If Money is No Object: Have you ever thought about what purchases that you would make if money were no object and you didn't really care what people thought? I have. Recently a friend called me and asked me if I had purchased my new Mercedes S500 and Rolex? Odd question and I asked why. He explained that it was what all the managers in my position do. Well, the S500 is an incredible ride, and I certainly wouldn't mind having one, but the Rolex is a different matter all together.

To me a watch needs one basic feature - keep time. Other than that everything else is icing on the cake. My last watch had a stop watch function that I used a few times, an alarm clock that was nice when I traveled, and a couple of other features. When the band broke I was told that it couldn't be replaced and that I had to get a whole new watch. Hey, $40 is a lot when you are struggling with a new business. So I have been without a watch for about 6 months.

I have looked at the Rolex, as well as a couple of dozen really popular status watches. Then the other day I was with a manager and noticed his Rolex. The thought kept going through my mind that the Rolex is the most copied watch on the blackmarket. Whole web sites have been setup to sell these really good fakes. In fact, some of the fakes are going for over $400. Seems like a lot for a fake, but when the original is $16,000 I guess it isn't that bad. But then I look at this guy and wonder if it is real or fake. Then another thought crosses my mind, if it is real I have no respect for a guy who spends that kind of money on a watch. If it is fake it tells me that he is a pretender without any self-esteem.

So yesterday I took the plunge and bought a new watch. It was on sale for $30 at Wal-Mart and suits me just fine, thank you. Since it is only $30 to start with I don't think that there will be a lot of guys out there trying to market an imitation. The label is just swell - "Casio", a high brand by Japanese standards I am sure. It has these three little dials that show me the date, day, and 24 hour time, but my eyes are too old to focus on that stuff anyway. I usually know what day of the week it is and I don't know anyone in the past few years who has actually said "Hey, lets meet up for some coffee at 1630 hours". Even if that happened I am smart enough to do the math and know that its 4:30om.

Now for those of you that have fancy watches -more power to you. I know that Mike has a diver watch just in case the Suburban takes a plunge off the bridge in Tampa and while he is struggling for his life he can know what time it is. If I know Nick he is wearing something with Harley logo on it, of a company watch (sad!). My dad, he is practical, probably something like mine. So don't gang up on me if you are wearing a fancy watch, just know that if its a Rolex more people probably think that its fake than those who think its real.