Why I bought my Rolex..anyone else share these sentiments..?

[Glpstandard]

I apologize in advance. This should be a long post.

Let me start by saying a little about myself. Im 29 years old, in the military. My wife and I are in my opinion low to mid middle class (more on the low middle class end). I'm not in any position whatsoever to go out and buy a $7000 watch because I like the way it looks and need one to tell time like many Rolex owners are (and some claim to be). I bought mine with my hard earned money as a gift to myself after a trip to NYC and a purchase of a Faux-lex on Canal St prompted my obsession with owning a real one. So I bought my P Series Explorer II black dial after much research on the perfect Rolex for me (I still love the looks of the Expy II).

I was having a discussion with a gentleman at work who is somewhat of a watch aficionado I guess you could say. I was talking about wanting to pick up my next watch (which will be a sub $500 bang up every day watch) and asked if he preferred Citizen or Bulova and which he recommended. I then mentioned how I wanted to look into a Breitling as my next expensive watch purchase, and asked what he thought of them. He asked why I wanted a Breitling and questioned if it was a status symbol for me, and asked if I "really like watches that much".

I have to say, I felt a little offended, but I began to question myself. "Why do I want a Breitling?" I thought. Aside from the reputation of them being used by pilots, and the looks of them, it's just about the name. After giving it some thought, I replied with "it's not a status symbol, I enjoy having nice things, and I like the history behind Breitling". He nodded in approval of my answer, and the conversation went elsewhere shortly after.

So, here we are at my point in this thread. After questioning myself as to why I want a Breitling, I began to question, why did I want a Rolex to begin with? Is it a status symbol? Is it that I just like the watch I bought, and thought it looked cool? Is it to show off and pretend I have more money than I do? I find none of these to be an accurate reason for my purchase. It cant be a status symbol, and I definitely don't want to pretend I have more money than I do, because I don't brag or show off that I have a Rolex. I wear it very infrequently, and when I do, if someone asks what kind of watch it is, I get embarrassed and hate to tell people. When someone notices that it's a Rolex, I feel very self-conscious. It's definitely not that I just liked the watch and wanted it to tell time. I don't make enough money to buy a multi-thousand dollar watch just because I like it and needed something on my wrist to tell time.

So here is my reason (finally, the purpose of my thread):

I like having nice things. That's it.

I work hard for my money, and I overindulge at times. Do I live above my means? I don't think so. My wife and I do well considering our jobs. I have a few toys to show for it. Do I tend to give off the appearance I have more money than I do? Perhaps, but not intentionally. I bought my Rolex, as a sense of self achievement and accomplishment. It's a symbol of self worth, if you will. I wanted to be able to look at it on my wrist knowing that I am wearing a watch that costs more than some peoples cars. I wanted to look at my wrist knowing I am wearing the most well known name in expensive watches, something that is typically reserved for doctors, lawyers, businessmen and celebrities. It was a sense of pride for me. Nothing more, nothing less. If no one ever notices it's a Rolex, that's perfectly fine with me. I prefer people dont.

After much thought, that is the most honest, unbiased answer I can give on why I purchased my Rolex, and why I want to add a Breitling, an Omega Speedmaster and a Rolex Air King to my collection in the future. Does this make me a bad person? Would you say I own a Rolex for the wrong reasons? Is this frowned upon? Does anyone else share a similar reason for owing theirs? Something made me want to get that out there and see how others felt about this.

Again, sorry for the lengthy post..