TGIF: How much watch do you need?

It dawns on me that I'm not going to hike the Pacific Crest trail. I'm not going to dive on a Caribbean shipwreck in search of Spanish gold. I'm not even going to fly an aging DC-3 over the Sahara to deliver mercenaries and steal the Holy Grail. While I might imagine such adventures, it's enough to make me wonder if I really need to buy the perfect watches for them. When the watch ceases to be a necessary tool for adventure and becomes a talisman to ignite the imagination about potential adventures, you have the opportunity to save quite a bit of money on watches.

This Rolex Sea Dweller Might Be Overkill

Enter the fashion watch. A fashion watch might nail the adventuring look perfectly, but cost much less than the premium adventure watch. You could step down from the genuine dive watch to the diver-style watch. Externally, they look much the same. In fact, the diver-style watch might be a little skinnier and work more easily with your wardrobe. I've covered the differences between dive watch and a diver-style watch here with this blog post defining dive watches. I've also covered that you don't need a helium-release valve unless you are a commercial diver working with a diving bell. It's pretty simple. If you aren't Jacques Cousteau, you don't really need his Rolex.

A Commercial Dive Helmet

We've got a lot of programming to overcome. Financial success and hard work are often reflect on the wrist. But, with the rare exception of a few financial deal makers and salesmen, the high-end Swiss watch doesn't necessarily help build towards that success. After all, a $12,000 Rolex is the equivalent of 2400 $5 Lattes at the coffee shop down the street.