Are we guilty of impact bias?

I enjoy the thrill of the Hunt a LOT! I buy less watches now, focussing more on vintage. so finding something in good condition, good looking etc keepdbme entertained 😭😅

It’s definitely real. Not only with watches but all feel-good items. Watches just amplify it due to the cost being in thousands rather than tens or hundreds with things such as clothing.

Having said that, there are items which I have owned for a long time and they still make me feel good when I wear or use them.

Adding psychology to a hobby is a sure way to kill the enjoyment.

Been collecting for decades and never wondered why. Probably the reason I still enjoy it so much.

i think this requires an honest self reflection on whether you are a shopping enthusiast or a watch enthusiast. if you’re in it for the thrill of shopping and acquiring something, then you’re always going to be chasing that high of buying a watch. replace “watch” with any other object and see if you still get that high. then maybe you’re in it for the thrill of shopping.

i don’t think a watch enthusiast has to own a watch to be thrilled by it. i think that’s an important distinction. appreciation for watches goes beyond ownership and the shopping experience.

Serendipity rules.

Just don’t equate happiness with worldly possessions.

Diminishing marginal utility, it's the law!

Furthermore I suspect that in the long run the curve dips below where it started. Ignorance is bliss and we all should've stuck with that quartz department store watch that kept us happy for so long. I am working on regaining this sort of watch monogamy, but I can't kill the harem. But I'm not adding to the problem.

Reflectng on what drives one's actions is key to having the kind of insight that separates humans from lower primates. This is the genesis of the "ignorance is bliss" adage or similarly "the life unexamined isn't worth living." Some have a better understanding of how their teapot works than they do of their psyche. They haven't examined their own life but are often quick to advise you on yours.

One of the most important things I have learned over the years of being in to watches is the what happens to the graph *after* the chart ends in OP’s picture. Of course, the novelty wears off. Then, when time is spent with the watch and you get to see what it’s like to live with at work, home, vacation, etc., only then do you get to see what your opinion of the watch really is in a more long term sense.

With the watches that are most special to me, I did go a little cold on them after the honeymoon. Then, I started appreciating small details, subtleties of how they wear, and how the design really speaks to me now that there isn’t as much noise or novel excitement in my head. We’re never objective in this hobby, but we are a lot closer to it after we have had a few months with a watch as opposed to a few weeks. We talk a lot a out how patience is reward regarding buying watches and I feel the same way about being patient and thoughtful with when to part with a watch.

Two watches for me where this is especially true:

I have a rule that we attempt to follow..

Every luxury more expensive than $100 must be longed for more than 1 month. And for every additional $100 dollars, another month. It's amazing what you really don't want, deep down inside.

So true. The watch world is full of stories about people re-buying watches they thought they didn't want. To me, the money you lose on that kind of exchange represents other watches you could have had and wasted time. It would be emotionally painful for me to find myself buying a watch I'd had, sold at a loss, and decided I really missed. I think we're all falling victim to a warped sense of time, and as old people like to do, I blame the internet. In the past people might have held on to a watch longer before making a decision, but a month now seems like a year.

It's a spirit of consumerism. One good way would be to bound the purchase with a milestone event, that way it serves more like a memento/keepsake rather than just another toy

Thanks for sharing, good reminder to reflect on our actions.

If I try this I have to wait until I'm dead to get a Vacheron.

This is exactly how I intend to collect from now on. My purchases are becoming more expensive and less frequent, I like to plan ahead now and mark milestones with reward.

I think the dip happens for most things. But there are some things that really do exceed expectations and bring lasting appreciation over time. Sometimes it can be hard to tell which is which, and surprise favorites can unexpectedly emerge.

It's funny. It was like diagram two for me for a long time - the purchase, happy, purchase roller coaster. But now I've somehow reached a happy plateau. Not quite sure why but suspect it's because I've realised that:

- For me, the more expensive watches I've bought offer very little different from more affordable ones. This means I no longer feel the need to "climb the ladder" of brand or model hierarchy, paying more to get "better".

- I now know what I like (through many mistakes and ill-advised purchases) and it's out of step with what's currently trendy - this reduces the temptation to buy the latest must-have hype watch as I know I won't actually like it. I also now know what I dislike so I don't feel the need to have a "representative" from every watch type.

- I have enough variety in the watches I have that I can scratch the itch for something new by putting on a different watch.

- I bought my grail without realising it, a 37mm gold Eterna triple calendar moonphase chronograph. It hits all the spots for me in terms of design, complications, materials, finishing and sizing.

I feel immensely lucky and privileged to be in that position - I'm in the process of selling the watches that I really don't wear so that someone else can enjoy them.

That explains why I thought capri trousers were a good idea in the nineties… 🙄

I've experienced this too but the beauty of getting past a threshold number of watches in your collection is that when you pull out an old neglected watch out of the box to wear, you often get a little of that new watch thrill that made you want to buy the watch in the first place.

It's a good thing I don't sell any of my watches (not better than anyone else, just too lazy) or I might come full circle and buy the same watch I sold after seeing one again or seeing a watch a lot like it (vicious circle).

This way, if I see something I like, I can just dig through the box(es) and almost always find something to feed the itch. Come to think of it, this has not slowed me down or stopped my collecting (buying) watches so maybe I should just shut up.

I think the problem with your logic is that it assumes that the peak and trough is the same if you repeatedly purchase new watches. In reality, the dopamine peak gets smaller and smaller and the withdrawal trough gets deeper and deeper if we push the button too much, in the same way that a junkie requires bigger and bigger hits in order to get the same amount of pleasure as the first time.

I think it's probably most elegant argument for stretching out purchases. If you're happiness maximizing, a slow burn tends to make more sense (same peak, shallower troughs).

But then again, when it comes to watches, I'm an impulsive hedonist so maybe I'm just bullsh*tting here 😉

it’s funny how many milestones your mind can make up if given the opportunity.

“oh this is the watch i bought for myself for successfully completing my chores last weekend. and this other one is for successfully making it to Friday without getting fired the week before.”

Your analogy about bigger and bigger hits rings true (as I look down at my aquanaut!)

Me too. Certain things just click. My first Arcteryx jacket, my old hiking boots, my Sinn 556ib, my opinel knife. Some things get better with time. I’m getting the same feeling build with my explorer II.

I needed to see that graph today, thank you for stopping me from doing something financially irresponsible 🤣

I was literally thinking “If I buy that watch I’m done, I won’t need another one for a couple of years”, oh the lies we tell ourselves

Facts.

what a tangled web we weave...

I have to disagree with the graph. It does not take into account when you go shopping and unexpectedly find a tremendous deal on a watch, or anything for that mater. Now I’m talking 75% and better off, it’s like bagging a trophy which is quite the rush that lasts and keeps going up, not flatten out. 😋

In general I agree with the graph and thus had a <$100 rule for my first year of collecting, and I agree with you that getting deals does help flatten the curve a little. I have watches with MSRPs of $245, $199, $185, $149, $140, and $79 and have yet to pay more than $88 for a watch or spend more than 50% of MSRP 👍

I've made it a game to try and document some of my travels/milestones/places visited or come home from, through watches. Or they have been gifts from loved ones, who didnt have a lot of $$, but see my hobby and wish to gift me something to add to my collection.

This is the main reason I won't sell a chunk of my watches. I can look through what I have and remember a certain place or time, or think of someone who loves me.

Actually it creates a spike that continues as a plateau until the thrill wears off. Like that thrill you get when you pay $400 for a $1200 MSRP watch. That is what I'm talking about.