Dumoulin stops racing, future uncertain

1235

Comments

  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    But a 10k bike isn't the same as a 5k bike, which isn't the same as a £500 bike. Yes they have frames and wheels and serve the same purpose, but there are differences in materials, weight, ride quality etc.

    Like I say, people should buy what makes them happy and no one should judge.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    My original point was I'd rather be wealthy than fast (I'm actually neither). It's a more transferrable attribute.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,269
    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    Who?
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    RichN95. said:

    My original point was I'd rather be wealthy than fast (I'm actually neither). It's a more transferrable attribute.

    Just settle for happy. 😉
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    redvision said:

    Anyway, back on topic, has there been any more info about why TD has made this decision?

    I watched the jumbo visma video on YouTube following them at the vuelta:
    https://youtu.be/7aHuolgTbYU
    And it was clear really early that he wasn't focused. Tbh it raises questions of whether he left the race because of the injury or if that was used as an excuse.

    Probably. It’s only the Vuelta though.
  • orraloon said:

    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?

    Jumbo supermarket sell very competitively priced baked beans.
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    orraloon said:

    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?

    Did Tom overdose on baked beans on the morning of the day of the dump?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262

    orraloon said:

    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?

    Jumbo supermarket sell very competitively priced baked beans.
    Very reasonable: https://www.jumbo.com/jumbo-witte-bonen-in-tomatensaus-680g/227464POT
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    RichN95. said:

    orraloon said:

    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?

    Jumbo supermarket sell very competitively priced baked beans.
    Very reasonable: https://www.jumbo.com/jumbo-witte-bonen-in-tomatensaus-680g/227464POT
    In a f****** jar?!!
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    edited February 2021
    RichN95. said:

    orraloon said:

    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?

    Jumbo supermarket sell very competitively priced baked beans.
    Very reasonable: https://www.jumbo.com/jumbo-witte-bonen-in-tomatensaus-680g/227464POT
    I somehow read that url as containing "Tom Boonen" and figured it was yet another terrible endorsement deal. Was rather disappointed when I clicked through.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    Sort of agree. However, my thinking is more if you can afford it and genuinely like that particular bike then go for it. If you're buying because you have money and it's the most expensive then you're a bit of an idiot.
  • phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
  • gsk82 said:

    RichN95. said:

    orraloon said:

    Wtf has the price of a tin of beans got to do with Tom D?

    Jumbo supermarket sell very competitively priced baked beans.
    Very reasonable: https://www.jumbo.com/jumbo-witte-bonen-in-tomatensaus-680g/227464POT
    In a f****** jar?!!
    Not sure you'd want to eat 680g of beans in one go...
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Yes so either the person buying the expensive beans lacks knowledge or is someone that enjoys flaunting their wealth - that is the kind of judgement I make when I see someone with a 10k bike too.

    It's not that I'd take against them for lacking knowledge about beans or being flash or say they shouldn't be flash or that they really should go and read up about the bean industry in Beanradar - but I suspect that redvision has inferred that from my initial post.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    edited February 2021
    If you're going to fork out for beans, get them with all the added extras


    Felt F1 2014
    Felt Z6 2012
    Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
    Tall....
    www.seewildlife.co.uk
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Beans just come in glass pots in Netherlands. Always have done.

    They also put their milk in tetrapak cartons, not plastic.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Yes so either the person buying the expensive beans lacks knowledge or is someone that enjoys flaunting their wealth - that is the kind of judgement I make when I see someone with a 10k bike too.

    It's not that I'd take against them for lacking knowledge about beans or being flash or say they shouldn't be flash or that they really should go and read up about the bean industry in Beanradar - but I suspect that redvision has inferred that from my initial post.
    There's also the chance that they genuinely like the expensive product and are in the fortunate position where they can easily afford it.

    If I won the Euro Millions this week I would buy an Aston Martin. I'd never drive it anywhere near the limits of is capabilities but equally I wouldn't be buying it to say to others "look how rich I am in my flash car", I've just always loved them and wanted to be able to buy one. If they cost £10k I would probably have bought one years ago.

    I would also by a new bike(s) that might cost £10k but I would be buying them on the basis that I would be getting the frame, components, wheels etc. that I want (it wouldn't be an off the peg, over-priced bike just so everyone would realise it was an expensive bike).

    As I said before though buying something just because it is expensive is stupid but most people have things they've always admired but couldn't afford.

    On the bean front, I've tried lots of cheap varieties but ultimately none have tasted right. Heinz are much better tasting but our preference is Brandon.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Yes - most quartz watches are accurate to seconds per month, but even a good mechanical watch will be seconds per day.

