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Watches have a simple purpose: they help you keep track of the time. While some may deem it worth paying a few extra bucks to wear an attractive wristwatch, there is no way the exorbitant price tag of a designer watch is justified, given the marginal utility of buying a designer watch. The watch you pay such a high price for isn't all that more attractive than your standard watch, and certainly doesn't tell time any better or worse than the average watch.

An average watch can cost $20-30. Many attractive watches can be had for $60-100. However, designer brands such as Rolex, Longines or Omega, can cost much more, often $1000 or more. Some of these watches are made with precious metals such as gold, some are hand crafted and rare, and many include diamonds and other rare elements. These are purchased and worn not as timekeeping devices, but as expensive jewelry.

This leads to the question: why not just buy jewelry? Jewelry typically requires far less maintenance. Some pricier watches are often mechanical (rather than battery powered) and spring powered, requiring a pricey watch-winding device (which often costs at least $100, if not more) to keep them operational. Others have delicate glass or other parts that require regular, often costly maintenance. So you're certainly not paying the premium for a better time keeping device, as the watch requires more maintenance, and expensive equipment to do so, to accurately keep time.

Cheaper watches generally aren't all that unattractive. Whether digital or analog (though a nicer watch is almost always analog), an average watch has a reasonably attractive leather or metal band and an attractive crafted face under glass, with the only exception being the bulkier digital watches (though those are in the minority in a store's watch cases). Aside from precious gems or metals, the difference in composition between a typical watch and a Rolex is relatively small. Both have adjustable straps, both have crafted faces that are aesthetically pleasing, and both tell time (and sometimes the date). Many knockoff watches resemble the designer brands, with metal bands and designed faces that strongly resemble the name brands, but retail at a far lower price.

Granted, such an argument will typical fall on deaf ears: rich citizens with large amounts of disposable income will buy what they please for any reason. A $1000 Rolex or Omega watch will hardly break their backs. But for the rest of us for whom such a sum is still a fairly big deal, there's no need to pay the premium for a designer watch. An attractive wristwatch can be had for cheap if your aesthetic standards aren't high. And even if you do want a designer watch, a knockoff brand can do the trick. No one who is reasonable is going to grab your wrist and peer through the glass to make sure your Rolexesque watch is a Rolex. As long as it looks great and tells you what time it is, it's a great watch no matter what name is inside the glass.

Don't break the bank on a nice watch. All it's supposed to do is tell you the time.

Learn more about this author, Steven Gomez.
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