When I was in Vietnam most of my paycheck as a Captain went to my wife who was taking care of our two little kids. I kept enough to pay for smokes and beer and occasional poker. I knew if I lost my money it would not impact upon my family. After a few months my poker winning allowed me to buy some stereo equipment and a few rings for my wife. I then considered a Rolex, which if I recall was about $175 or just about the same cost of a good camera. But I wanted the camera more and bought a Pentax. I've often thought how much better off I would have been if I had bought the Rolex.
In the late 70's, one of my Army friends who had bought a Rolex needed to get the crystal replaced because he was badly scratched, making it hard to tell what time it was. He took it to a Rolex dealer in NYC and that new crystal cost him far more than the watch had originally cost.
If I owned a Rolex now it would be sitting in the back of dresser drawer. I would be wearing the Apple Watch that I use everyday.
Cigarettes in Vietnam PX stores were $1.90 per carton (10 packs). Beer was $2.40 per case. Most popular liquor brands were $1.90 per quart. Everything tax-free, of course.
Every soldier had a ration card allowing 4 cartons of cigarettes per month, and either 4 cases of beer or 4 bottles of booze. The emphasis was on eliminating black market activity. Needless to say, the non-smokers and non-drinkers kept up a brisk trade in ration card allowances.
Each C-Ration meal contained a 4-pack of cigarettes; no choice, Marlboro, Winston, Pall Mall, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, etc by luck of the draw.
Most of the larger (base) camps had clubs for enlisted men, NCOs, and officers. The major headquarters areas had serious clubs, real big-time nightclubs with touring bands, live entertainment, etc. One of the biggest publicized scandals of the time involved the club operations and huge amounts of funds disappearing.
I Corps Headquarters in Da Nang included a huge club complex covering a couple of blocks, fancy hotel, nightclub, steaks and prime rib dinners, private party suites, you name it. I'm sure there were others in other command areas.