I’ve been struggling with this article’s titular question for a few months now; Am I Luxury?
I believe the answer is “No.” Why? To answer this, I think I need to look at the definition of the word ‘luxury’.
Merriam-Webster defines it thus:
1: a condition of abundance or great ease and comfort
2a: something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary
2b: an indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease.
Do I possess a condition of abundance or great ease and comfort? For the majority of the planet, I think I do. I “own” a home with AC & heating. I have an abundance of food & water, as my waistline can attest. I can drive anywhere I want. All of those things are luxuries in vast areas of our planet, and I “possess” them.
However, in my circumstances (just like in the watch game) luxury is something else entirely. Do I have to make my own bed, wash my own clothes, acquire ingredients & cook my own food (ignore the boxes & boxes of take out meals in the trash), clean my own bathroom? Do I fly first class? Am I chauffeured wherever I want to go? Do I eat at Michelin starred restaurants weekly? In that context (which just so happens to coincide with the luxury watches I lust after), I am not luxury. I cannot afford servants to do those menial & tedious tasks I do not like to do. I cannot afford to eat at any fine dining establishment I choose with any regularity. I can’t afford even an entry level luxury watch without saving for multiple years.
After consuming a lot of watch content in the past 2 years, I greatly desire a number of luxury watches. From an Omega Speedmaster to a Tudor Ranger to a Vacheron Constantin 56 Overseas to a Longines Zulu Diver to a Seiko to a Glycine to a… well, you get the point.
The problem for me is that I haven’t done the work to have earned being luxury. My dad died the week I graduated from high school. My mom died 5 years later. I was (probably still am) depressed. I tried college (online), but due to several things, I never finished. I got divorced, went basically homeless for a few years & then by the grace of God got remarried & started digging out of the hole. I lost a lot of time to build my foundation. I’ll probably never retire.
I want to be luxury but don’t know how to get to a place where financially I could honestly feel comfortable about spending even $1000 on a watch. There’s always something else that kind of money would be better used for.
So, I don’t feel like I am luxury enough to be able to acquire a true luxury watch.
What do you think? Am I? Are you?
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I write these posts mostly for me. If you see yourself in them, it is purely a coincidence. If you find value in them, I hope it serves you well.
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