label is a one-sided view.

Execellent post Ethan, in short you show you have the right mind set for our little society

Ken

There are several layers to it. In some senses our watch habit is a language. by conspicuously consuming certain products (and rejecting others) we are broadcasting a message about ourselves to those who know and are capable of recieving--a tacit reconstruction of our identity. For example i wear only a specific type of levis' jeans: vintage replicas. they have unique features lacking on most modern jeans (selvage), and have a better fit and quality. i wear blazers and sports coats with very specific details and cuts (usually made in italy, france, or GB). my sunglass of choice is an all white ray ban wayfarer from the 1980's. My shoes are either clarks desert boots, campers, or slip on vans in a variety of styles. Brands are not essential, but to a certian degree trusted brands are indications of a similar mentality or quality. I avoid clothes that have huge logos, simply because i am not dior, yves saint laurent, comme des garcons, etc's private property. I am a fan of products and fashion, not brands, and to anyone of the same disposition these commodities serve as secret handshakes or head nods.

and then there is the issue of social capital. Owning a certain brand watch certainly gives you a combative advantage. but this hinged on the subtext of domination and exchange present in our society, and its very ugly. i never use my watch to make someone feel inferior, but to those jerks who judge a person by the clothes they wear or car they own, i do have to admit i get off on fooling them (if indeed i really do). all of my friends/co-workers know my watches are reps, and agree with my philosophy of consumerism. Many of them are converts as well. By owning replicas we are subverting the system, and providing equal access to this social capital, this language, that is typically reserved to those who 'pay their dues' or those born into wealth. Imagine if verbal language had such a premium. Sometimes I kind of feel like robin hood, helping my friends make their first few rep purchases.

Armour? Claptrap!

It's a matter of value and good taste.

For an affordable amount of money, I can buy a beautiful watch from one of our favoured dealers (i.e Jos Nana :-).

For the same amount of money, I can buy an ugly, tasteless and above all, souless, watch... probably quartz... in my high street.

No contest!

Pass me another Panerai...

Happy timekeeping!

Clive

I, at one time use to be a suit, so to speak(3rdx I've used that phrase today) I was a clothes horse, so to speak(Again!) I know quite a bit about all the clothing designers. I've even been told that I have great taste in clothing style. But, YOU my friend are a freak! :laugh:

@Nanug: I at one time was a big game hunter. Mostly Elk, Deer, and a little Big-Horn. But it's been awhile. And I now, don't live near those areas, so I stopped hunting. I would say that both Bear and wolf are equally afraid of humans. Yes, I love wolves. But also, if I was in a situation where my life was in danger because of a wolf. If I had a rifle, I'd try to put it down.

@Highflyingclive I like that word: "Value!"

It's all part of the package. When I was in college I was in the "don't judge me by what I wear crowd". Then one day I needed a police officer's help and when I asked him he said "how dare you assume my profession by what I'm wearing..." huh..

The look really does mean something, and it does function as armour in a sense. In real life there is no time to get to know the "real you" in people. You act on relatively brief impressions, often resulting in significant outcomes because the "tells" are usually correct in the aggregate.

If you have a nice wardrobe, respectable vocabulary and manners, nice shoes, etc. then the watch will add to the armour (very effectively in many cases). If you have a dumpy car, bad fashion sense, and are ill-mannered, and a rep of a 50k watch, you deserve what you get.

Could you imagine wearing peasant clothes with a peasant demeanor, while brandishing a fine dagger with the crest of your local royalty...you would be arrested by the first person with any authority that you met, and then later imprisoned or executed for stealing.

We just have to make the package congruous, and retain the integrity of the image we are trying to project. It's a game but it is as practical as it is amusing.

Anyway, that's my .02 for what it's worth.

Thank god there are no women in Alaska! You guys would never get laid anyway wearing stuff like that....