When you started getting into watches: what type(or style) of watches did you like and compare it to your current favourite style(My own example below)

Hmm, it started with g shocks, still have plenty of them. Except 2 divers; seiko 2nd gen monster & seiko 5 'baby monster'- both nicknamed 'dracula'. Though i love them both a whole lot i think my collection will (if) grows in g shocks

Dive watches are the gateway drug of watch collecting. I blame Seiko

I was just considering this. Last year was when I began collecting in earnest. My first purchase to that end was my Brew Retromatic. It’s a copper colored dial and a squarish case with its bracelet. Then it was a bronze cased diver from CW, then on the very last day of that year it was the Tudor Ranger.

There were some smaller cheap purchases made but the trajectory was that I began with sort of a weirder or more unique watch with the Brew, then a pretty normal looking diver but in a weird material as bronze, and ended with a truly boring (not in a bad way if you ask me) Ranger.

I’m surprised by how much I enjoy the more classic look of the Ranger. I still love my other watches, and there’s a few weirder ones for sure, but I find as I get older I’m leaning more to conservative quality in designs than unique or quirky. Whether it’s my clothes or shoes I’m leaning more towards classic. Oh crap… am I middle aged now?! Did that just happen?

I guess the Ranger is still a bit strange but by my standards pretty tame.

I think there is something about classic/conservative designs which has it's own unique "coolness" about them. I will always find my first G-shock really fun yet I have a Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer on the way and there is something really quite cool about the design even though it looks "plain" and has far less functions in comparison.

EDIT: Decided to return the Jazzmaster, it's a pretty watch but I didn't "connect" with it

Agreed. There will always be days when I wear my green Moonswatch or that crazy green falcon eye Timex Q but most days have been the Tudor and a pair of Levi’s with a black tee. Here’s to the classics right?

Tudor and Levi's is a vibe I wish I would have thought of sooner!

It's like my current vibe of 62mas with Pyjama shorts 🤣

I always had G shocks, but then got a little into those retro recraft seiko's.

Now I'm still into G shocks and field/divers.

Field watches are my jam. They are the Swiss army knife of watches. They are thin often have good water resistance and can fit under a cuff at a more formal setting.

I didn't have a style when I first started but I know I hated dive watches. Now I have many of them...and don't have any style that I reject outright. Everyone is welcome in my collection!

😂💸

Starting off with Casios and drooling over the Edifice lineup, I loved sports watches in my formative years. Now, I am rather the opposite; small-cased, thin, vintage dress watches oozing sentimentality and begging to tell their stories in a new life.

Man! That is impressive.

I too was very late to the Diver party. Dress watches and chronos were the best lifestyle fit for me in 2019 then I discovered field watches. Still searching for the right apex Diver despite now having owned a few Rolex subs. I think I'll always have a soft spot for fancy night out watches despite the rise of casual clothing including yoga pants and flip flops at the opera house.

Chronographs. I liked Chronographs. I still like Chronographs visually but I would most likely only consider quartz as they get very big (or expensive) otherwise. But then again quartz is also where I started so it kind of makes sense I guess 🤷‍♂️

I’ve been thinking about this as well, but through a different lens. I started out with “lower end” luxury watches like Tissot (not that they’re lower end but you know what I mean). Then I ponied up for an Omega Speedmaster. 2022 was a year that I surpassed several personal and professional milestones. Celebrated by throwing my hat in the ring for a Rolex Datejust 41.

Since then, it’s all been microbrands or fun, unique pieces that speak to me on some level. Military field watches from Praesidus, diver from Christopher Ward, etc. I pre-ordered a Studio Underd0g last week. I’m currently lusting after the Farer Burbidge.

In a way, I feel like my collecting journey has become more personal, or maybe personalized to what fits my eye, wearing habits and style.

I just recently became truly interested in watches. Especially after learning that there are various brands at great quality and specs for very affordable prices. First was my G-Shock square. It's a daily driver. Most recently I came across this micro brand Aragon. I initially dismissed it as a Invicta copy or something. Little did I know that EVERY watch has designed the same man for just over 30 years. I checked for reviews and the only complaint was the large size. At 6'4" and 270lbs a big watch looks good on my wrist.

