Was at the DMV yesterday...

[amh]

Don't pat yourself on the back too much.

Ask yourself, are you in control of any of these variables?
- Your parents, upbringing
- The country you were born in
- Your citizenship
- Your health (ie. your genes)
- The historical period into which you were born
- Your IQ, your personality

Count your blessings...

[phillycheez]

I actually put my sd4k in my bag before getting on the bus this morning. In the winter I don't mind with long sleeves and all..

I don't need to bring unwanted attention to myself in an already toxic political climate where crazies are out about.

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[AK797]

When I'm King, I'll make nurses and teachers, esp of teenagers, the best paid and put huge taxes on bankers, like my former self, and techies and even bigger ones on dentists. This world is so topsy turvy and getting more so by the day, our wearing a nice watch here and there is not even a drop in the ocean.

[axjimenez]

I do not believe the OP was attempting anything nefarious with this thread. I am grateful for the things I have and I recognize the fact that my watch hobby is something that my income allows me. We all have our interests and those tend to be personal. Most people do not pay attention to or care what we wear, what we drive, where we live or what we eat. that said said it is always important to remain humble and appreciate what you have that is not a material possession.

[slickrick68]

Quite an interesting perspective by the OP...perhaps pay someone to wait in line for you next time; people do it in NYC for cronuts.

[Kippers]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

yep. I have had that feeling too. Anytime you see someone who may be struggling you can't help but feel a bit guilty.

And yes OP, i understand what you were saying. The average new car price in the US is less than many PM watches not to mention most cars are not new. So yes on average at the DMV your watch if you go in there with a PM Rolex will be worth more than most of the cars people are registering.

I read it as wearing a watch worth more than most cars made you stop and think about others. There is nothing wrong with that. If you wore a watch that expensive and you never gave a second thought about how lucky you are to be able to have one, then i would say there is something wrong.

Well said

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[breitlings]

Originally Posted by AK797

When I'm King, I'll make nurses and teachers, esp of teenagers, the best paid and put huge taxes on bankers, like my former self, and techies and even bigger ones on dentists. This world is so topsy turvy and getting more so by the day, our wearing a nice watch here and there is not even a drop in the ocean.

Nurses are well paid especially in comparison to medical lab workers.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by Likestheshiny

This is the main point of the Op's post, and it's not condescending.

I often feel the same way when I wear a Rolex. There's something inherently ridiculous about wearing expensive jewelry, after all, and I sometimes feel a little bit self-conscious about it. I use that self-consciousness as a reminder to be a bit more generous and aware. Seriously, no one wearing an $8k watch should ever leave a stingy tip. Donate to charities. Be mindful of the needs of the people around you. Simply put, if you can afford the watch then you can afford to do a little extra for people.

That's for sure

[polaris72]

Michael, successful thread, you are generating lots of comments. Nice observation skills on the surface... If you feel privilidged, you can find other means how to help those in need. Do not blame your hobby/Rolex for it. Rolex is just a watch, do not forget it, sometimes I have to remind myself too. Life is much more interesting than to hang up on material possessions.

[.brian.]

Originally Posted by breitlings

My grandfather made the aforementioned amount for decades and drove a Lexus and my Nana an Audi, and kept them until they broke

So you are saying that your Nana got a new car every year then?

[Romeojk]

Originally Posted by Likestheshiny

This is the main point of the Op's post, and it's not condescending.

I often feel the same way when I wear a Rolex. There's something inherently ridiculous about wearing expensive jewelry, after all, and I sometimes feel a little bit self-conscious about it. I use that self-consciousness as a reminder to be a bit more generous and aware. Seriously, no one wearing an $8k watch should ever leave a stingy tip. Donate to charities. Be mindful of the needs of the people around you. Simply put, if you can afford the watch then you can afford to do a little extra for people.

Agree


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[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Likestheshiny

This is the main point of the Op's post, and it's not condescending.

