The question that I get asked most often on my Instagram account is the price of the watches I post. Some ask politely, others simply message me with ‘PP.’ In my world, this stands for Patek Philippe, in theirs for ‘Price Please,’ but in general, I think that ‘Public Problem,’ is perhaps the best description.

Watch collecting seems to have become a game of Monopoly

I find it such a pity that beautiful objects of art (because that is what many watches are these days) are demoted to nothing more than their price tag. In a touch of irony, people seem most impressed when the price is very high than low, which is a strange kind of excitement. It is almost as if people want to wear something utterly expensive, in a twisted sense of ‘dress to impress.’ The buzz around the perception of the watch, rather than the timepiece itself, seems to be the most important.
In the articles I write, I rarely discuss price, and there is a reason for that. While the specs of watches may be compared, in the end, they are emotional products. If you want to make a rational decision, don’t buy a watch at all, as you probably already have a phone. Comparing watches is often like discussing the difference between a Monet and a Manet. While there is plenty to tell, determining which has the greater value is something for the eye of the beholder.

As a collector myself, I often first examine watches and study them before getting into fi...