Biggest Watch Regret?

SNK809... I learned that just because "everybody" say's something great, does not mean it is actually great.

I wasted ~$100-130 CAD on a cheap jangly POS. The only positive part of the experience was learning very quickly that just because "everybody" says a watch is good, does not mean it is good. 

The bracelet with the SNK809 is indeed terrible. However if you replace it with a nice NATO strap or pilot style leather strap you end up with a decent looking beater watch. Yes it isn’t the most robust feeling watch on the wrist, operating the crown doesn’t inspire confidence and the movement looks like it was assembled from bits that were salvaged from an abandoned washing machine. Give the watch a chance though and in time you might find it has a certain charm.

My biggest regret was selling my first good watch I bought before I was into watches.

I bought a used 2006 Omega Seamaster Pro 300M (2531.80) for a reasonable price in 2008. I wore the hell out of it as my only watch for about 7 years. Didn’t really care about watches, just loved this watch. So much so the bracelet broke. Got a quote of about €250 to replace the bracelet, as well as an offer to sell the watch, broken bracelet and all, for around or a little above what I first paid for it. Sold the watch. Decided to buy something cheaper and pocket the difference. Did some research and ended up in this rabbit hole.

Over the years started missing the watch, more so when I realised my children associated that watch with me.

This year bought the same model again (not the exact same watch again, this time a 2004, but same exact model) for exactly double what I sold old the first one for, but still think I got a bargain.

Lesson: don’t rush in to selling a watch, especially if you have grown attached to it.

what isnt so good about snk809? is it just the bracelet? i used to have one too and it is great. but i sell it because the dial looks like my other flieger watch lol

The only ones I "regret" are the ones when I didn't had the money to buy the watches that I wanted at the time. There's a few like the Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle self-winding limited edition (to 20 pieces, all gone now), and a Patek Philippe 5146G (which I saw first time on a shop window, discontinued. Then it got sold the next day). There's also the LUC Quattro Spirit 25 but I'm pretty sure I could get ome when I'm ready. Idk if that's regret tho, but was really cool to see those watches. There was also a Seiko Presage Porco Rosso Spring Drive (which I didn't knew went on sale) and didn't manage to buy it. That made me sad.

Another one is that I wished I bought my Omega Worldtimer first (since they just gradually increased in price from retail).

Mine is buying a lot of junk. Hate to say it that way because I love all watches. But I have a general rule that I only keep it if I wear it. And most of the time, I’m move the junky ones pretty quickly. 

I regret missing out on many limited editions, but in truth they were usually sold out long before they were on my radar. Grand Seiko blue whirlpool would fall into that category. 
 

Rolex OP 39mm white dial would be a case where it wasn’t available long enough to even ’express an interest’. Same with 36mm yellow dial. Everybody talking about the 41mm tifanny being discontinued , but at least it’s still listed in 36mm, unlike it’s red and yellow brethren. Anyway my pride prevents me from expressing an interest. 
I did put my name down belatedly for the new Omega Snoopy, regret not doing so earlier, not sure if it makes any difference.

my biggest regret was not getting into modding seikos earlier. I was daunted by all the stuff I imagined to be exceedingly difficult, only to find out it wasn't as bad as I imagined. Most of the watches I have purchased for myself, have been below the 500.00 usd mark and I have been very happy with everything. 

Buying a bunch of invictas maybe like 10/15 years ago to start my collection lol 

When I started I was buying affordable watches waaay to quickly, ended up with a lot of cheap pieces that I don't wear.

I own way too many cheap animated cartoon character watches for an adult.

I bought mine on a strap, it was still a POS. 

I had been wearing watches for a couple of decades before I got "into" watches, so perhaps my expectations were higher than the average SNK809 buyer, but it was a cheaply made watch, that felt cheap. It wasn't "iconic", it wasn't a "great introduction to automatic movements", or any of the other garbage people say about it. It was a crap watch that kept time poorly, and needed to be shaken to start it... If I wanted to make sure someone never thought anything positive about Seiko, I'd recommend a SNK809. The biggest reason I don't currently own a SBP143/239 is my experience with the 809. 

I went onto buy a Hamilton "Interstellar", which I still love, and consider to be my first real automatic watch. 

I don’t have a regret, but I do have a major near miss. 

When I made my decision on my first ’high horology‘ dress watch, I decided on the Lange 1815 Up/Down in white gold. Beautiful, well-finished, under-the-radar; a connoisseur’s piece that I fell in love with at first sight. I went to the boutique to make my purchase. But as I inspected it under a loupe, I saw a tiny nick at 6 o’clock. The salesperson saw what I saw and apologized, and said he’d have one express shipped from another location in the next day.

But as I was walking home, I thought about what happened and something occurred to me. I had never worn precious metal of any kind for any reason—do I really have the lifestyle to wear gold?  As with anything I buy, I intended to get frequent use out of whatever watch I bought without worrying about keeping it pristine.  But I live in Manhattan, so I ride the subway to work, pass hundreds of people on the sidewalk, etc., and all with rolled-up sleeves in the sweltering summers.  I definitely don’t baby any of my watches and I expect wear and tear on any of them.  But on a dress watch in particular, there’s a fine line between patina and inviting a horror show by selecting something that simply doesn’t suit my lifestyle.

So I went with the FP Journe Chronometre Bleu, cased in tantalum. Even after six years of frequent wear, it still looks great. It certainly has some wear, but it looks like normal patina rather than out-of-character dents and bruises.

I still love the ALS and lust after it, but after many desk dives and the addition of two very destructive kids, I’m happy (and relieved) that I didn’t go with gold at this point in my life. 

This was the main reason I took a long pause in buying watches (20 years).  My first purchase was a citizen eco drive diver 7878.  I simply did not know enough about watches until I was able to see more reviews and know what drives the value of a watch other then looking cool.

Second issue is I did not know where to get a particular watch I wanted......  boom!  Internet and crono24.....  now, information over load and more watches then I need.  Ha ha ha....

Oh gosh, designer watches. I walked into a strip mall with some money to spend, presumably on holiday gifts, and I walk out with a designer watch. I payed near $400 for a cheap quartz movement on a watch that fits horribly and is in general cheaply made. I wish I knew better then so I could've spent that money on a nice Seiko, but, I was a new enthusiast then so I saw something that looks cool and picked it up with no questions asked.

I haven't really got a one-that-got-away, but I will admit to buying a fashion watch early in my journey. 

I bought a pair of watches second hand from a guy who was selling them both together, without really researching what I was getting. I picked up an SNK809 (which was my first auto) as well as a quartz... Armani... ...thing. Over the next few days I started researching watches and I learned I'd bought a legendary, gateway drug automatic, and a quartz... Armani... ...thing. 

Flipped the Armani for what I paid for it, and still have the Seiko! I polished the bead blast off the case, and wear it on a leather band, it's a banger. 

Selling my vintage Longines Flagship as it needed a Service - very bad decision!