I often feel the same way when I wear a Rolex. There's something inherently ridiculous about wearing expensive jewelry, after all, and I sometimes feel a little bit self-conscious about it. I use that self-consciousness as a reminder to be a bit more generous and aware. Seriously, no one wearing an $8k watch should ever leave a stingy tip. Donate to charities. Be mindful of the needs of the people around you. Simply put, if you can afford the watch then you can afford to do a little extra for people.

nailed it

[albmich]

Originally Posted by m j b

...and as I'm standing in line, I'm just a smidgen self-conscious about my fancy Rolex GMT. No one said anything to me, looked at me weird (well, no weirder than usual) or hit me over the head and stole my watch. But I thought, not for the first time, my freakin' watch probably cost more than most of the cars that these people are in here to register/title/whatever.

I got over it.

But it gives me pause when I contemplate a BLRO, or even when I wear my TT, which is quite a bit more flashy than the BLNR. I'm not afraid of theft, and I really don't give a large crap what other people think, quite frankly. I have a nice house, nice cars, and nice things in general. But not everyone is as fortunate as me.

Anyone have thoughts like this that they'd care to share?

I agree with not patting yourself on the back so much over a BLNR. I do not share this viewpoint when it comes to wearing a stainless Rolex which costs $9-12k. I do agree w what you're saying when it comes to precious metal rolexes and I often feel this way w the 116618. But definitely not with stainless

[KrismanX]

The Millionaire Next Door is a good read.

Working in a bank, I sit across from clients with $50,000,000 to their name and I sit across from clients with -$50 to their name. It can be a humbling experience to see where you sit on the spectrum of wealth compared to another. My favorite insight my job provides is seeing how differently the two handle their money. THAT is humbling.

Be mindful. Be humble. Be generous. Teach a man to fish...Books and their covers... You smell what I'm stepping in.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by .brian.

So you are saying that your Nana got a new car every year then?

Ha! I know what you are talking about but as children of the depression both paid in cash and held on to their cars for about 10 years or more, didn't like loans, bought everything in cash. She still has hers at 92 fpr others to drive her in. Quite different from boomers like my parents who take advantage of the interest write off and etc.

[faz]

Originally Posted by .brian.

So you are saying that your Nana got a new car every year then?

Originally Posted by breitlings

Ha! I know what you are talking about

I think that was a jab at reliability of Audis.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by faz

I think that was a jab at reliability of Audis.

I should have gotten that! I've heard that too but hers have been pretty good and my parents and brother just lease them so I don't have any painful experience with that (unlike my Land Rovers) I immediately thought of executive wife stereotypes.

[faz]

All I need to do to stay humble is to visit this website . Some of you spend in a month more than I make in three, some of you have cars than total more than my house (after I am done paying off the mortgage in like god knows how many years), some of you have a watch that totals more than all mine and my wife's combined... so yes, a visit to this site makes me humble.

It also is fun, since I get to talk about my watches without worrying about coming across as I am showing off. I try to not talk watches with family and friends as it might come across differently, but here I get to talk about Rolexes and what not, and you all understand that I am talking about the watch, and not my possessions.

I read the original post and to me, it was more about being op understanding he is fortunate to have the things he has, and him talking to a similar group of people here. I didn't think he was showing off or putting others in DMV down.

[Vaxe]

A watch isnt the best way to judge wealth. There's always a bigger fish out there....

[gwozhog]

One thing I have learned about watches is that nobody notices them. Sure some wealthy people wear them but now if we are talking like I own a private jet plane rich you will probably not ever see them wearing a rolex. It will be no watch at all or some old looking watch on a leather strap that the general public will have never heard of. I worked at a private airport one summer and was always shocked how casual billionaires dressed and drove the most average cars.Im so broke that I went to KFC and licked other people fingers last night and I own two rolexs and have tool bag around my shoulder for a living. Hope that helps you identify the average rolex owner.