    I have three mechanical ones. Which is even more pointless :blush:

    None of them were particularly expensive though. I also didn't buy them for their accuracy as timekeepers - for a normal person, gaining or losing a few seconds a day makes absolutely no visible impact on your life. The worst one I've got is my Seiko which I think needs a service - if I wear that consistently for a week it'll lose a minute. The Swiss one I have got is the best, I don't notice any discernable loss or gain on that.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
  • The slagging someone off for spending £10K or whatever is deemed to be OTT by the observer, just because the person riding it isn't at WT pro level of fitness, never makes any sense to me. No-one looks at someone in a 30-40K BMW or Audi and says 'you're not Lewis Hamilton, why haven't you bought a £15K Kia instead - does the same job' , or looks at someone's new £20K kitchen and says why didn't they get a flat pack job from Kitchen's R Us or whatever, or why buy Bosch appliances not the bog standard own brand - they don't cook your dinner any quicker etc etc.

    In a lot of cases it is simply envy, however people might suggest otherwise. And no, I don't have a £10K bike - I'd have no hesitation in doing so if circumstances allowed tho. I'd probably buy 2.

    More constructively - the more people out there spending £10K on a Dura-ace DI2 equipped bike, the cheaper that standard of kit will eventually become. 105 today is probably way better than DA 10-15 years ago. Additionally, the more expensive bikes your LBS sells, the more likely they are to stay in business and be around to either sell you other stuff with good advice, or provide a good servicing workshop.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
    Or in many cases they are collectible, so in that sense like any other collectible. That would be like owning a vintage bike which you rarely ride etc.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
    Or in many cases they are collectible, so in that sense like any other collectible. That would be like owning a vintage bike which you rarely ride etc.
    You can't wear a bike. Watches are jewellery.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    edited February 2021

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
    Or in many cases they are collectible, so in that sense like any other collectible. That would be like owning a vintage bike which you rarely ride etc.
    You can't wear a bike. Watches are jewellery.
    Sorry but you're wrong - they are most definitely both.

    Plenty of watches are treated and priced as collectibles. I have a 1936 pocket watch that I inherited from my granddad which is extremely collectible.

    Nobody is paying millions of dollars for bashed up old Rolexes to wear them as jewellery - they are living in a safe or possibly a display cabinet. In that respect more like art.

    Try googling "watch collecting"
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
    Or in many cases they are collectible, so in that sense like any other collectible. That would be like owning a vintage bike which you rarely ride etc.
    You can't wear a bike. Watches are jewellery.
    Sorry but you're wrong - they are most definitely both.

    Plenty of watches are treated and priced as collectibles. I have a 1936 pocket watch that I inherited from my granddad which is extremely collectible.

    Nobody is paying millions of dollars for bashed up old Rolexes to wear them as jewellery - they are living in a safe or possibly a display cabinet. In that respect more like art.

    Try googling "watch collecting"
    You think there aren't jewellery collectors? Antique jewellery? Jewellery that's considered like art?

    It's just male jewellery. They just don't sell it as that as men with male egos worry it makes them seem feminine or vain.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
    Or in many cases they are collectible, so in that sense like any other collectible. That would be like owning a vintage bike which you rarely ride etc.
    You can't wear a bike. Watches are jewellery.
    Sorry but you're wrong - they are most definitely both.

    Plenty of watches are treated and priced as collectibles. I have a 1936 pocket watch that I inherited from my granddad which is extremely collectible.

    Nobody is paying millions of dollars for bashed up old Rolexes to wear them as jewellery - they are living in a safe or possibly a display cabinet. In that respect more like art.

    Try googling "watch collecting"
    You think there aren't jewellery collectors? Antique jewellery? Jewellery that's considered like art?

    It's just male jewellery. They just don't sell it as that as men with male egos worry it makes them seem feminine or vain.
    So we agree then... Of course there are jewellery collectors. And I specifically said they were both...

    Some people collect them for collecting's sake - I wear all of mine (not at the same time :smile: ) - and I don't argue that I am wearing them as jewellery. Not that any of them are very shiny or gaudy, but they definitely have an aesthetic.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,025

    phreak said:

    redvision said:

    Part of me thinks a 10 grand bike shows a lack of knowledge about bikes - it's just spending money for the sake of spending money . A bit like say Balenciaga trainers where the appeal seems to be that they are more expensive rather than them being expensive because they are better.

    You can say that about anything though. Why buy a tin of heinz baked beans when a 20p value range tin is essentially the same??

    Life is too short. You work to earn money and should spend that on whatever is important to you.

    Going back to your example here - if you bought a more expensive product which is the same as a cheaper one that isn't really buying what makes you happy - it's probably displaying a lack of knowledge about tinned beans.
    That assumes what one wants from the product is to have a nice tin of beans rather than to show off how much money you have. You can't actually drive at 150mph in the UK, and yet people still seem to buy flash cars that can go that quickly. Ditto for watches. They all perform the same function if that function is to tell the time, but if it's to act as a status symbol then they very much don't.
    Expensive watches are more like jewellery than time-telling devices I'd argue. Same as someone buying a £10K ring vs. a £1K one.
    Aren't the expensive ones less accurate than cheap quartz watches? On that basis I have never understood the point.

    Same with fancy cars except there failing is the ability to use them for anything practical.
    Mechanical watches are male jewellery. See it like a nice necklace or a bracelet.
    That's exactly what @yorkshireraw said and I replied to.