During my summer vacation, I found myself having (yet again) against my will, a conversation that really bothers me and which I can't seem to escape. Upon learning about my job, this fellow set about explaining that his watch had cost him this much. That it was an excellent choice, because it still costs that much. That it will keep on costing another much for however much longer. He finished his diatribe with a flourish about how retail prices of watches keep increasing for who knows what reason and that it’s “such an outrage”. By this point, you may have guessed that he owns a steel Professional Rolex, a Deep Sea, as it turns out.
This conversation! I've had it 50 times even though I'm not exactly a socialite who shows his face every chance he gets, who would automatically be subjected to the pressing questions of a public eager for more watch culture. It's on my coattails all the time! I imagine the issue must be gnawing at the buyers. They are obsessed with the tropic of investment that underlies a certain type of watch purchase. They have the blue chip disease. And my expertise, which they seem to value, reassures them.
Why, oh, why don't any of these guys ever choose to tell me how much he loves his watch for this and that reason? How long he coveted a particular piece (that he is still talking my ear off about, by the way). Why not talk about his dream watch as a young man? About his father's watch, which he doesn't have/never had/lost and can't find a replacement for? About the one he dreams he could treat his wife to? About the one he dreams his wife would give him? I dream of having more conversations about such dreams.
When people feign interest in a brand they barely know, it is always in context of cost. And no, let me be clear, they are not wondering if said brand is set on a particular path of creativity, invention, innovation, or manufacturing excellence that would make it really stand out. Instead, they want to know about second-hand price.
I guess since I spend most of my working hours discussing what I really love — the aforementioned merits of watches, I feel frustrated not being able to do it in the course of casual conversation. In fact, these people won't let me work while I'm on vacation... how rude, I say!
