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If you’ve opened Instagram or TikTok in the last few weeks, there’s a very good chance you’ve seen the “Propaganda I’m Not Falling For” trend served up to you in one way or another. The format is relatively straightforward, and involves a creator listing the sacred cows in his or her particular area of expertise that they refuse to buy into.
The watch community, of course, is filled with conventional wisdom, ideas passed from collector to collector, rarely if ever questioned. As I encountered these social media clips over the last week, I couldn’t help but think of the watch world propaganda, as it were, that we all just seem to take at face value.
Here, then, are four principles I think are ripe for questioning. There are a lot more – credit here to Ben’s Watches and Pulse on the Wrist for being first out of the gate among watch industry personalities to participate. Be sure to let us know in the comments what watch related propaganda you refuse to accept.
A Vintage Watch Must Be Unpolished and All Original
Let’s get the most controversial one out of the way first.
When I started collecting watches, it was an era when it was still relatively easy and straightforward to buy a nice, honest vintage watch on eBay for not a lot of money. Times have changed. The best examples, watches that are truly unpolished and all original, are harder and harder to find, and eBay is filled with watches that have been passed around and sold by pro dealers and amateurs alike who simply can’t speak accurately to provenance. It’s not that anything nefarious is going on (although, sometimes it is) but it’s the Wild West.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of being too pure when it comes to collecting vintage. While I have a ton of respect for collectors who own nothing but the best and consider a dial that’s been redone or a case that’s been recut an offense that amounts to Watch Treason, there’s something to be said for just letting go, accepting that a watch might not be perfect, and feeling free to wear and enjoy it. Getting caught up in strict rules about condition saps all the fun out of it.
I’m not saying you should go out there buy every obvious Franken-watch or cheap redial en masse. But I am saying that if you think a watch presents well, and perhaps it’s been touched up by a professional, and the dealer is honest about it and the watch is priced accordingly, you shouldn’t feel like you’re committing a horological crime if you choose to indulge. Besides, a watch that’s seen the business end of a polishing wheel or has a replacement hand is a watch that can be worn without anxiety that you’ll damage a precious historical artifact.
Everyone Needs a Speedmaster
For quite some time, the idea that every serious watch enthusiast needs to experience the Omega Speedmaster has seemingly reached the status of conventional wisdom. I simply don’t believe that this is the case.
I speak on this issue from experience as I’ve owned multiple Speedmasters, none of which have lasted in my collection. Early on, before the purchase of my first Speedy, I definitely felt the influence of the community on the decision to actually acquire one. There’s this idea in watch collecting that owning an “icon” is meaningful. For some, certainly, it is. But I found that through owning and wearing a Speedmaster (as well as a Rolex Submariner) that icon status, in reality, meant nothing to me.
So perhaps this is a bit of propaganda that is true, but with a caveat. It’s not that everyone needs a Speedmaster, but experiencing one can speed-round your own collecting philosophy. If you love it, that’s great – you now own an objectively good chronograph that will never be out of style and that was (maybe you’ve heard…) worn on the moon. If you don’t, you can immediately chuck the whole idea of buying popular or historic watches for that reason alone, and begin working to figure out your own taste.
A Great Watch Has to be Swiss Made
This is frankly ridiculous on its face, and I imagine most readers will be able to immediately clock the absurdity of allegiance to Swiss watches and Swiss watches only. While it’s true that the Swiss have mastered a certain kind of industrialization in luxury watchmaking, and there are many, many great watches made in Switzerland, there are countless examples of wonderful watches made in Germany, Japan, the United States, and, yes, China that lay waste to the notion that “Swiss Made” is the sole designation of quality.
There is an heir of snobbery around Swiss Made absolutists that is crazy making and worth punching holes in whenever we have the chance. In particular, it’s important to recognize that in the current watch manufacturing environment, watches made in China should not be dismissed. While many brands still make efforts to hide the Chinese origin of certain watch components, it’s undeniable that the overall quality of these components has improved by leaps and bounds over the last decade. If you’re a watch enthusiast who is interested in microbrands and small, approachable independents, you’ve almost certainly encountered and enjoyed watches that are largely produced in China, perhaps without even realizing it.
Celebrity Ambassadors
If you know me, you know I’m generally pretty tuned into pop culture and might be surprised to see me rail against celebrity ambassadors. I even wrote an editorial a few years ago providing a defense of sorts for the concept. But the climate has changed significantly since 2023, and with watch prices on the rise, it feels less and less appropriate to see brands dressing the wealthy in unobtainable watches.
I’m certainly not opposed to noting when a movie star or recording artist wears an interesting watch, but the constant flood of “watch spotting” content centered around events like the Met Gala or awards shows, where celebrities who are contracted with brands are paid to wear particular watches, has become tiring, even for devoted Entertainment Weekly readers. It simply feels out of step with what the enthusiast community is interested in in 2025.
With that said, there are interesting conversations to be had (maybe?) about more organic watch sightings on the wrists of notable people. A genuine choice on the part of a celebrity who is considered a style icon is a decision that can have ripple effects on the industry, and there’s a world where that’s worth paying attention to, even if it’s not hugely consequential in the day-to-day of the enthusiast. It at least feels different than carefully orchestrated watch placements on any number of red carpets. It’s fun to know, for example, that Conan O’Brien sometimes wears an echo/neutra, not because he’s paid to, but because (somehow) he found the brand and likes the watch. This is the kind of unpretentious celebrity watch spotting I can get behind, but let’s move beyond the constant focus on ambassadors.
