Watch cost per wear, explained
A watch's cost per wear is what you paid for it divided by the number of times you've worn it. A $6,000 watch worn 300 times costs $20 a wear; the same watch worn 12 times costs $500 a wear. For a fairer number, subtract what you could sell it for today: that's the net cost per wear, and it's the figure that tells you whether a watch is earning its place.
Updated
The formula
There are two versions, and both are useful.
- Gross cost per wear = price paid ÷ times worn
- Net cost per wear = (price paid − current resale value) ÷ times worn
Gross is simple and never changes once you stop wearing a watch. Net is more honest, because most good watches hold a large share of their value. If you bought a watch for $6,000 and it would sell for $4,800 today, owning it has really cost you $1,200, not $6,000.
Worked examples
| Watch | Paid | Resale today | Wears | Gross per wear | Net per wear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel sports watch | $9,500 | $10,500 | 180 | $52.78 | –$5.56 |
| Dress watch | $4,200 | $2,600 | 14 | $300.00 | $114.29 |
| Field watch | $450 | $250 | 220 | $2.05 | $0.91 |
| Dive watch | $6,000 | $4,800 | 40 | $150.00 | $30.00 |
Two things jump out. A watch that holds or gains value can have a net cost per wear of zero or less: wearing it is effectively free. And the dress watch, despite costing less than the sports watch, is by far the most expensive to own per wear, because it rarely leaves the box.
COST-PER-WEAR CALCULATOR
Leave at 0 to see the gross figure only.
Cost per wear
$150
Net of resale
$30.00
Wears to reach target
20 more wears
Net cost per wear uses what you’d lose if you sold today (price paid minus resale value), which is the real cost of owning the watch. WristLog.app keeps every watch’s cost per wear up to date from the wears you log, and lets you record what each piece is worth today.
What's a "good" cost per wear?
There's no universal target, but collectors tend to think about it like this:
- Under $5 a wear: a true daily driver. This watch is doing its job.
- $5–$30 a wear: a healthy part of a rotation.
- $30–$100 a wear: worth a look. Is it a special-occasion piece you love, or one you've drifted away from?
- Over $100 a wear: either a deliberate grail you wear for big moments, or a candidate to sell.
The right number depends on what a watch is for. A dress watch worn to every wedding for twenty years can be the best purchase you ever made, even at a high cost per wear. The number is a prompt for an honest question, not a verdict.
Why cost per wear changes how you collect
Most collectors guess which watches they wear most, and most guess wrong. Memory overweights the watches you love and the occasions that stood out. Counting wears replaces the guess with a number, and cost per wear turns that number into money, which makes the decisions easier:
- Selling: a watch with a stubbornly high net cost per wear is losing you value on a watch you hardly wear; selling it could fund one you would.
- Buying: if your cheapest watch has the lowest cost per wear, that tells you what you value day to day.
- Wearing: seeing a neglected watch's number climb is often all the nudge you need to put it back on your wrist.
How to track it without a spreadsheet
You can track cost per wear in a spreadsheet: one row per watch, a column for price and a tally of wears. In practice, few people keep the tally going past a few weeks.
WristLog.app does the counting for you. Log what you wear each day (it takes about ten seconds), and the app keeps every watch's cost per wear up to date and ranks your collection from best value to worst, so you can see at a glance which pieces earn their place.
Common questions
Should I use the price I paid or the current market value?
Use the price you paid for gross cost per wear, because that's what left your bank account. For net cost per wear, also subtract what the watch would sell for today. If you're not sure, a recent sold listing for the same reference is a good estimate.
Do strap changes or servicing count?
For a complete picture, add the cost of servicing and any extra straps to the price paid. A $600 service on a watch you wear twice a year has a big effect on its cost per wear.
Does a negative cost per wear mean I should keep wearing it?
It means the watch has held more value than you paid, so wearing it costs you nothing in depreciation. It's a strong sign the watch is a keeper, but the best reason to keep a watch is still that you enjoy wearing it.
How many wears does it take for a watch to "pay for itself"?
Divide what you'd lose by selling (price paid minus resale value) by the cost per wear you're happy with. A watch that would lose $1,200 on resale reaches $20 a wear after 60 wears in total. The calculator above shows how many more you need.
WristLog.app
See it for your own collection.
WristLog.app catalogues your watches from a photo and shows you how you really wear them. Free on iPhone and Android.
