I remember the day my eighth-grade teacher arrived at school wearing his new wrist-watch. We saw this guy for the 180 days of the school-year and knew him pretty well--as well as anyone did. We noticed that, among his other mannerisms, he tended to look often at the watch during class. We thought he was keen to know the time on a regular basis. Now, I believe he was just admiring his new watch.

A lot of guys feel that way about a watch, more than they do about a car. If they can own a Rolex, they will willingly drive a used Honda Civic. I guess I am not like that. I drive a BMW station-wagon and wear a Seiko watch, which keeps so-so time, so I hardly ever wear it. If I need to know the time, I can look at the clock on my car-dash or check my cell-phone.

The article "Bock auf Rolex" appeared last July in the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper. The title translates to "I am like a goat (horny) for a Rolex." The article states that Rolex inscribed its logo on the watch-face long before anyone else did, and set itself the goal of producing the most reliable, most accurate wrist-watch on the market. Starting at $5,000, it should be.The article further states that Rolex has become a "name" brand, with high recognition-value across the globe. It even has an advantage over other international brands, because it offers a "discreet luxury."

Rolex had a curious origin, chartered in London by an orphan boy from Germany, Hans Wilsdorf, then relocated to Switzerland to take advantage of its business-environment. He later said that wrist-watches had lost market-share to pocket-watches because of their poor reliability, and he resolved to change that. Wilsdorf did more than produce a reliable watch; he produced a cool, sexy, and competent status-product.

The article's author, Sarah Huemer seems less than enthused about the Rolex-cult: "Ownership of a Rolex gives the wearer the sensation, like belonging to the Club of Champions." I would hesitate to hire her to sell Rolexes. She might even talk a customer out of buying one. I doubt she owns one herself.

I offer a more positive view, tht a fine wrist-watch gives a man confidence in his dealings with others, like a fine suit or a nice car. In a free society, you get to spend your money anyway you want, and it's good for business.

The second part of this post also concerns possessing wealth--the article on the other side of the page, "Die USA, Land der Millionäre," or "The U.S., the nation of millionaires." The article states that 7.9 million millionaires live in the United States, a higher proportion than any other nation on the planet, and an increase of 13% in just one year.

No matter how much the leftists in our country want to soak the rich, in the name of equality, social justice, or anything else, most of them would love to have more money to spend, their own or someone else's.

I would prefer they purchase a Rolex, expensive sneakers, or a Lear jet with their own money. Rich people like Elon Musk, Tiger Woods, and tennis-player Roger Federer all bought Rolexes with their own money. The act of buying with your own money separates the independence of adulthood from the dependent resentment of childhood, where you have to whine your parents into submission to get anything, beyond your basic room-and-board.