Any other Nautilus owner uncomfortable with high price?

[Dewitte]

Hi TRF --

Bit of an odd question - any other Nautilus owners uncomfortable with the sky-high second-hand market price these days? And moreover, the image you portray when wearing it?

I originally bought my 5711 blue dial 7-years ago before the craze. Back then it was understated and refined: made of steel, time only, very simple. No one would notice it, except perhaps other true watch fans who it was fun to strike up conversations with. The watch was also relatively affordable. At $21k I think it was amongst the cheaper Patek models you could buy. It didn't scream extreme wealth.

Fast forward to today and the hype and pricing is beyond ridiculous. People stop and notice it all the time and act in awe, which makes me uncomfortable. More than that, the price of the watch now has become a problem. It doesn't give me pleasure walking around with $150k strapped to my wrist. When people recognise it the watch screams 'new money' or 'déclassé', presenting me as someone who is into the hype and instagram and posing and flaunting money. The exact opposite of my initial intention when buying the watch.

It's just not fun anymore.

Now to be clear, this watch was a gift for my wedding. It has tons of sentimental value such that I would never sell it. But the joy of having something that was 'under the radar' which formed a bond with other watch lovers has been lost. Instead its become a gaudy piece of materialism and 'showing off' - none of which I ever wanted to do. It means I wear it significantly less now, often only around friends. I have a couple of other watches which 'exploded' in the same way and I have a similar distaste for what has happened with them as well. Instead my eye is moving towards independent boutique watch makers no one has ever heard of, in the hope I can fly under the radar again.

Curious if others feel the same way. I am looking forward to 10-15 years from now when I will still love what the watch means to me, as well as the design, and hope the hype will have died down and moved onto something else, so that I can just enjoy it without drama.

Screenshot 2022-02-06 at 2.53.12 PM.png

[S``]

I could care less what people think of me. I've had the watch from q1 of 2012 from DavidSW.

I don't get the need to be seen as a "watch lover, watch connoisseur, or whatever watch geek" terminology being so often used here as a justification to why one deserves the watch over another.

Move on with the time and focus on what truly matters...

[pav333hp]

Yes, definitely uncomfortable having $100k+ watch on the wrist. Especially when with my family and kids. I don't want to be a target, mainly because our area has been hit pretty notably with violent watch thefts. I'm back to mostly wearing my cheap $99 Casio most of the time. Even though everything is insured, I still don't want to attract extra attention.

[Replicar]

Yes! I felt so this week too ! I have wanted a steel nautilus, but I am now thinking twice about it. Because though I may get it at retail, the grey prices do not allow me to feel/ wear it as a understated watch anymore. Whereas I liked it to fly under the radar, grey prices make it currently no longer under the radar. Hence if I were to purchase a nautilus, it would have to be a rose and no longer a steel.

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by Dewitte

People stop and notice it all the time and act in awe, which makes me uncomfortable.

I must frequent different places, I can honestly say not one person has commented on any Nautilus I’ve been wearing either positively or negatively- simply nothing.

[Ichiran]

The only people who have commented on my Nautilus are my ADs. I have never received any comments from others, including colleagues.

[Rushne]

I completely understand what the OP means.

Having bought my Patek before the hype to just have it under the radar and unknown was nice.
I have since had waiters comment on it. Which is nice … then you think… “wait… is he a watch guy? Or a damn spotter for thieves?”
So the spike of a little stress as you access the scenario is not pleasant to have to consider.

I mean I have worn it in Rome and survived but have since heard horror stories there.


But yes I understand what you mean and have also been looking at independents to enjoy.

[joa]

does it mean that the watch is less stealthy now due to increase in brand/model recognition?

OP, in which settings do ppl notice the watch? random places?

[ts3]

Over the past 24 months my 5711 was commented on by a stranger exactly once. Young kid in a park near where I live in Munich had spotted it from a distance and came over to have a look. Not the most scary or uncomfortable experience. If it happened all the time I'd find it annoying though.

[Pimpsy]

I don't feel comfortable wearing my Nautilus daily in NYC anymore.
I bought a 5712 in 2017 because I thought my YG DD2 was too flashy and was drawing too much negative attention. At $33K the 5712 felt special and I really do think it's the best sport watch ever.
But at $150K+ I can't wear it as a daily anymore, it seems ridiculous. Not sure I can bring myself to sell it but it's not doing much good sitting in my case either. I wear a 126660 DSSD JC daily now.

[Pimpsy]

Originally Posted by joa

does it mean that the watch is less stealthy now due to increase in brand/model recognition?

OP, in which settings do ppl notice the watch? random places?

Someone will notice a Nautilus in virtually any upscale NYC venue...even if they don't mention it.

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by Pimpsy

Someone will notice a Nautilus in virtually any upscale NYC venue...even if they don't mention it.

Are you wearing short sleeved shirts to these establishments, my pieces are mostly hidden without even trying by my attire.

