This is one I've noticed a lot in our comments section, on Instagram, at local meetups, and among the larger forums – some assume that anyone who buys a watch that's more expensive than they can afford, is buying it solely as an investment. In other words, they're saying "this person couldn't possibly be a real watch guy!" Why? Because he or she happens to be able to afford a more expensive watch than you can? And this seems to be a sliding scale. As those folks move from time-only military watches, up to the matte dial Rolex, then gilt dials, and to vintage Pateks – as long as they can afford something similar, then the watch is going to a true enthusiast. Right. It doesn't work this way. The number of people who use watches purely as investment vehicles is minuscule, and anyone with half a brain about ROI will realize quickly that watches seldom offer real returns. Those steel Pateks you see go at auction? They end up on the wrists of serious watch lovers. People who take the time to learn about, study, and purchase watches at auction are real watch people, no matter what they're spending, and saying that all these great watches will end up in the back of some rich guy's safe says more about the person making the remark than it does about the "rich guy."

You're already in a hyper-niche community, don't try to create another divide between you and the rest of the watch collecting world. We're all in it together, and as you gradually are able to afford more of what you'd love to own (or just become more willing to spend more) you wouldn't want people to think you're not a real watch guy, would you?