Just the right amount of watches

At least one more than I currently have! 🤣 I am a collector, after all.

I currently have 16, 5 of which are essentially the same watch. None of these can even remotely claim to be a luxury watch and aren't exactly in high demand, so there's at least one more in my future. Just like everyone else. Hahaha.

I suspect the answer will always be "at least one more than I currently have" for a good number of us, no matter how large our collections get. 😂 I know it will be for me.

I‘m new to watch collecting and am planning on having 12 total. It feels like a good number for diversity in categories, dial/case material, and brands. It’ll also give each watch adequate wrist time.

The 12 slots I have are: Digital, Beater, Racing, Diver, GMT, Dress, Field, Pilot, 2x Everyday, Heirloom from Dad, and Grail

12 is also good for owning different build materials, which I think is fun. For example, I have an aluminum digital, a steel racing watch, a bronze diver & an 18k gold heirloom, and am looking for a titanium everyday watch, ceramic pilot’s watch, white gold grail, and a field watch with a mother of pearl dial.

Also, none of these watches will have the same brand except for one of the everyday watches and the GMT.

It certainly feels that way as soon as we spot something interesting, doesn't it? 😉

Do you find yourself neglecting a few and not giving them enough wrist time?

Sounds like you have a strategy or at least a clear direction. The problem I found was that throughout the journey, there's always been that one watch that falls into a category I already have enough of and don't want to replace, so I end up adding and straying from the original plan 😂

Well, 5 are basically the same watch (a set, really) and were recently acquired. Others haven't seen a lot, but they do all get worn. 

That is 100% going to happen. I’m just trying my best to pace, but the more you get into the hobby, the more watches you get exposed to, and the more opportunities to lose discipline.

https://www.watchcrunch.com/TopTierTicker/posts/watch-collection-size-sweet-spot-8089#comment-64396

The same answer as bikes for cyclists 

= Min (N+1,D-1)

 where N is the number I own

 where D is the number that drives a divorce...

That's actually a good point. Maybe it's not about the amount, its about pacing ourselves so that we continue to enjoy both the new pieces and the ones we have held onto. Thanks!

Haha, that's a good one. Never crossed my mind there is a mathematical formula which makes a whole lota sense

thanks for the ref 👍

I don't put a number on it otherwise I could see it leading to feelings of anxiety and guilt when that number is reached but I still see watches I want to buy. While ever I can afford it and it's fun, then I will continue to buy watches. A fellow cruncher once compared buying watches to going to music concerts. You spend the money and have your fun and don't have the expectation of getting that money back again. As long as you've had your monies worth of pleasure from the watch then I don't see it matters how many I accumulate. No limits, no regrets 🤟

3-5 watches in the budget range should be plenty for most. There are so many interesting watches out there and limitations will tecnically make it more interesting?

Spot on😂

🤔 I often think would I get a watch to satisfy the itch for a new or another watch… would the grail highly sough after watch would satisfy my ichibunz 😁? the answer is No I haven’t and even when I thought I found my grail watch let’s say a Cartier or a Tudor or even a Rolex and after having them I look for something else to scratch…I enjoy the hunt and for me even when I have the means of acquiring the piece I procrastinate because I don’t want to end the journey of the hunt. 

I am somewhat lucky in that D-1 is a fairly large number for me, as my wife also collects watches, although not nearly as ardently as myself. 😂

Oh man I wish I can gift my dad a watch he always wanted but unfortunately he passed before I can even afford a watch…I envy you and 86 God bless him!! So what did you end up getting him? 😁

I feel a little watch sick this morning. I have bought two this weekend.

I didn't even know how many watches I had until recently, it never crossed my mind to count them, as I was never really concerned about the total number. My system works for be because I rarely impulse buy anything. I spent over a year considering whether I really wanted a Marathon Navigator, now it's my most worn watch... 

As @Deeperblue said, if you consider money spent on watches like money spent on food or entertainment, you then stop worrying about how much "value" is siting in a drawer, watch box, etc.. You can have watches you wear once every couple of months, and as long as they make you smile when you wear them, you're still getting a return on your "investment". I can't say the same about the money I have spent at bars, restaurants, or movie theaters over the years. 

"Take two watches and call me in the morning?" 🤣

N + 1

After I expected the post to read the whole question, as soon as I finished it, I audibly blurted out "oh Jesus". That should give you an idea my answer, lol. 

Probably around 5 primary rotation pieces, with additional not overly expensive (definition can vary) fun pieces allowed that don't get worn as frequently. 

At 1 point I had 20 watch’s and then I felt I moved more towards quality rather than quantity, so I sold a lot to purchase watches of a better quality and thought I will just have 6 and sick with that and I did for a period, I am now expecting number 12 this week 🤪

I noticed that are A LOT of posts related to how many watches each collector has, or asking what is the most "appropriate" amount of watches for a collection.

I think that they are valid questions but, IMHO what matters is how much I am spending each day I use my watches. In this case, having 30 watches that cost me "just" USD 500 but I only use them once a month is as good as having 4 watches that cost me USD 4000 each but I can rotate more often. In both cases, the cost is around USD 42.00 per use/year.

I use this app called "Stylebook Men" from "left brain / right brain, LLC":

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stylebook-men/id515126225

Here I can catalog my watches and how much they cost, I also can set which watch I am wearing each day, and using this info, the app keeps tracking of the cost per wear of each piece.

I've alway thought 7 was the perfect number. Five watches for the weekdays, one special occasion watch and a weekend watch. 😀

It seems that a big part of fun for this hobby is that we don't keep a fixed collection.  We may sell watches and buy new watches that we like, often based on the changes in tastes or focus.  The recent value increases have made it even more practical to do so.  Under this framework, it is more about the total amount of money one is willing to devote to watch collecting hobby.  Within the budget, we may buy and sell.