Why I'm afraid to buy a luxury watch

It's best to study your options really, really closely before committing to something like this.

Generally speaking, most luxury wristwatch enthusiasts consider the entry level to be TAG Heuer, such as the Aquaracer model. Most guys prefer the Formula 1.

I actually like the Aquaracer better than the Formula 1 because it has more choices of dials with no arabics (as in just blocks for hour markers). The majority of Formula 1 models have huge 12 and 6 hour markers. There's nothing wrong with that, I just prefer the all-blocks indices look.

Why do watch guys consider TAG Heuer the entry level into the luxury watch space? Probably because that's the go-to brand most guys buy when they want something expensive that's available right now with no waiting. And the connection with racing helps too, hence why the Formula 1 is the preferred model.

I'll now list my reasons why I still haven't bought a luxury timepiece. I've been examining luxury wristwatches for years now from afar, viewed many photos and videos on them, and so on. There are a few inescapable truths about these things.

Paying over $1,000 for a watch that tells time worse than a $15 Casio...

A plain digital quartz Casio watch has stated accuracy of +/- 30 seconds per month. It's actually better than that at about +/- 15 seconds per month. I've owned enough Casio watches to confirm this.

There are very few luxury watches that can get better numbers than that. Yes, there is the Bulova Precisionist, but that's not technically "luxury" since it's well under a grand. You have to go way more expensive than that to reach the luxury mark. Namely, Grand Seiko watches that use a Spring Drive movement. However, Seiko states themselves that the accuracy of Spring Drive is +/- 1 second per day, which means +/- 30 seconds per month, meaning it doesn't beat a plain quartz movement. At best, the accuracy is equal that of plain quartz and not better.

Also, let's not forget that any Casio G-SHOCK with atomic timekeeping syncs to the atomic clock every night for the ultimate in time accuracy. And the Casio Waveceptor does the same thing even cheaper than G-SHOCK (as little as 30 bucks!)

Most luxury watches still fall short when it comes to the bracelet

This is where many luxury watches just don't cut the mustard.

Sure, the head of the watch will be great. A decent one will have excellent finishing, great dial, great hands, smooth operation, and so on. You get your money's worth there.

Then there's the bracelet, and that's where things get not-so great.

It is just a sad state of affairs when Strapcode bracelets beat the pants off of what the majority of luxury watches come provided with.

Spending thousands of dollars on a watch only to end up with a bracelet that doesn't measure up is just outright insulting. You would literally be better off buying the leather or fabric strap version of whatever luxury watch you intend to get, remove that the moment you receive the watch and then install a Strapcode bracelet. That's what you have to do just to have everything truly feel like the luxury you paid for.

A very common complaint by many luxury watch reviewers on YouTube is something along the lines of, "Oh yeah, this X brand watch is great! Everything is so perfect! But that bracelet..."

That happens a lot.

I know what buyer's remorse feels like

This is what keeps me from buying a luxury timepiece more than anything else.

I've never bought a luxury watch, but I have bought what most would consider to be luxury electric guitars only to part with them later.

From my luxury guitar buying "adventures", I learned that brand and price absolutely do not dictate the level of quality you will receive. With upper end guitars, much of what sells them at the high prices they command is perceived quality and not actual quality.

With luxury wristwatches, the same applies. Totally different product, but like with luxury guitars, there's a lot of that perceived quality thing going on.

Maybe one day I will buy a luxury watch. A Rolex Oyster Perpetual? A Cartier Tank? Something else entirely? New? Used? I don't know these answers just yet.

Do I need one? No. Do I want one? Yes, even if it's something I just do once and never again.

Hidden Christmas gem: Frosty Returns

I just saw this for the first time recently, and was very pleasantly surprised at how good this is.

All of the Christmas classic television shows were made in the 1960s. There's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from 1964, A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965, and of course Frosty The Snowman from 1969. For whatever reason, the 1960s was the decade when that all happened.

But then there's Frosty Returns from 1992.

Yes, 1992, which is obviously much later than the 1960s.

Before I get into Frosty Returns, let's talk about Frosty The Snowman for a moment.

I have never liked the original 1969 show because it's just plain weird, has questionable storytelling and is borderline creepy.

