I have been dreaming (lusting) for a Breitling for some time now. The “problem” started several years ago when I saw a Chrono Avenger for the first time and knew that I simply had to have one. I couldn’t afford one at the time so it was a non-issue. I could have put it on a credit card of course, but I have always believed that luxuries/toys/holidays etc should always be purchased with cash that has been set aside for that purpose. Not judging anyone - just my way of avoiding financial stress.
Around a year later, I got a great deal on an Oris Divers Titan Date 1000m so purchased that as my first “real” watch. Great watch, still love it and wear it almost every day. However, I never forgot the Chrono Avenger and would often find myself Googling “Chrono Avenger” just to gaze upon the pictures under the Images tab (!). When I saw Blood Diamond and paid far more attention to the Chrono Avenger than the plot of the movie, I knew I had it bad. Sounds weird I know, but I suspect a lot of you have the same affliction.
In any case, since the CA was discontinued, the blue-dialed Avenger Skyland and Super Avenger are the two that have caught my eye.
I am extremely grateful to now be able to afford either the AS or the SA with no financial stress and no negative impact on other aspects of my life. Thanks to a referral from Roffensian, I even have a great price on offer.
When I say I can “afford it w/o stress or negative impact”, I don’t mean to imply that I’m a millionaire to whom $3-4k (CAD) is pocket change. To be clear, $3-4k is a lot of money to me. I just mean that due to working really hard, being very careful with my money and saving all I can, I can pay cash for this watch and not have it affect my finances in any negative way.
Here’s the problem: I just can’t shake the feeling of guilt in the pit of my stomach. I seem to be having a case of buyer’s remorse before I have even bought the watch. I tell myself that that is a lot of money (which it is) and I shouldn’t be wasting it (which is of course highly debateable) on something I don't "need". I already have a nice watch, why do I need another? etc etc ad nauseum...
Since I suspected I wasn’t the first person to feel this way, I searched for “guilt” on the forum and found some great posts:
- In this post (http://breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/viewt ... 310#p62310) Roff said, “As I became more successful I had a tough time dealing with the 'guilt' of spending so much on an item that did the same function as something for a fraction of the price - car, watch, clothes, whatever. However there came a point when I just figured out that I was only going to get one crack at this life (as far as I know) so I might as well enjoy it the best that I'm able.”
- Here (http://breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/viewt ... 086#p50086) mah said, “You will get used to wearing a nice watch. It is money well spent. You deserve it, What else can I say?? I used to feel a little guilty about having more than one nice watch. It was a struggle but I got over it. Work through the pain, wear the watch, live guilt free.”
- In that same thread, Driver8 said, “It's a shame to feel any remorse as part of buying these things is the 100% enjoyment they can give you. However, if you feel even slightly guilty, just look at it this way - your SA could quite conceivably last you a lifetime if you look after it. Even if it lasts you 40 years, the original cost is peanuts when spread over that many years. I don't know what you paid for it, but if it was say $4000, over 40 years that's just $100 a year! Or $0.27 per day! Small price to pay IMO. Enjoy it.”
- Finally (in that same thread), Roff added, “The money thing used to really bother me - probably because there wasn't a lot of money in my upbringing, but the way I look at it is very simple: 1) I worked for the money I have 2) I never spend money that should be spent on mortgage / investments / bills / etc 3) It's foolish to try and put a price on happiness - spending less on something that doesn't make you happy is naive 4) The enjoyment will last long after the cost is forgotten 5) There's no point in being the richest guy in the graveyard”.
Words to live by. I can’t argue with a single statement above. Looking back, when I got the Oris four years ago (went from a simple $150 Luminox to the Oris), I definitely had feelings of guilt, but over time they wore off and I simply enjoyed a beautiful watch. However, I justified it as my “one” nice watch.
This Friday, I will be in the vicinity of the Toronto AD that was recommended to me (no AD in my city) and I will see if I can put theory into practice and actually pull the trigger on the AS or SA.
Since I am prone to guilt over having and enjoying nice things and clearly have a tendency toward “paralysis by analysis” (oh really?
), I have no idea what will happen – it could go either way. I could be wearing a beautiful new Breitling Friday afternoon or I could just be driving myself mad with more doubt and pros vs. cons analyses. Will update you either way.Sorry to ramble. Any thoughts or similar experiences anyone wants to share?
Thanks.
If you take out your gun you´ll quickly realise everyone running away and no one is left to talk about the watch. 
On the plus side you´ll probably get a lot of free stuff before they take off.