The $3,000 Omega Nobody Notices and the $700 Coffee Machine We Use Every Day

Good morning {{first_name|Reader}}.

Three things this week: a watch that most people think costs $200, the actual numbers behind our work optional goal, and why spending $700 on an espresso machine was one of our smartest financial decisions.

This is what mindful spending looks like. Not deprivation. Not flexing. Just knowing what matters and spending accordingly.

Let’s get into it.

— Ian

(see what watch I’m wearing today)

We recently celebrated a holiday. If you’re a Veteran, thank you for your service!

If you want a watch that screams luxury, this isn’t it.

The Omega Aqua Terra 36mm doesn’t scream for attention. Most people will glance at your wrist and assume it’s a $200 Seiko. Maybe a nice Citizen. If they even notice, they won’t know what they’re looking at.

And that’s the point.

At around $3,000 on the pre-owned market, this watch represents something increasingly rare: quiet luxury that actually makes sense.

36mm is the Goldilocks size. Not too small to feel vintage-only. Not too large to look like you’re trying. It works on nearly any wrist, in any setting. Boardroom to beach. Suit to t-shirt.

The dial is clean. No complications screaming for attention. Just time and date, executed perfectly with Omega’s co-axial movement. It’s a tool watch that happens to be beautiful, not a jewelry piece pretending to be functional.

Omega has this problem where they make exceptional watches that get overshadowed by Rolex hype. The Aqua Terra is exhibit A. It’s better finished than most Rolex Oyster Perpetuals. More versatile than a Submariner. More interesting than a Datejust.

But it doesn’t have a crown on the dial, so it flies under the radar.

Here’s what $3,000 gets you:

A watch from a legitimate manufacture with actual horological credibility. In-house movement. METAS certification. 150m water resistance. A design that’s looked good since 2002 and will look good in 2042.

You can wear this every single day for the next 20 years and it will never look out of place. Trends will come and go. Oversized watches will fall out of favor (again). Colored dials will cycle through. This watch doesn’t care.

It’s the watch equivalent of a perfectly tailored navy blazer or a well-made leather boot. Timeless isn’t a marketing word here. It’s the actual design brief.

If you need people to know you’re wearing an expensive watch, buy a Rolex.

If you want people who know watches to nod in approval, and everyone else to not give it a second thought, this is it.

That’s quiet luxury. Not flexing for strangers. Not trying to impress people you don’t respect. Just owning something excellent because you know it’s excellent.

The Aqua Terra 36mm does exactly one thing: it tells time beautifully, reliably, and without demanding attention.

In a world of 42mm+ statement pieces, that might be the most luxurious thing about it.

When my wife suggested buying a real espresso machine, I thought it was dumb.

Which is ironic, because I’m usually the one pushing for the questionable purchases in our household.

But she kept showing me YouTube videos. People pulling perfect shots at home. Making lattes exactly how they wanted them. No awkward orders. No explaining to baristas. Just control.

That got me. I was in.

We didn’t impulse buy. We spent five weeks comparing models. Reading reviews. Watching videos about grind size and extraction and milk frothing techniques I’d never heard of.

We looked at everything from $300 machines to $2,000+ setups. We debated new versus used machines. We read one-star reviews to see what actually broke or disappointed people.

The few negative reviews almost killed it. But we kept coming back to one model: the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series (ES701).

Why? Built-in espresso tamper. One less thing to buy, store, and learn. And Best Buy had the best price. (When’s the last time you’ve set foot in this store?!)

We bought it. Kept the box. Kept the receipt. Counted down the 15-day return window.

If it didn’t deliver, it was going back. And I would never let my wife hear the end of it.

My wife and I have made coffee at home every morning for 13 years. We’ve bounced between drip and K-cups, only buying K-cups under 50 cents per serving.

Here in Alaska, a decent latte costs at least $6. I like 2-4 shots. My wife has her preferences too.

If we were buying coffee out? Fourteen drinks a week between us. Over $4,000 a year.

Now we buy whole bean espresso from Costco for $22 a bag. Lasts about a month. Almond milk from Costco too.

Our payback period? Two months.

After that, every drink is essentially free compared to buying out. And they’re better than most coffee shops.

The first few times took longer. Learning the workflow, dialing in the grind, figuring out pressure.

Now? Maybe 30 seconds longer than our old drip maker.

But the experience is completely different. The sounds. The smell of fresh espresso. The ritual of steaming milk. I feel like a fancy barista in my own kitchen, making exactly what I want.

Four months in, we use it every single day. No regrets.

We didn’t magic $700 into existence.

We almost never buy coffee out anymore. Maybe once in a while as a date.

I pack lunch for work every single day. Even when it’s awkward saying no to coworkers ordering in.

We made deliberate choices in other areas so we could say yes to this one.

From the outside, people might say: “Must be nice to afford that.”

Or: “You’re rich.”

Or: “That’s stupid and overpriced.”

My answer to all of that: Yes.

Yes, it’s a luxury. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, some people will think it’s dumb.

But we made a deliberate decision. We researched for weeks. We calculated the payback period. We kept the receipt.

And it increased our quality of life.

Mindful spending isn’t about being cheap. Sometimes luxuries make financial sense. Sometimes they don’t, but you choose them anyway because they align with your values.

Luxury isn’t bad. Mindless spending is bad.

We live in a house with a $3,000/month mortgage. Internet costs us $160/month. Everything is more expensive in Alaska. But we’re still on track to hit $500k in four years because we know where every dollar goes.

The watch on my wrist is expensive and nobody notices. The coffee machine cost $700 and we use it twice a day.

Both were intentional. Both were worth it.

That’s the difference.

The common thread between an expensive watch and a $700 coffee machine is this: both are expensive, both are “unnecessary,” and both make complete sense when you’re intentional about the decision.

The Aqua Terra doesn’t need to announce itself. The espresso machine pays for itself in two months. Neither is about impressing anyone. Both are about knowing what you value and spending accordingly.

That’s what this newsletter is about. Not deprivation. Not flexing. Just the honest math and real decisions behind building wealth while still enjoying quality things.

Thanks for reading,

Ian