The Watches I've Bypassed

My collecting style may be unique, but I guess that's what this post is intended to find out. 

I'm a quality over quantity guy in everything I buy. I like to buy once and cry once as James Stacey would say. Also, due to a recent divorce and some repairs needed to my car and my homes, I haven't been able to save money (outside of my 401k) as much as I used to. Finally, I have champagne dreams but a beer budget. 

I like to set aspirational targets and work towards them. But often, life gets in the way via medical bills, child care, home and car repairs, etc. It takes me a while to save up to buy a new watch in the tier I prefer to play in, which is the Omega, Breitling, Grand Seiko, Cartier, Zenith tier. I'd maybe play in the Rolex domain if I had an AD relationship, but alas I do not. I have only bought one watch in the last two years after buying my Aqua Terra. I'm currently saving for my next big piece, either a Cartier Tank Americaine, an Omega Seamaster 300m (green) or the Grand Seiko SBGE255. All three watches would fill a hole in my collection but I'm currently a few grand short of getting any of them. I'm probably 6-12 months away, minimum. More likely 18 months or more.

Along the way, I have been VERY tempted by multiple, more affordable watches. It's taken everything I have not to get these pieces. The list of watches I've seriously considered buying over the past two years is below. The temptation is REAL! Can anyone relate? Do other people have the same discipline I do, or do you cave to your desires?

Arken Instrumentum

Farer Mansfield

Farer Aquamatic

Baltic Aquascaphe Dual Crown

Monta Atlas

Straum Opphav

Oris Aquis Relief Cherry Red

G-Shock GBD-200

Doxa Sub 300

Unimatic U1

Excelsior Park EP95001

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Beginning of this year I had a budget to buy #rolex explorer ii and gmt master. Then came the harsh reality from rolex AD that they don't like you if you don'y buy other watches that you don't like. Then the temptation started creeping in and now 10 months later I have 6 new watches and a low bank balance ($$$$ ----> $). 

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Love the Aquascaphe, but resist… RESIST!

I am currently scaling back my collection to get a Tudor Ranger. Should fortune favour me, I might add a Glashutte Original PanomaticLunar to make it a trio of beauties.

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Username checks out.  😉

I think you're doing the right thing. Stay the course and keep saving.  You'll be glad you did.

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Not really. I usually just jump on a watch if I got savings enough to do it without being (too) stupid 🤣 This is why I have closed my collection 🔓 I have been going for quality over quantity though, in my price range.. 

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Over the course of time I have change my collecting from grabbing quantity (usually justified in my head by things like “filling a void, I don’t have that size, I don’t have that color…. Etc)

to collecting bug targets and adding Omegas and Breitlings I had always wanted but then back down to somewhere in the middle

while I’d love to add a Blancpain 50 fathoms one day

 but I’ve been Equally satisfied with Oris, Doxa, Squale, Zodiac etc that I’ve added more recently 

I could save up for that Blancpain now and wait until I have it all….   it I think I’ll probably end up adding a Doxa 600t and Seiko land tortoise before cause they are good watches that I can afford and want now.

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Mind you, I don't think there is a right or wrong way to collect. For every watch I pass up (especially limited editions like that bubble gum pink Monta Atlas), I often say to myself, "will this wait be worth it?" 

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Yeah, I don't find this meme of people being impulsive addicts to be all that humorous. 

My parents raised me to be very tight with spending, so I've walked the walk of strict financial discipline for my whole life. Just last I realized I had some Amazon/Ebay gift cards from some incentive program, and started e-shopping for straps. After a while, I realized that I barely use most of the ones that I already have and that I should stop this silliness and wait until I truly needed something. And I did. The end.

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I list/watch/unlist watches I want. Usually taking months to buy. If certain watches keep bouncing back on the list, they move up the purchase order. 

Currently awaiting four Chinese watches, a couple of Citizen non-US market models with 2-3 more pending. 

Still looking for the right salmon dial watch. 
 

The new Timex multicolor chrono was a impulse buy. Happy picked it up. Zenith-esque and at a fraction of the cost. 
 

Currently waiting to save for (will pick these up in 2023-2024)

Citizen Chronomaster Washi Dial

Nivada Chronoking

Longines Spirit

New to the list but expected to stick:

Monta Atlas

Rado Captain Cook

The wife bought me the BB58 925 this summer as a congrats for my job promotion. That was a huge surprise. 
 

Enjoy the ride. 

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The list of watches I seriously considered buying but decided to skip is rather short:

Farer Bernina: I liked the colors and style but in the end I decided that mechanical chronos made very little sense for me.

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Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster: I was attracted to the authentic retro design and the uniqueness of this model. But again, mechanical chrono make no sense to me so I skipped.

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Christopher Ward C60 Sapphire: I was attracted by the sapphire dial and choice of colors but decided to skip once I realized that there is nothing there really to see under the sapphire disk and that CW can't design a good dial with a decent set of hands even if their life depended on it.

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I would say that if you've tried on the Cartier, Omega and GS and fallen in love then I'd definitely wait. 

I'm lucky in the fact that watch cost is not proportional to the joy I get from them, so I can often indulge without worrying too much and can still maintain my savings pot for more costly purchases.

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If I'm honest, it depends on the stage of my life. For most of my life, I have been great at setting stretch goals and working towards them - home down payment, car, etc. But I've never really had a collecting hobby before and I really enjoy experiencing new watches - new styles, new complications, new colors, new materials, new brands. I find it enjoyable to experience these affordable watches while I figure out what kind of watch I'm willing to spend luxury money to obtain.