[Nav01L]

Originally Posted by Dewitte

Hi TRF --

Bit of an odd question - any other Nautilus owners uncomfortable with the sky-high second-hand market price these days? And moreover, the image you portray when wearing it?

I originally bought my 5711 blue dial 7-years ago before the craze. Back then it was understated and refined: made of steel, time only, very simple. No one would notice it, except perhaps other true watch fans who it was fun to strike up conversations with. The watch was also relatively affordable. At $21k I think it was amongst the cheaper Patek models you could buy. It didn't scream extreme wealth.

Fast forward to today and the hype and pricing is beyond ridiculous. People stop and notice it all the time and act in awe, which makes me uncomfortable. More than that, the price of the watch now has become a problem. It doesn't give me pleasure walking around with $150k strapped to my wrist. When people recognise it the watch screams 'new money' or 'déclassé', presenting me as someone who is into the hype and instagram and posing and flaunting money. The exact opposite of my initial intention when buying the watch.

It's just not fun anymore.

Now to be clear, this watch was a gift for my wedding. It has tons of sentimental value such that I would never sell it. But the joy of having something that was 'under the radar' which formed a bond with other watch lovers has been lost. Instead its become a gaudy piece of materialism and 'showing off' - none of which I ever wanted to do. It means I wear it significantly less now, often only around friends. I have a couple of other watches which 'exploded' in the same way and I have a similar distaste for what has happened with them as well. Instead my eye is moving towards independent boutique watch makers no one has ever heard of, in the hope I can fly under the radar again.

Curious if others feel the same way. I am looking forward to 10-15 years from now when I will still love what the watch means to me, as well as the design, and hope the hype will have died down and moved onto something else, so that I can just enjoy it without drama.

Attachment 1271959

I fully understand that. Didn’t happen to me with a 5711 as I never owned one, but to a lesser degree with my VC overseas as it started to move from the original 18k I spent for it to well over 40 and gained great popularity on social media. I had worn it for everything, including mountaineering, for a year and a half and had I had to write it off, I would have been just comfortable with that at its original price. But not so at the price it went to. In a way I t’s stupid as I never paid 45k for it, but given that I have an understanding of what liquidity and cost of opportunity means, it still was a 45k to me and I didn’t want to wear that mountaineering. The increasing attention by random strangers didn’t really appeal to me either. Replaced it with a steel Rolex for the rougher activities and a Lange for more inoffensive days. A very good combination. The Rolex only looks better as I knock it into rock walls and the Lange has the same under the radar high watchmaking appeal that I liked so much with the VC.

[italiafan]

Nah. Not an issue when you roll up in your a Ferrari 812SF. :)

[rolexpatek363]

I bought my 5712/1A in 2011, new and with a small discount.

No-one has ever commented on it.

[Pimpsy]

Originally Posted by Russell996

Are you wearing short sleeved shirts to these establishments, my pieces are mostly hidden without even trying by my attire.

I suppose it goes without saying that no one is going to notice your watch if you keep it hidden?

That said, even with a jacket, my watch generally peaks out when dining. Especially the DSSD...good luck keeping that tucked away inside the shirt. ;)

I probably wouldn't wear it otherwise any more than I would wear a necklace under a shirt and tie. I like the look of a nice watch on the wrist. I just don't feel 100% comfortable drawing $200K worth of attention while doing it. I'm sure others, like yourself, do...and God bless. I'm happy to see you enjoying your amazing collection and I love the pictures. :)

[cascavel]

Dear OP,
I'm sorry someone gave you a wedding present that has gone up in value from $21K to $150K. That sucks. And you can't sell it because even though you bought it, it was a wedding present. Hong Kong, being a tropical climate, never affords you the opportunity to wear your 5711 under long sleeves which also stinks. And, although I've never been there, based on your post, it sounds like Hong Kong is filled with luxury goods graspers who flock to admire your watch or criminals who want to steal it.
I think your options are few and unpleasant. You can keep your 5711 in a safe and buy an independent brand, like Voutilainan, and pray there are no Voutilainan loving, arm chopping thieves running around or you can do what I did and move from the big city to a more rural place where it's so cold half the year that you're in long sleeves and no one even knows if you're wearing a watch but it doesn't matter, anyway, because the locals have never heard of Patek Philippe and you find yourself walking up to strangers and asking "hey, what do you think of my Patek?".
In any case, don't feel like you're alone in this because there have been dozens of posts just like yours ever since the 5711 climbed above $50K, years ago.

[miccro]

I feel you worry far too much, the only person your watch needs to speak to is you.
You obviously love watches but this forum / YouTube and instagram algorithms created an echo chamber, if’s still rare for me to come across someone who knows what is on my wrist and is interested.

