It seems my thinking about watch collecting differs a lot with you. I agree, its all about personal pref. I like Rolexes but I know I will never own them. They are too big for my wrist, and I honestly believe they are super over priced. I consider them like Apples of tech. They have super awesome band value, but does not mean they worth all the money you put into their pocket. That said, there are lot of other great brands with hell of horology. Like, Omega which is older than Rolex. Oris, Seiko, Tissot are great too!. JLC is like over-manufactured German car, you will never go wrong with it.
But, for me watch collecting is all about a. enjoying the watch. b. Know the history of the watch. c. Have story with the watch you wear. So, yeah I enjoy my Timex Expedition as much as I love wearing HMT* Manual Wind Watch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_(company)