The Wristwatch As A Symbol

Luxury watches are definitely one of the ways that we measure success in our society. Now that the watch as all but been made obsolete by the smart phone - I mean, really, how many timepieces do you need? - and need for a purely functional timepiece worn around the wrist is basically gone, its most obvious and powerful reason stands clearer than ever: as an image of social status.

That may seem snooty to some and mean-spirited to others, but I don't make the rules, I just point them out. In the same way that a person driving a Mercedes is judged as more successful than a person driving a Toyota, a person wearing a Rolex is judged as more successful than a person wearing a Timex. Or not wearing a watch at all.

And yes, I know that Warren Buffett drives a Cadillac DTS, not a Bentley. And I know that many successful people drive more modest automobiles and forsake the bling. And I realize that people who only rely on outward indications of wealth as a measure of societal worth do so at their own peril.

But as humans, we tend to latch on to first impressions, no matter how superficial they are. As such, we prize the little things that show where we stand in the social strata. The danger comes when ALL you care about are the superficial accoutrements.

All other things being equal, women are more attracted to men showing more social worth, and men pay more respect to the same man. The peacock does it, male birds and animals in the wild do it, and so goes the rest of the animal world: the creature who can flout the more impressive display of finery - whether it be horns, feathers, or colors - tends to attract the desire of the opposite sex and the respect of the same sex.

And the envy. Don't forget the envy.

Some may say that it's tacky to flaunt wealth - but I think that only applies when the display is ostentatious and designed to hammer other people over the head with it. Is there anything more subtle than a wristwatch to convey this? It remains hidden most of the time (if you're wearing a well-cut suit - another mark of success, and a visual signifier of prestige and status). Flash - it's there, then it's gone. Blink and you miss it. Sure, you can be the borish guy waving it in front of everybody's nose, but the truly rich man doesn't have to say "I'm rich." It's apparent by looking at him. Cool control, calm collectedness, a sense of style and worth in even the smallest objects - you don't have to be a millionaire to project these things. But you can definitely make other people think you're a millionaire by projecting them. And a wristwatch is one of the smallest in size, yet biggest in proportional value, in terms of objects or accoutrements that tell people, "This persons is somebody."

So project success; project wealth; project prosperity. If THE SECRET has any basis whatsoever in reality, this might just mean you attract more of it into your own life.