When you eye your first pricy wristwatch you may experience a creeping feeling, something along the lines of, “Wow, this really is a lot of money,” and, “This may not be the most-adult of decisions.” In fact, it could smack to you of profligacy. Admonitions from friends and family, voices echoing from the past, about how to behave toward status objects and money. You think to yourself, you’re not the kind of person who wears stuff this fancy, anyway.

When you’re first looking at watches you’ll often hear that they can be a form of investment. While true, you’re not just taking money from your bank and putting it onto your wrist. Yes, they can and do grow in value over time (and vintage watches generally more so than modern pieces, being rarer and having already gone through their depreciation cycle), but that’s not the most important consideration.

The most important consideration in buying a vintage watch is simply that you love it. Something about it speaks to you. That is enough. But love is a strong word and also a vague one.

And why should you love an object? The answer is that through physical objects we own, we actually get to see our internal reality made manifest. There are things we can reliably do (and purchase) that can very viscerally change our experience of life and our attitude toward ourselves. A few examples of things we pay for that make us feel elevated way might be traveling with nicer accommodations, living in a nicer neighborhood, and giving charity.

So a nice watch, or flying business class, can be a symbol not just of wealth, but of that whatever you put your mind to, you have achieved and can again. You are for example, the kind of person who does not dwell in squalor and you are the kind of person who helps people (giving charity). And that reinforces within your mind that you can achieve more still. It is not the object itself, but rather what it represents within you, that is worthy of your affection and appreciation.

When wearing a well-made, higher-status wristwatch, every time you look down at this thing that at one time you longed to own, and now do, you will see a symbol of the fact that you shaped reality. Every time you look down at it, you can be reminded of the opportunity you created, of the way you were able to bend the arc of reality toward yourself. Through your own hard work, labor, ingenuity, and perhaps divine assistance. Above all, you are reminded you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. You’ve done it before. You’ll do it again. Few things are as powerful at propelling you toward success as the snowball effect of past successes.

So with a symbol on your wrist that represents the world being a place that you can actually change, you have a tool that confirms your dreams. The reality of living those dreams becomes your new normal. It normalizes your own success to you.

There is also a religious concept somewhat related to the above idea, common to several faiths that I know of: that each of us are a temple of G-d on earth. A vehicle for the Creator and a resting place for His Holy Spirit. You are a divine dwelling, if you will. If that is so, shouldn’t one adorn oneself as best one can? Grooming, clothing, finery. All of these can be tools to help us more closely embody that status as we present ourselves in the world.

It’s true that a fine watch is absolutely a luxury. You don’t need one. Not to tell the time. Not as a store of value. But they can be a tool that carries special meaning for you. About your own energy of positive creation. It’s about manifesting and acknowledging growth. That’s worthy of tapping into.

Spencer Gauthier is the founder of GAUTHIER Watches and editor of GAUTHIER’S Vintage Watches & Culture Magazine.