I promise, I'm not a spy from Citizen. I'm just a curious guy who is new to the hobby. I often watch YouTube videos about watches and it's very common to see "10 AFFORDABLE WATCHES YOU MUST BUY!" or a Teddy Bulbasaur video that says "This watch is super affordable & has an entry level price point" then the watch is $595. Hell, right now I'm watching a video about Citizen & the list is saying affordable is under $1000. My limit currently is $250 for a watch. MAYBE, if I save for a bit I'll raise it to 300. (Disclaimer: I'm in Japan so $250 goes much further. I have a Seiko 5 cement for $120ish.)
I know we all come from different backgrounds and have different financial situations. "Affordable" for you may not be affordable for me. That is perfectly fine. I'm just very curious as when collections are shown in this sub, I like to Google the watch. Often times it's a multi thousand dollar watch.
Thank you all & I'm looking forward to hearing your stories.
My "soft grail" is a ~€5K Omega Aqua Terra. "Soft" because I like it and can afford it, but am not sure whether I want to wear it all the time and don't see the value in the watch to pay that much for it. Lately I stick to ~€300-400 smart watches, such as Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro which I wear 24/7, as they provide me with health metrics and offer useful smart features while still looking like a watch. I'm not sure that I'll go back to wearing non-smart watches any time soon, if ever.
Smart watches are so versatile. As far as utility they can't be beat. I have a nice feeling when going more analog, so these automatics ease my mind somehow. It feels like having modern history.
With that said, smart watches can be damn cool.
I like mechanical or automatic watches, but keep going back to the smart watch because of utility and functions, which I have gotten used to. I'd hate to get the Aqua Terra and then go back to Samsung because it suits my lifestyle better and does so much more than just showing time and date :(
I think that the fun part of this hobby is finding the right ones for your situation and lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that at all.