Time Well Spent

What’s it like having a lot of money?
I don’t know.

I imagine it feels good. I imagine it feels like power. I imagine it opens doors to opportunities most people never get to see.

Years ago, I heard a wealthy person say, “What’s the point of ‘fuck you money’ if you never get to say ‘fuck you’?” At the time, the phrase struck me as harsh — even a little violent. I didn’t really understand it. And why would I? I didn’t have any money.

Fast forward to now, and I still don’t have much money — which probably says a thing or two about my financial decisions. But I’ve met plenty of people who do. Watching them closely, I’ve realized that “fuck you money” exists in many forms. Sometimes it looks like paying for convenience. Sometimes it’s indulgence. Sometimes it’s pure pettiness. At its core, I think it’s money being used to satisfy a want that nothing else can.

In watches, wealth isn’t necessary — at least not if you’re comfortable being just another watch guy. For most of us, buying a Seiko 5 or a Tudor is a meaningful moment. It’s prideful. Earned. But if you have real money, the rules change.

To truly stand out in the watch world — to make a statement that can’t be ignored — you don’t just spend money. You spend a lot of it, especially when you are in competition with someone. 

James Ward Packard was an American industrialist and co-founder of the Packard Motor Car Company. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Packard had a deep appreciation for complicated watches and a long relationship with Patek Philippe. In 1916 and again in 1927, he commissioned highly complicated pocket watches. His ultimate goal for collecting … to own the most complicated watch in the world. And he may have done so but we would never know. 

Henry Graves Jr., like Packard, was a devoted Patek Philippe client and a true watch enthusiast. He also had a lot of money as he was a wildly successful banker. In 1925, Graves approached Patek Philippe with a request made in complete secrecy: he wanted the most complicated watch ever created. No limitations. No budget. No deadline (real fuck you money).

Patek Philippe spent eight years bringing that request to life. When the watch was completed, the Patek Philippe Supercomplication (Ref. 198.385) became the most complicated timepiece ever made.

Packard passed away in 1928, never knowing what had come of Graves’ request. One can only imagine what might have followed had he lived.

The Supercomplication remained the most complicated watch in the world for more than fifty years. In 1999, it sold at auction for $11 million — a record at the time.

So what is the point of having “fuck you money” if you never say it?

For a long time, I thought the phrase was unnecessary — even crude. But maybe it isn’t about aggression at all. Maybe it’s about freedom. The freedom to pursue a want fully. To see an idea through without compromise.

Some people use that power poorly. Others — like Graves — leave something behind.

Henry is an example of “fuck you money” used for good — at least for the watch community. Not because the watch was expensive, but because it pushed what was possible. It set a benchmark that outlived him. It gave the world something worth remembering.

We all have a surplus of something. For some, it’s money. For others, it’s time. Talent. Skill. Knowledge. The real question isn’t what you have — it’s how you choose to use it.

I challenge you to use what you have intentionally.
Write more. Travel more. Think deeper. Push against the edges of what feels possible for you.

As for me, I’ll continue to be careful with money —
and intentional with time.