Here are a few things I notice every time I see that show:

• Frosty doesn't know what a traffic light is, but does know what the North Pole is. He seems to know things when it's necessary to move the story along.
• A train line to the North Pole from the United States does not exist.
• Frosty melting, as in dying, is what he describes as to "get all wishy-washy".
• Frosty's death is described by Santa Claus as really no big deal since all Christmas snow is magical(?)
• At the end of the show, Santa leaves a little girl directly on top of a snow-covered roof in the middle of the night with no way to get down. Thanks, Santa.

As for Frosty Returns, this show is many times better than the original Frosty The Snowman.

When I first started watching the 1992 show, I thought okay, this is going to be terrible, I'll watch a few minutes of it then go watch something else.

That didn't happen.

I noticed immediately the 1992 Frosty is very self-aware of what it is. The jokes are far better, and the show even pokes fun at itself here and there. There's actually a story that holds and it's paced very well. There were absolutely no cringe moments, no glaring plot holes and no errors. All the characters have just the right amount of screen time where nothing is too short nor lingers too long.

Yeah, I liked 1992 Frosty. A lot.

1969 Frosty is just weird as I said above. But the 1992 show? It's a gem. Everything very neatly fits together and it's a fantastic Christmas season show.

Watch Frosty Returns. You'll like it.

A genuinely good idea, Mojo Grip pick

All the grip with no sacrifice.

To note up front, this comes in a bunch of different thicknesses with both celluloid and delrin options. You're covered here.

I switch back and forth between celluloid and delrin picks, which for me means Fender 351 and Dunlop Tortex.

With the Fender 351, I get the nice "bite", similar to if I were pulling on the strings and snapping them back to the fretboard. With the Dunlop Tortex, that stays in the hand and there is no danger of it slipping away from sweat.

With the Fender Mojo Grip, now it appears you can have both.

To answer the question of whether the grip is removable, yes it is, meaning it can be reused with other picks of 351 size.

How long does that rubber grip last? That I don't know, but I'd assume for a good long time before the rubber starts wearing out.

I plan on getting some of these just to see if my picking hand can get along with the grip or not. They're definitely worth a try.

It's really tough to beat a Katana 50 guitar combo amplifier

It's easy to understand why so many guitar players love this thing.

The amp I use is a Line 6 Spider V60. Great amp. But it's a bit complicated to use.

Then there is the BOSS Katana 50. It's lighter in weight, less in price by almost $100, and has something else going for it over the Spider V60. Simple controls and no screen to deal with.

Yes, this is a big deal because it makes the Katana 50 stupidly easy to use. With this amp, most guitarists don't even need an instruction manual. It is a true plug-in-and-go piece of kit.

Easy is good, and the Katana 50 is easy. Whoever designed the control layout should be given a raise, because everything a guitar player needs instant access to is right there. And although most wouldn't even notice this, I really like the fact there's a solid vertical line between the sections for AMPLIFIER, EQUALIZER, EFFECTS and TONE SETTING. This means you can find stuff easily in low-light environments (like a stage).

Heck, the controls are so thoughtfully laid out that you can figure out where you need to be just by feel alone after a while.

And unlike typical BOSS products, it's not overpriced.

Yeah, I can totally understand why this has a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Amazon - it's just that good.

Cheap guitar collectible for end of 2021, Squier Bullet Stratocaster HT

This is only true if you get a very specific color.

The Squier Bullet Stratocaster HT comes in 5 colors. Black, Brown Sunburst, Fiesta Red, Sonic Gray and Tropical Turquoise. The most collectible of these colors is Sonic Gray.

Why?

Guitar Center doesn't put this specific color in their stores.

The reason GC doesn't carry this color is because they have three Limited Edition colors of their own for this guitar. Sea Foam Green, Red Sparkle and Lake Placid Blue (the blue is the best of the lot).

However, it's the Sonic Gray one that's the elusive color. Some guitar dealers have this guitar in stock, but not all that many. If you want Sonic Gray, it's almost a certainty you'll have to buy it online.

Fortunately, the guitar is cheap (under $200) so it absolutely won't break the bank.

If you want some cheap exclusivity, getting one of these in Sonic Gray is the way to do it.