[springer]

Originally Posted by flyingtiger85

This is a condescending message to anyone who has to visit or work at the DMV. Owning a Rolex does not make you better than anyone in the DMV, and I personally do not think you are more of a target to be robbed there. Owning a Rolex is all about priorities. If someone made $45k a year they could save and buy a Rolex. You are not any better than non-Rolex wearers.

X2. Not everyone is as fortunate as others.

[Hard_Six]

Pretty sure I understand what you meant and that it wasn't meant in a condescending manner.

I will say this... there are times and places when my watch is the last thing on my mind. There are other times and places when my watch is the only thing on my mind AND not in a good way. Times and places where I wish my watch could magically be hidden in my pocket instead of on my wrist. Not saying the DMV is one of those places, just that there are situations when wearing a nice watch can make me uncomfortable. I try to be mindful of my surroundings and whether or not a Rolex will be a good fit in those surroundings.

[zengineer]

They were only looking at you because they were all impressed that a Rolex man actually does his own DMV duty and doesn't send the servants.

Seriously, I get the OP's point and am a little surprised by some of the twisted straw man replies. I can't say the DMV is on my list but there are places I don't wear a high end watch. We have factories in poor countries, some trips there I'm out doing actual work and wear a quartz Marathon or something but even on trips where it's just meetings and maybe a walk through the plant I go with some thing low key. It's just common courtesy to not wear a watch worth more than most of the others in the room make in a year of hard work.

[Dyim]

10k to a millionaire is different than 10k to a billionaire. In relative terms, a billionaire spending 10k on a watch is like a millionaire spending $10.

It is all relative.

We should just feel very blessed to have the means to own fancy watches. We all work hard to be where we are. Don't forget there are lots of people out there working hard but still struggling to make ends meet.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by breitlings

Nurses are well paid especially in comparison to medical lab workers.

You can triple what they earn and it still wouldn't be nearly enough, just as you can halve what others do such as their workshy invisible consultants and it still would be far too much.

[breitlings]

Originally Posted by AK797

You can triple what they earn and it still wouldn't be nearly enough, just as you can halve what others do such as their workshy invisible consultants and it still would be far too much.

Some nurses make like 75-100k and med techs make 50k. I think you missed the point, if the second part was a personal attack I would refer you back to the original point that nurses in the USA are fairly well paid and make much more than med techs who run the tests that are just as important to health care. I think we can probably agree c-suite executives actors/actresses and football basketball and baseball players may make too much. I'd probably also cut the pension to congressmen too.

[JackPine]

Originally Posted by flyingtiger85

This is a condescending message to anyone who has to visit or work at the DMV. Owning a Rolex does not make you better than anyone in the DMV, and I personally do not think you are more of a target to be robbed there. Owning a Rolex is all about priorities. If someone made $45k a year they could save and buy a Rolex. You are not any better than non-Rolex wearers.

WOW. Maybe one of the sensitive ones.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by breitlings

Some nurses make like 75-100k and med techs make 50k. I think you missed the point, if the second part was a personal attack I would refer you back to the original point that nurses in the USA are fairly well paid and make much more than med techs who run the tests that are just as important to health care. I think we can probably agree c-suite executives actors/actresses and football basketball and baseball players may make too much. I'd probably also cut the pension to congressmen too.

However a med tech requires far less knowledge and social skills. Not a knock on med techs at all, just saying.

That's like comparing a haematologist and a phlebotomist.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by flyingtiger85

This is a condescending message to anyone who has to visit or work at the DMV. Owning a Rolex does not make you better than anyone in the DMV, and I personally do not think you are more of a target to be robbed there. Owning a Rolex is all about priorities. If someone made $45k a year they could save and buy a Rolex. You are not any better than non-Rolex wearers.

X2.

And I read the OP's first post a few times.

[Gaijin]

Originally Posted by phillycheez

I actually put my sd4k in my bag before getting on the bus this morning. In the winter I don't mind with long sleeves and all..

I don't need to bring unwanted attention to myself in an already toxic political climate where crazies are out about.

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Portland. I understand.