RANT FROM THE EDITOR: Can We All Stop Watch Shaming, Please?

We’ve all been fresh to watch collecting - everyone of us at one point... We remember the process. We’re learning about this new thing, this new world of watches. We’re doing tons of research. We’re learning what we like - what we don’t like. We’re getting excited about picking something up that we’re newly interested in, but ultimately unsure about. We’re ready to dive headfirst into our first watch purchase. We pull the trigger and post our proud accomplishment - something that makes us happy. What comes next?

“Wtf is that, man? Why would you buy that?”

It’s disheartening, a little sad, and really embarrassing.

Casio Worldtimer I copped on a trip to NYC when I didn’t have a dollar in my pocket.

I grew up around watches. My grandfather was a collector, even though he couldn’t afford anything big league. I remember even as a kid sitting around and talking about the different watches he wore. He didn’t have knowledge of watches, but at the time, he bought what he liked and what he could afford, a simpler time in the collectors circles. I remember aspiring to one day own my very own wristwatch. Full stop.

Fast forward to my first real experience being impressed by a watch. My girlfriend at the time has dragged me to a movie theater to watch Charlie St. Cloud - A particularly angsty teen romance(ish) film. I, a 17 year old, was bored. But the entire time, I was beyond impressed with the simple look of the main character’s watch.

I spent half my night combing through the internet to learn that the watch was a Tag Heuer Aquaracer - I learned later it was the Regatta S. Regardless, in my ignorance, I drove to a Macy’s the next day - after all, how expensive could a wristwatch be? I nervously told the sales representative that I was interested in the Tag Heuer Aquaracer (I mispronounced it Tag “Her” Aquaracer) and the woman chuckled, but showed me the blue model on display. I flipped it over only to learn that, unfortunately, 17 year old me very much could not afford an Aquaracer.

My deflation was obvious, so she graciously pulled me over to a much less extravagant case, checked a few prices, and handed me a Nautica Diver. She said “this might be in your price range, and I can give you a 30% discount on it if you want it.” I was over the moon and spent my $74.50 on my very first wristwatch.

That weekend I spent some time with my girlfriend’s Dad, a proper watch collector. I proudly showed him my new acquisition thinking we could relate on something, he looked at it for 5 seconds, and I’ll never forgot - He handed it back and said, “You bought a shit watch, kid.” And just like that, I was humiliated and immediately turned off to the entire idea of watch collecting.

The first “serious” watch I ever owned - A Tissot PRC100 bought by my wife for our wedding day.

I preface this editorial with that story because this is happening way too much in the WIS community today - and that needs to stop.

Most of us have a truly unique passion for watches. We’ve honed our experiences, and educated ourselves over the long period of time we’ve been interested in the topic. Some of us have fallen into specific collecting habits, or acquired some serious knowledge on certain brands or models (avid Speedmaster guy here) and have become a lesser subject matter expert.

Yet somehow the community has allowed for such public and blatant negativity to run rampant. With so much cumulative knowledge on such a niche topic, Why?

Visit any watch forum, go on any Reddit post, Instagram post, contest entry, new acquisition post, or Facebook (or Meta? Still trying to figure that out) group and see the absolute abundance of “Why would you buy that?” or “This is trash” comments. That negativity discourages people from wanting to contribute to the watch community - and that only worsens the entire industry as a whole.

The Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic was my first major venture into the luxury watch space.

We seem to have forgotten as a community to let people enjoy watches. Instead of guiding missteps we’ve all made, we just shame new enthusiasts into buying what we like. I see this particularly around new enthusiasts who buy fashion brands, or brands otherwise frowned upon by the community as a whole.

Which happens often and for a few reasons. For starters, brands like Fossil or Movado are far more welcoming than an Omega or Rolex boutique. It’s a lot less intimidating to walk into Fossil than any luxury boutique. Which leads to the assumption that the person who bought a Fossil couldn’t afford the real version of a more prominent watch, which isn’t always the case. This has changed a lot since the explosion of online watch sales, but the sentiment still seems to remain that shaming someone who purchased a fashion brand, instead of helping them understand better options in various price-points is degrading and unfair. We all need to push retailers to do a better job, hire welcoming sales reps, and better educate customers who otherwise would pass them up for something way more casual.

Also, new enthusiasts may not be on the up-and-up on what luxury watches cost but saw it in marketing somewhere. And since so many enthusiasts are introduced to watches from film and TV, they want the look but don’t know enough about the watch. For instance, recently there was a huge influx of people googling “James Bond Watch”. Does that mean everyone can afford to go buy the new Omega Bond watch? No. But many of those may very well hit up a department store to find a similar look. And that’s their first real experience with watches - and there’s no shame in that. So rather than shoot them down on the internet, we should strive to provide a more accessible place to provide information and expertise to those looking for advise.

Tastes evolve.

Secondly, sometimes enthusiasts just like funky watches - and that’s okay. I once was tasked with reviewing a Franck DuBarry Revolution GMT. I was annoyed, but ended up really loving the watch. I hadn’t realized how much time I had spent deeply engrained with so many traditional watches that the funky GMT was a fun breath of some fresh air. Some people just get bored with generic watches. So just because someone has the money for a Royal Oak, but buys a Roger Dubois instead isn’t a problem - and that kind of shaming is way too common. Maybe someone already has a Submariner and would really like a Travel Clock as well (too soon?) - and that’s really okay, even if you think it’s dumb.

Finally, 11 years later, I got my first grail and my first real respected watch in the community.

My point with this rant is to tell everyone to let people enjoy the watches they enjoy. As a community we need to be willing to squash unmerited negativity before it turns off future enthusiasts. Nobody wants to be a part of a community that bullies their own.

If you feel the need to course correct someone you care about, or guide a new enthusiast into better options, do it without vitriol. We all want the community to grow, we all want to enjoy this hobby together, and we can all help each other instead of simply shaming each other into the internet abyss. I believe we all share that responsibility.

Leave a comment below and let me know whether you agree or disagree with me - and why. I’d love to discuss.