So... we are reviving an old thread from back in 2013? Just as well- since it made for fun-reading and let's see how our horological tastes have changed over the last few years
I tend to be a flipper. I buy, I flip. Sometimes I buy only because it was not possible to get some elusive ones (read : micro-brands) in mortar and brick stores; and would examine, write about them in my blog, and pass them on to fellow collectors. Only a fraction of watches have earned their spots in my winder over the years.
If by bad value-for-money, the TS meant bad resale value, then we were all guilty of getting such watches because honestly, how many of us have actually made monies from getting and flipping new watches (any brands at all)? Getting pre-owned at good prices, that would be a different story though. I used to get good deals from buying overseas, but with the GST and depreciated MYR, that no longer holds true either.
For business-wise, I still think that the good o' Rollie gives more brownie points compared to many other brands in the same price bracket. Everyone recognises the Datejust, Explorer ii, GMT-Master ii, and Submariner. By wearing one, it shows that you have similar discerning tastes, is down-to-earth, and goes for something reliable and dependable. But almost every Tom, Dick and Harry wears one from the aforementioned models in every other meetings that I attended, so if you want to just move off the tangent slightly, you could wear the SD4k or DSSD, and still be within the circle of trust.
Some watches, you tend to get very much value for money due to the low purchase price but armed with dependable ETA/Sellita movement (e.g. my Glycine Combat Sub, Oris Aquis Date, Steinhart Ocean, etc); but the generic diver design inadvertently points to the Rollie Submariner so much that it felt a bit like a poser at times. Sooner or later, it gnaws at you to just wear the
real Sub and drop the rest. Some watches, you pay too much for the design, though armed with the robust Miyota movement, which I liked but the movement doesn't cost that much so I felt that the watch price should be lower (e.g. my SevenFriday P3, which was great when I was an early-adopter but now replicated like nobody's business as the Miyota movement is easily available).
For Chrono watches, I always feel that those whom spot an Omega Speedy wears an original and historical design, which shows character. Other watches that pull off the same originality, for me at least, includes the Pam in its base models, Laco/Stowa/IWC/Wempe/Lange with Flieger Type A & B (hand-winding and sans brand), PP with its Nautilus pothole, and B&R with its square flight instrument case. At the end of the day, I think that watches show a glimpse of a person's character so do choose and wear your "personality extension" well