I landed on the most recent release the Dive Master 4 EVO. It came with 2 size options 48 and 43. I was so tempted to get the big boy, but I chickened out and got the socially acceptable 43mm. And it's a beast of a tank

Chronographs for me and still chronographs now. But will like a diver in the collection eventually. Also a dress watch on order, Reverso.

At the start, it was mostly dive watches... generally because my budget was more limited and 75% of all Kickstarter campaigns are dive watches. They still have a prominent place in my heart. I want to love field watches and pilots watches, because I really think that the philosophy and history behind them are cool..... but I have reluctantly accepted that, while I like these styles, I will never really want more than 2-3 of each in a collection. Both field watches and pilots watches have very strong guidelines and themes which push the design in specific directions, and I find that this limits the variability of these types of watches.

Right now, and I think that this is something that will always be a preference for me, I gravitate towards interesting design, mostly in divers and dress watches. For divers, I turn away from the heavy tool watch diver and certainly lean more towards the dress divers - I love my Oris, for example. Its not cool to say, and there is a culture of feeling that dive watches should be 100% function oriented, but its the truth. For dress, there is something ultimately sensational about a more sophisticated dress watch that also manages to be different and interesting, even where it needs to bend the traditional values of a dress watch.

Lovely collection, I think of the Star Wars "General Grievous" meme applies (but with dive watches) 😉

I often think of getting a mechanical chronograph too but then I see the upfront cost(and the servicing costs quite a bit too ☹ ), I'm content with sticking to quartz and solar-powered ones(for now)

What was your first watch?

Gorgeous photo!

My first watch was a Breitling Top Time Chronograph.

Never seen one before - (not sure which version you have/had) but they all seem to be packed with loads of class and character, lovely watch.

It was like this one attached but with red accents (seconds and sub seconds hands). My dad brought it through his AOPA association. I promptly destroyed it.

Here was my first decent watch...

Here is my favorite in the collection now...

G shocks. My older brother bought one when he finished school and started working, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever that there were so many g shocks for different purposes, that they had all this functionality, and they were TOUGH. Used to download pictures of g shocks from Google and imagine myself doing badass shit. He eventually gave that g shock to me, although I was heavily addicted to drugs at that time in my life, and I sold it almost immediately to buy some cigarettes and pills.

Bought myself a new g shock once I had been off drugs for a while and got my life back on track.....and then a few more... plus some casios....and some seikos.....😅.

I now work a fly in fly out job resurfacing roads, it's fast paced and very dirty work, so I need something tough and reliable, but I also want to have THE BEST DRIP out of the whole crew.

2 years clean of all drugs last month, FEELING BETTER THAN EVER, LOVING LIFE, SAVING HEAPS, bought this yesterday because I fucking deserve it (gmw-b5000)

FORGOT THE PHOTO

it started with a G-Shock at an age of 9 for me.

Then I forgot about collecting and used one and only watch on a daily. It was a Seiko SNK803 field watch and then an Apple Watch series 6.

When I decided to get back into, my favourite style was a big bulky chronograph.

Nice watch, small wrist...

Now, by hanging out with other enthusiasts I started to discover more new styles, brands, models and what's most important - sizes. Being dissatisfied with a 41.5 mm watch on a wrist, I decided to take a look at the smaller watches, and also because I'm a pesky hipster, I wanted to get a sneak peak of the vintage market. I'm a bit into art and design and by turning my attention to vintage pieces I got myself a bit more educated on the history of watchmaking and got myself exposed to the examples of the brilliant design, like Max Bill, Cartier Santos or Tank and a Datejust. Overall, I always enjoyed minimal watches with a white/cream dial on a chocolate leather straps, but exploring vintage market gave me a new perspective on watch designs.

I still enjoy wearing sports watches, but I don't want to go over 40mm for a chronograph or a diver and over 36-38 for a 3 hander. And it's pretty easy to stay in this lane, since vintage, Neo-vintage and vintage inspired watches are usually smaller.

My main themes were chronos and divers ones, then i diversify into digitals, formal watches, and fun casual ones. Also a couple of field watches, but not a great fan of them