It’s a beautiful watch and you have the sentiment of the stories that you have worn it with, that’s if you feel the need to explain to people- and also the kicker that you didn’t pay the 100k + for it that others now have to ��

[Willyjo]

I didn't realise HK is so unsafe that u need to worry. My buddy walks around now everywhere w the 5711 Tiffany blue dial and says he feels totally safe, while he does get the occasional comment. Think if he can wear that, you are probably safe. Tons of "big" watches cruising around HK. Same as SG, I wear all my watches anywhere w/o a care.

Sent from my SM-G985F using Tapatalk

[Demonoid]

I feel the exact opposite to what the OP is feeling. I’m blessed to own something that was hard earned and then it skyrocketed in price. Yes, in a sense for many owners that got them at retail after years of waiting, it’s like literally if they won the lottery. As a collector of not only watches, I’m grateful when something I own own appreciates over time.

First and foremost, I buy things for ME, but knowing that in the event of an emergency you can cash out for the sake of your family is again, in my opinion, a blessing. If you feel uncomfortable wearing the watch in certain situations, then don’t wear it. Use common sense. Heck, you could be wearing a Tag, a gold chain, your phone, and still get mugged.

All I can say is that it’s better to see the glass half full than half empty. This is only one man’s opinion.

[pb2au]

I understand what the OP is saying. I leave my 5980 in the safety deposit box these days. If I wear my 5960 1 a quite a bit now. Flys a bit more under the radar

[GB-man]

Buy an octo finissimo for days when you don’t feel like dealing with having 6 figures on and keep it.

If it wasn’t sentimental I’d be the first to recommend getting rid of it for something more interesting.

[brandrea]

I’m glad I don’t have your problem

[Stonedcl]

I know where OP is coming from. It seems in the last year crime and thefts had exploded in my area , especially car thefts and these criminals are getting brazen. The Criminals don’t care because they know if they get caught they will be out the next day. I feel like in my area it may not be worth wearing it because it can easily make you a statistic.. Since my 5167 hit the 50-60k mark I made it my safe queen because of this.

[rolexlun]

To me you can’t really say that wearing a Patek isn’t a luxury and luxury always attracts attention and obviously sometimes it can be unwanted. I also think this is not necessarily a problem that’s caused by the inflation of the watch industry. Back in the day when a nautilus can be bought at a discount from an AD, it’s still by no means cheap, in fact it’s still an expensive watch. So for people who know, they will still know that it’s an expensive watch and probably form an opinion on you based on this. The change is probably due to the social media nowadays that’s making everyone aware of what a Patek is, and in particular a nautilus.

At the end of the day, I am a simple guy. I smile when I see the watch on my wrist and I am happy. I really couldn’t care less of what others think of me based on my watch haha

[key]

Every time these types of threads pop up, many folks here seem to like to just say that since they haven't had an issue in their years of watch collecting journey, it continues to be a non-issue in this day and climate.

Although I understand where they are coming from, I don't think that necessarily holds true any longer as:
- the value of many of these "hot" watches have more than doubled in value
- as the supply of these watches remained relatively constant over the past two-three years, the logical explanation would be that increase in demand should be attributed to this growth in market value
- increase in demand means that there are more people who recognize and want the "hot" watches
- more people recognizing watches that went unnoticed before increases the likelihood of attracting unnecessary and often times unwanted attention from others

I have been collecting for more than a decade and have worn my ceramic daytona as my daily (in subways, downtown, restaurants, work, traveling, etc.) but no longer wear it as much as I had more people recognize and comment on the watch in the past year than during the four years when I wore it daily.

As many others have said, we are in a rather fortunate situation to be complaining about the increase in the value of our collection, but I've gotta say that the crazy market is somewhat ruining the fun in wearing and collecting watches.

[youthagainsttt]

Hong Kong is one of those places where you could pretty wear anything and you'd be okay 99.9% of the time. I've even seen a number of 7/11 shop assistants wearing Subs & they're not replicas. But with HK$1m+ worth of watch strapped to your wrist definitely it'd make you a target in some areas in HK

But I can understand where the OP is coming from - for anyone who notices or compliments your watch, is it really about the watch or how difficult it is to get hold of one? This is what i often find when I receive similar compliments

[Bearxj86]

Yes - uncomfortable. Same with royal oaks and Rolex.

I actually wear Grand Seikos, Octofinissimos, Journes, Panerais and Patek dress pieces out and about much more than the Nautilus and Oaks.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by Replicar

Yes! I felt so this week too ! I have wanted a steel nautilus, but I am now thinking twice about it. Because though I may get it at retail, the grey prices do not allow me to feel/ wear it as a understated watch anymore. Whereas I liked it to fly under the radar, grey prices make it currently no longer under the radar. Hence if I were to purchase a nautilus, it would have to be a rose and no longer a steel.

I can understand this. Very good explanation.

[GoingPlaces]

I read two separate issues, one is attention (even the good kind) which can make wearing a salary on your wrist very uncomfortable, the second is safety. Watches have become walking bank accounts today and can at any moment attract the wrong kind of attention.