My brush with the good life: Wearing a $77,000 watch

In the literature of watch geekdom we often bump up against watches that cost well into the six figures, some even in the seven. I take a populist stance on the purchase of watches and encourage the intelligent watch collector to purchase what they can afford or, better yet, save up for a nice watch they can wear forever. I also, for the most part, scoff at any watch over, potentially, $20,000. A few weeks ago I went to the JCK show in Las Vegas, a strange trade show for jewelry manufacturers where I learned a few interesting things. There I was given a glimpse at the real underpinnings of the jewelry world and came away with a few insights. First, most jewelry is literally marked up 100 percent. That $5,000 wedding ring? It cost the shop $2,500 or less. That gold ring for $400? It probably cost $50 to make and sold to the jeweler for $150. The second thing I learned is that the difference between expensive and ludicrous can quickly …
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