Watch Collecting Personas - Breaking down WatchCrunch groups

Hi all, I’m a big fan of this platform’s spectrum of characters, with its wide variety of personalities and collecting styles. I thought it’d be fun the write up some personas – obviously, humans are complex and can’t be put into buckets, but that doesn’t make this exercise any less entertaining. Everything in here is 100% opinion and followed no scientific process. Do you fit in any of these or is there one I missed? Am I just dead wrong? If you feel targeted, it’s a coincidence 😂! I’m doing this all in jest and it was very fun for me. In no order, here they are:

1. Silverback Gorilla

These collectors care about status. Their watches represent the path they’ve walked to get here and serve as a constant reminder of their success. Brand name is usually the first or second point of consideration (besides ‘does it look good?’), and the other aspects such as movement, power reserve, and water resistance are not as important. Any brand without a proven track record or recognition is a waste of money. This collector frequently posts on #WRUW and rarely contributes to the platform in any other way.

2. Microbrand Maven

These enthusiasts started with mainstream brands but, disillusioned by the repetitive designs, shifted quickly to boutique offerings. They love risks, whether it be those taken by watchmakers in design, or by themselves in purchasing. For the Microbrand Maven, movement is not a high priority, but uniqueness, high technical specs, and craftmanship for value are the key factors to buying. Mavens interact with WatchCrunch by incessantly asking for opinions about a certain microbrand.

3. Brand Ambassador

Brand ambassadors, as the name suggests, mostly collect one brand. They associate strongly with one or more of the following: a brand’s mission, connection to historic events or figures, or design language. Because of this monumental value Ambassadors have assigned to the brand name, they will always choose their favourite company's watch against another watch with the same MSRP. Most common examples of brand ambassadors are lovers of Rolex, Omega, Grand Seiko, Tag Heuer, and Panerai. In WatchCrunch, this group loves to avoid voting on polls and leaving in the comments section: “None of the above, but have you considered this <insert brand> <insert reference here>?”.

4. Category Specialist

This type of collector loves one type of watch: chronograph, diver, Flieger, etc. The Category Specialist loves the history behind why this type of watch was invented and how every aspect of the design points to a certain need. A Type B Flieger for quick legibility, a bubbleback case for owners who forget to screw in their crown before swimming. There may also be a hint of celebrity vampirism – perhaps a collector first saw a Seamaster in a 007 movie and now spends his life procuring divers to associate himself with that air of confidence. Some therapy could be in order to test this hypothesis.

5. Vintage Virtuoso

This group of special collectors are romantics at heart. They yearn for a time when technical innovation was the heart of watchmaking, when companies would compete for the first automatic chronograph or create the most cost-effective watch for military contracts. Vintage virtuosos are structured thinkers and love rules – field watches only need a certain amount of water resistance, dive watches bezels should only be uni-directional. This is probably why they were drawn to vintage, as hunting for a vintage watch forces a buyer to come up with his or her own set of rules. You can find this group calling people out for being wrong on WatchCrunch.

6. Design Devotee

Design devotees collect because of their love for products. They look for watches with unique case materials and dial manufacturing processes because they are a blend of art and science. Some design decisions are made purely for aesthetics but require hours of artisan work, such as a hand-turned guilloché dial, a lacquer painting of a map, or Zaratsu polishing. Other descisions are made to solve a problem, like using titanium for lightness when travelling or a bi-coloured ceramic bezel to denote day and night on a GMT. These collectors seek watches that WOW with their design. They are fairly brand agnostic, as long as the execution of the dial and case is immaculate.

7. Wild Child

Writing about this group makes me laugh because I have one foot in the door. This type of watch collector just buys anything shiny. There is only one rule – if I like it, I’m getting it. There is a hint of compulsion and if category specialists might need to go to therapy, wild children should definitely book an appointment. The most common WatchCrunch post titles of this collector are: “New watch...”, “Should I get this watch?”, and “Convince me not to get this watch”.

8. Tinkerer

This type of enthusiast is hands-on, patient, and proud of their ability to absorb new information and create something out of nothing. Tinkerers see watches as what they should be – tools, and not status symbols. This group is well-experienced with movements and that is the most important component of watch buying – dials, cases, watch hands, etc. are not as crucial as long as they look good. These collectors don’t post much, but we all appreciate it when they do because they are a font of knowledge.

9. Window Shopper

Finally, we have the Window Shopper. This group is not defined by demographics or psychographics, but behaviourally. They browse and don’t buy. The Window Shopper group is made up of new watch enthusiasts who have not made it that far on their journey, old collectors who are done with the vicious cycle of ownership, or those who don't have the funds (read: prioritize sane financial goals). Window Shoppers gobble up watch content because of their love for horology, and have the discipline to not lust after their next piece. They also post about anything and everything on WatchCrunch to substitute the dopamine from buying a watch with that obtained from virtual camaraderie. Honestly, this is probably the cohort we should all strive to.