Tactfully Broach Any Topic Related To Money
Earlier, I mentioned the need to create a safe environment when speaking about timepieces with fellow watch lovers. The most serious reason for this is to protect against immediate theft or loss, but also people don’t always like talking about money in general. There are a number of reasons for this, and of course there are differences between cultures, but for the most part money is not a topic strangers discuss, at least not when wanting relax and enjoy a hobby with fellow enthusiasts.
Of course, this can be a contradiction because watches cost money to buy, and enthusiasts regularly buy and sell watches between one another. If someone has a timepiece you like, it might be natural to ask “how much did you pay for that.” This is a fair question, but it can make people uncomfortable. Even some close friends do not discuss financial matters unless it is part of their relationship.
The reality is that discussions related to money are often an integral part of being a watch collector, but be mindful of the atmosphere. Many watch collectors may be willing to discuss things of a financial nature in private, but not in a group setting. If you are bringing up a topic that may involve money, be mindful of people’s desire for both privacy and discretion. In high-end watch sales, for example, many prices are not disclosed specifically because the buyers do not want the general public to know what they spent. This is increasingly less common due to the internet, but in interpersonal communication between watch lovers it is important to err on the side of caution and broach any topic related to money carefully.
One way of doing it is, once again, to bring up the topic yourself. If you mention the price you paid for a watch or volunteer financial value-related information about a watch, the other people or person you are speaking to might feel more inclined to also do so. If they fail to offer details on the purchase value of a watch or anything else related to money, then simply make it clear how they can contact you if and when they ever feel comfortable speaking about it.
A larger reason that money is a sensitive topic when it comes to watches outside of security is simply the fact that timepieces can be very expensive. Most watch lovers are fully familiar with the notion that non-watch enthusiasts balk at watch prices. Few people with any type of watch collection lack experiences that involve having to explain or even justify the price of a timepiece to someone else such as a spouse, relative, colleague, or friend. This has resulted in a mild form of embarrassment that can occur when someone spends a large sum of money on a watch and others who don’t understand why learn how much they spent. I recall an experience several years ago in a conversation among several people that mixed watch lovers and non-watch lovers.
The price of someone’s watch was revealed in the course of conversation, and a woman who was not a watch enthusiast quickly blurted out that such a price was obscene and that for that type of money someone should buy something that costs $100 and donate the rest to charity. You can imagine the tone of the conversation after that. Understanding the value of watches, why they cost what they do, and understanding their appeal takes education and exposure. Watch purchases for many people are a sort of guilty pleasure, and even if they are more than willing to discuss what they paid, they want to do so in a safe environment where they will not be unfairly judged by someone else who doesn’t share their sense of value (or perhaps disposable income).
Permission Is Not Automatic For Photography Or Sharing
One of the newest areas of watch enthusiast interaction that requires nuanced etiquette rules is social media and photography. These same rules also apply when someone shares a watch with you in a group setting and you wish to share that watch with someone else in that group who was not privy to receiving the owner’s original permission. Thus, each time you pass someone’s watch off to someone else, it is important to ask the owner for permission to do so. Just because you may have permission to see someone’s timepiece, that doesn’t mean your friend or the person standing next to you also has permission.
Above, I mentioned how many watch enthusiasts prefer to remain private or semi-private about their interest in watches or the specific watches that they own. This is important to consider for those who like to photograph watches or share images on social media. In other words, even if someone gives you permission to handle and examine their watch, you do not have automatic permission to takes pictures of it, or to share those pictures.
There are a lot of very good reasons to take pictures of someone’s watch aside from sharing them on social media. Those reasons include wanting to remember the watch in order to look into purchasing it later, or to share with a friend or colleague that might like it. Before taking steps to pull out your phone and take a picture, you should first ask permission, but also inform the owner of the watch what you intend to do with those images.
More and more legal and tax situations have authorities closely examining social media to learn facts about people whose possessions and lifestyle are at issue. Moreover, you can very quickly amplify someone’s security risk by publicly associating them with something valuable. Even if you take a picture of someone’s watch on your wrist and share it on social media without crediting them, they might be insulted that you might seek to pass off ownership to yourself on social media, when in fact you only had the watch on your wrist for a moment being borrowed from the actual owner.
Social media and photography bring up a number of legal and social issues that may have consequences even the most innocent of people cannot predict or fathom. Even if someone offers you permission to share their watches on social media, etc… it is important to consider the outcome of that situation and how it may affect them as those social media accounts and followers are yours and not privy to them. Thus, not only consider the outcome of posting someone’s watch and/or them on the internet for everyone to see, but also be mindful to fully explain your intentions behind capturing such video or photographic media.
In summary, interacting with fellow watch lovers is a key benefit of being social with your passion for timepieces. The hobby of watches is truly global, and with that comes an endless variety of cultures and personalities to contend with. Never make assumptions about what people like, and be mindful about accidentally insulting others. Also be aware that privacy and safety are constant considerations for people who have the disposable income to purchase high-end timepieces. Reward their willingness to participate in conversation or more in-depth social interactions by being aware of their concerns and being sensitive to them. The better you know someone the more you can relax rules of “watch etiquette,” but until then always err on the side of caution and work to prevent yourself and others from having negative experiences.