The Panzera Classivo 43: A $650 Watch None of Your Friends Own

Good morning {{first_name|Reader}}.

Three things this week: a square watch that proves you don't need Swiss heritage to look classy, how we're actually investing $xx every month, and why a $1,200 mattress from 2018 was one of our smartest purchases.

This is what intentional luxury looks like. Not waiting for permission. Not following the crowd. Just knowing what's worth it.

Let's get into it.

— Ian

(see what watch I’m wearing today)

The Panzera Classivo 43 is a square-cased Australian microbrand that costs around $650. Most watch snobs will tell you it's "not a real watch" because it's not Swiss made, or because it has a Miyota movement, or because it's a microbrand nobody's heard of.

They're wrong.

This is a great looking, high-quality watch that proves you don't need to break the bank to own something classy.

The shape is what gets me. It's vintage but somehow still modern. The square case has architectural lines that catch light differently than every round watch on every wrist around you. The date window is integrated beautifully into the dial at 6 o'clock—not an afterthought, but part of the design.

It's a dress watch that doesn't take itself too seriously. Cote de Geneve textured dial. Sapphire crystal. 50m water resistance. Solid stainless steel case. It's built to actually wear, not just look at.

And here's the thing: nobody you know will have one. Maybe nobody you know has even heard of Panzera. That's the point.

Watch snobs are exhausting. They'll tell you that unless you're wearing a Swiss movement with heritage dating back to 1850, you're wasting your money. That you need to "buy the right brands" or you're not a real collector.

That's not intentional luxury. That's insecurity disguised as taste.

Intentional luxury is buying what you actually like, at a price that makes sense, because you know it's good. Not because everyone else does.

The Classivo 43 is a quality watch at a sweet price point. It's classy. It's well-made. It gets you into the watch world without pretending you need to spend $5,000 to be taken seriously.

If you want people to recognize your watch from across the room, buy a Rolex.

If you want something unique that looks expensive but doesn't require explaining your financial decisions to your spouse, this is it.

At $650, it's an intentional purchase. You're not buying hype. You're not buying a logo. You're buying a watch that looks good, feels good, and will last.

That's enough.

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My wife and I are living off her paychecks. That covers our living expenses—groceries, gas, bills, everything.

My income? It goes straight into savings and investments. Every month, like clockwork.

We also max out two Roth IRAs and contribute to an HSA.

The rest stays in savings. For now.

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This didn't happen overnight.

My wife went back to work after raising our three kids to school age. Before that, we were saving, but not like this. We were comfortable, but not aggressive.

Now we're aggressive.

Here's a hard truth: investing has always been scary for me.

I like having money accessible. Safe. Liquid. I've always been a saver, not an investor. The idea of putting money into the market where I can't just pull it out whenever I want made me nervous.

But here's what I've learned: you don't build wealth by saving. You build wealth by investing.

Saving keeps you comfortable. Investing makes you wealthy.

One day I realized that if we kept just piling money into a savings account, we'd never hit our work optional goal. The math doesn't work. Inflation eats it. We stay middle class forever.

Investing is what takes you from middle class to wealthy. It's what compounds. It's what builds the life we're trying to create.

So we started moving more into investments. As interest rates came down, we shifted. More into index funds. More into long-term growth. Less sitting in cash feeling "safe."

It still feels uncomfortable sometimes. But that's the point. Growth is supposed to feel uncomfortable.

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In February 2018, we spent $1,200 on a Purple mattress.

At the time, it felt insane. We had just bought cheap mattresses from Walmart or Sam's Club our entire lives. Spring mattresses. Box springs. Nothing fancy. They worked.

But I had just started a new job. We had a little extra money saved. And we kept hearing about Purple mattresses—the hype, the technology, the promise of better sleep.

So we pulled the trigger. Queen size, full Purple setup. $1,200.

We didn't impulse buy. We spent about a month researching. Reading reviews. Watching videos. Comparing models.

Big purchases get taken seriously in our house. We don't just throw money at things because they're trendy.

But everything kept pointing to the same conclusion: this was worth it.

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your body. It keeps your mind fresh. It keeps you engaged when you're awake. It affects everything—your mood, your energy, your ability to think clearly.

If you're sleeping on a cheap mattress where you toss and turn all night, you're sabotaging yourself. You're spending 8 hours a day (hopefully) on this thing. It matters.

So the question became: would you rather buy a cheap mattress you have to throw out every few years? Or buy one quality mattress that lasts a decade?

The math made sense. The philosophy made sense. We bought it.

It's been almost 7 years. We've used it every single day.

The mattress is still solid. No sagging. No discomfort. We sleep well. We wake up rested.

We even got a free seat cushion with the purchase, and I use that every day too.

Let's say the mattress lasts 10 years (the standard lifespan). That's $1,200 divided by 3,650 nights.

Cost per night: $0.33.

Thirty-three cents per night for quality sleep. For waking up without back pain. For not having to replace a cheap mattress every three years.

That's intentional spending.

YES.

Purple mattresses cost more now—prices have gone up. But if we were making the decision today, we'd still buy it.

Because it's not about the sticker price. It's about the value over time. It's about investing in your health, your sleep, your quality of life.

Cheap mattresses aren't cheaper in the long run. They're just more frequent expenses that add up while making you sleep worse.

Quality costs more upfront. But it pays you back every single night.

A $650 watch that watch snobs will dismiss. The shift from hoarding cash to actually investing it. A $1,200 mattress that's cost us 33 cents per night over seven years.

The common thread: intentional choices that prioritize long-term value over short-term approval.

The Panzera isn't Swiss, but it's classy. The investments feel scary, but they're building wealth. The mattress felt expensive, but it's paid for itself in sleep quality.

None of these decisions required permission. None of them followed the crowd. They just made sense.

That's what intentional luxury is. Not buying what everyone else says you should buy. Not depriving yourself to hit a number. Just knowing what's worth it and acting accordingly.

Thanks for reading,

Ian