Obviously we all have our own circumstances, so I’m generally wondering: there is a difference between the watches we dream of and the watches we wear.
When I wear mine, I need to be not too flashy for clients while keeping it professional. I earn $105k as a middle manager in wealth management (MCOL), and the nicest watch I own is an Omega Seamaster ($5.9k).
Affordability aside, I’m weighing how much “nicer” of a watch can I get without “out-wearing my wage”.
I’d love to hear how others have approached this intangible; I can make my own decisions just looking for anecdotes.
For me, it’s not about out-wearing my pay grade but about out-wearing my lifestyle.
Rolex, trinity, and above can put a target on your back in most metros. I make good money but live a regular life. Sure, social-awareness, insurance, etc and you can mitigate some of the risk, but needing to do all that is a bit antithetical to a luxury experience.
(Caveat: I don’t work in finance but do work a desk job. Most people here aren’t watch people and couldn’t care less about one stainless steel vs another. They’d likely notice and comment on two-tone or gold).