Do you wear your expensive watch to South Africa?

Deputy Dog

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Those of you who are also watch guys, do you wear your expensive pieces to South Africa?
 
I do not..

But I dont wear my nice watches hunting anywhere.. its not just South Africa..

Tag Aquaracer and Rolex Submariner get worn at home, the office, out for the evening with the wife, etc..

A $60 Casio G-Shock gets worn hunting, fishing, camping, etc.. Its reliable, indestructible, and if somehow I do manage to break it or lose it.. it takes a 10 minute trip to Walmart and another $60 to replace it..

Not going to be as easy or cheap to repair or replace the 1969 Rolex gifted to me by my father.. or the Tag that I've worn as a "daily" watch about 80% of the time for the better part of the last 15 years..
 
No, I take the minimum when I go outside the US. I do use my Brietling Super Ocean in the US, and I've caught myself with my watch on and my hands bloody while gutting an animal. Oops! LOL!!!! My other Brietling Aerospace, is for special occasions. :)
 
I wear my Oris TT3 chronograph everywhere. It's flat black, so maybe it doesn't attract as much attention as shiny watches.. idk. I've never had issues. Maybe don't leave you arm hanging out the window when you're stuck in traffic? RSA is pretty safe.
 
I dont wear any jewelry out of the country other than a plain wedding band and a cheaper watch. Also dont wear any jeweley much anyway. I wear a 40 dollar timex about everywhere. I only wear a nice watch or jewelry to church or taking my wife to dinner. If i had it to do over again, i would've just paid my house off instead of buying jewelry. Im getting too old for status symbols now.
 
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Seventies era Rolex Submariner - goes with me everywhere. Recently acquired a Sinn 3006 Hunter Chronograph that may be going along from now on.


There is an extensive thread on the subject.
 
nope. i have an IWC classic pilot chronograph. an IWC mark xvi, a rolex datejust, a Baume& Mercier chronograph, and a couple others but i wear my timex expedition quartz that cost me $30 on all my hunts. the band on that watch has blood stains from a couple alaskan griz, many alaskan caribou, and a little of my own i am sure. wore it to namibia for a plains game hunt too, and hopefully my first cap buffalo hunt. it might be my favorite watch!
 
Seventies era Rolex Submariner - goes with me everywhere. Recently acquired a Sinn 3006 Hunter Chronograph that may be going along from now on.


There is an extensive thread on the subject.
Still jealous you got that watch. I'm planning on picking one up from the Sinn factory store in Germany whenever these covid lock downs in Europe end.
 
I have 3 Omega watches and only one of them sees any real use. For hunting (both in the US and abroad) I stick with a Casio G-Shock because it's lighter weight and I really don't care if something bad happens to it. No need to attract unwanted attention.
 
At the end of the day it is your decision. There are both benefits to bring a good watch and the risk that comes with it. If you are spending a lot of time in the cities of South Africa it is riskier to wear it. People who can see what your are wearing could want to take it. If you are not spending a lot of time in the cities then it should be ok. I would not want to wear a really fancy watch while hunt but each unto their own.
Another benefit to taking it with you is it is a good piece of mobile capital. It could save your life. If the worse was to happen and you need to bribe your way out of a country a good expensive watch can do the trick. Or, if something was to happen back in your homeland and you could not return then you have some capital on your wrist to start a new life.
As I said at that beginning it is up to you, this is just my two cents.
 
I own one watch (Tag) and wear it always. Including traveling. If you are uncomfortable with a watch being seen, get a slip over black wrist cover and voila, your watch is covered. Check a local running store for a wrist pocket. The other benefit is when in short sleeves, it will help reduce glare off the watch.
It is nearly impossible to hide being a foreigner in most places.
 
At the end of the day it is your decision. There are both benefits to bring a good watch and the risk that comes with it. If you are spending a lot of time in the cities of South Africa it is riskier to wear it. People who can see what your are wearing could want to take it. If you are not spending a lot of time in the cities then it should be ok. I would not want to wear a really fancy watch while hunt but each unto their own.
Another benefit to taking it with you is it is a good piece of mobile capital. It could save your life. If the worse was to happen and you need to bribe your way out of a country a good expensive watch can do the trick. Or, if something was to happen back in your homeland and you could not return then you have some capital on your wrist to start a new life.
As I said at that beginning it is up to you, this is just my two cents.
Just keep it in your pocket out of sight. Seen wearing an expensive watch in Rio is like doing antelope imitations in the long grass.
 
I leave the Rolex at Home and wear a tag f1 with a material strap that i got for about 100 pounds on ebay ... and have realised it keeps better time than the more expensive one !
 
I wear my Rolex GMT2 everywhere, always have, including maybe 80 times to Johannesburg. I always wear long sleeves though, so nothing to see. I think I have been pushing my luck though, I will from now on leave it in Harare.
 
I leave my nice watches at home. Wear the same watch hunting here or there. My hunting watch is a fairly basic Luminox.
 
I´m a fan of Breitling and IWC, but they stay home for two reasons. One, they are expensive, two, they are shiny.

So, my hunting watch is a bronze colored Wenger
 

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