9 Luxury Watch Buying Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

In this video, I'll share some of the most common mistakes being made by enthusiasts when it comes to buying luxury watches. I've been guilty of some of these, and I'm guessing some of you guys have as well. Share your worst buying mistakes in the comments down below.

Videos Mentioned:

0:00 - Intro & Organization
1:11 - 1. Buying The Alternative
2:24 - 2. Not Buying The Watch On The Bracelet
3:16 - 3. Consider Pre-Owned
5:55 - 4. Unrealistic Views On Value
7:13 - 5. Buying Impulsively
9:49 - 6. Creating An Economic Burden With A Watch
11:20 - 7. Buying An Iconic Watch Simply Because It's Iconic
13:15 - 8. Falling For Hype
15:00 - 9. But When Will I Even Wear It?

[neilmartin]

Best bit of advice I wish I'd gotten as a newbie is, the price of the watch is not the cost of the watch. Servicing, especially for premium brands, can run into the high hundreds, if not over a thousand, for the authorised dealer to take care of it. For vintage, this can run even higher. Servicing is not something to be done every year, but it is a consideration that buyers should take into account.

[laurencehogg]

I liked the ranty humour that crept into this; feels nice and relaxed. These watch advice vids are good fun, and I'm probably not the only one checking off my own mistakes as I watched, but people are still gonna learn the hard way - I know I'll probably make one of these mistakes again (probably the alternative one 🙂). I think the trick is not to let the hard way cost too much financially or emotionally.
Thanks TB; take care.

[chriscon]

These are all great points! I especially like the one about buying a watch & being afraid to wear it. Every scratch on my watch is indicative of another adventure of mine, and proof that it was on my wrist at the time.

[dr]

Great video! Definitely felt like a punch in the throat when you said, "Buying an iconic watch just because it's an icon." and then you showed the SKX009. The watch makes me so happy and I only spent like $180. I don't think that could ever be a mistake. Though I did notice, they are getting harder to find at that price now. 😅

[selkiemaine]

"Someone who is impressed with the watch on my wrist ..." Someone went nuts about my sub-$300 Seiko the other day. I would love something "luxury" but it's not in my budget, and I really do love this watch.

[differentxminds]

"I am a sick individual." LOL same, Teddy.

I love the final point you make. Sometimes it's easy to confuse admiration for a watch for wanting to own a watch. I love the 16713 GMT Master II, but once I started picturing myself wearing a two-tone Rolex and literally looking down at my wrist and imagining I was wearing it, I realized that it wasn't a good fit for my style.

[Amplitudeproblem]

"Say you have a blue dive watch. Do you really need another blue dive watch?"

Yes.

Great video today, Teddy, with great lessons.

[geno]

Teddy, you have been cranking em out a lot lately. I love it.

[miifed]

Teddy - I bought my first luxury watch a month ago after years of looking from afar. Your videos were a massive part of my research and decision making. I was really looking for a do-it-all / one and done. Can’t thank you enough for content, it’s excellent and you surely prevented me making these mistakes long before this video came out. I love the Seamaster 41mm AT as a result. 3 continents and 6 countries of memories and counting on the experiences.

[loganoftherockies]

Yup. And as always, delivered with an evenness that allows the joy of collecting to keep expanding. My early mistake was the classic buying too many affordable / mid-range pieces new and then off-loading later at depreciation, but I also kind of feel like it's part of the journey. When I first got into watches I didn't think I'd want to spend very much, but then as my appreciation for the art grew, it was worth dedicating more of my "fun money" to much more than other things. And on the other hand, while I ended up in the Grand Seiko / Omega sort of range and love both, the watch on-wrist at present that gets by far the most wrist time is my Formex Reef, and it's one of my favorite watches and brands of all time. So I'd also add the whole slew of ways that pricing doesn't necessarily translate into enjoyment. The advice I'd have given someone like myself would have been to buy pre-owned for more entry level pieces so you can experience them and move them on as your tastes develop.

[rayestefania]

I have definitely made the mistake of settling for a watch because I could not immediately obtain a certain model and ended up regretting the purchase and selling the watch later at a loss. This is all good advice! Better to wait for what you really want rather than buying something just to “scratch the itch.”

[michaelmorgan]

You've made many salient points in your overview. The Flex culture of hyped watches, matching the watch to your life style and buying what you like not what is "hot" among a few. I forget where I heard it (maybe on ID guy) "Many collectors know the price of various watches, but few know the value". Great vid as always.

[loe]

I'm not rich, but I'm interested in watches. For two years I wanted to buy one mechanical watch and after many attempts at different brands, I chose the Seiko spb 143 and I am happy.

[curtbrown]

Great presentation, Teddy! Your advice is sound on all fronts, and you come across as very identifiable and caring about your fellow watch enthusiasts’ watch buying experience.

[nicholaspostma]

Hey Teddy, first time long time. Im sure this has been suggested before, but I would love if you did a wrist check at the beginning of your videos. Always trying to see what you are wearing at the beginning of your videos. Love the content!

[Juandiegostefan]

Teddy you should do your top 10 favorite watches, (it doesn’t matter the categories, prices, etc.) just your top 10 favorites of all times

[frankmirandosr]

Teddy I have Been Following you for over a Year, this was a great piece. I have been a watch collector for over 20 years and have enjoyed every moment. I have made several mistakes over the years. the 32 Watch’s I have collected there has been Mistakes for sure. Thank You for all you do.

[iamLODD]

Was just watching a Longines video of yours with Kevin O Leary, amazing content Teddy ❤️ purchasing a Seamaster 300m later this year and I cant thank you enough for your guidance

[philchazwill]

Teddy, a big thank you for all you do to educate us watch enthusiasts and to democratize the hobby of watch collecting. It is so refreshing to have such a continual flow of informed, honest and open-minded information, opinion and critique.

[Foreverrunning]

Love this video, really great considerations!