Whatever happend to just keeping and wearing your watch?
When I started collecting watches what resonated with me was the idea of having a watch/es that was part of my personal story. I loved hearing stories of people who had a watch for X amount of years.
Usually these individuals either had old Rolex Subs, Seiko's, Omegas, Bulova's, etc. For the most part they beat the leaving crap out of their watch and weren't even "watch" people. They just had the watch because they reached a milestone and treated themselves or were gifted it. We all probably wished we were passed down one of these!
Now it seems we buy and sell our watches to get the next fix (I just sold 4 this year and purchased 3) and have little to no attachment to those watches. I think its important to have at least one forever watch that you can keep forever or pass down. I've noticed the watches I get rid of are ones i have no emotional attachment. I have 2 that I plan on keeping forever.
Do you buy watches to just sample all the options we have available or buy to wear the living crap out of them?
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
And this is another reason I don't consider myself a collector. I am a normal person that gets an object to keep and use.
I think it's a combo of the vast number of options out there, the ease of finding out about the newer offerings (increased/improved/targeted marketing and then watches becoming investment vehicles merging to create a weird version of FOMO for a lot of us.
Me, I have 20 watches, 10 or so of which get 95% of the wrist time and I have a themed collection I want to achieve, and I try to do so as inexpensively as possible, so selling any is likely not going to happen.
Gifting though... I do have a couple of watches that are overlaps of others in terms of the theme that I would gift to a person that showed genuine interest.
I never part with watches that have sentimental value, even if I never wear them, because thats part of the hobby for me. That being said I am guilty of buying and switching out multiple watches and not having that "one" watch. I think a big reason our attitudes towards watches have changed over time is because they are not really a tool or necessity these days. They are more of a luxury we afford ourselves so we treat them as such. Back in the day when people wore the one watch, many of them were probably not particularly into watches but bought and used them as tools.
I buy but don't sell so no problem 😜.
I wear all my watches but the more I get, the less wear time each of them get so maybe gifting or selling them off to a good home would be better.
I try to avoid the "acquire too much for the next fix (or shiny object)" by limiting purchases to 1-2 max a year now (I was bad in the beginning with no limit). Really helps focus on what you really want and makes those few purchases a little special.
The only watches that I own with special meaning are my wedding watch and my "grail". The rest I really like and love to wear and I get your point BUT it's like anything else that we really like in our lives. My Dad loves Cameras and has a ton and my friend loves cars and owns more than he should.
Enjoy what you love. Life is short.
Over 24 watches and have not sold any. I personally go through stages, sometimes I like divers more than pilots other times I like Casio's more than anything else. Maybe my cream dials are my thing for Sept. So personally I don't like to get rid of my stuff just because I'm not feeling it that week. I don't use my two dress watches almost never yet I need to have at least one that I can wear with a suit. At the same time most my watches are affordable so sell to get what? 150? Maybe 250 to 300 for my Seiko Samurai if I'm lucky. I would not sell my Hanhart unless the economy crashes and I have no money to pay the rent. Which to be honest if 2k is the reason that left me out homeless I should of not purchase the item.
I bounce around between 2 and 10 or so. The 2 were gifts, and neither is perfect for everyday wear. So I chase the "perfect watch to wear everyday", knowing that I'll try a few, then get frustrated and sell them all. Repeat every couple of years...
I don't like owning extras of anything, which is why I get frustrated when a few pile up. I really just want one that's "right". Haven't found it yet, although a 39mm Pelagos in a scaled down fxd case with the crown at 9 would be close.
I buy watch's that stir my emotions and which to use and wear.
I tend to keep them , though I have sold a few pies in the past . My beautiful Seamaster and o couple of Tag's all of which was to fund another grail watch.
These days I wouldn't do that, if I can't buy it now it doesn't get to join my other watch's.
I never got into the whole flipping watches constantly thing, I know many people do, but it never appealed to me. I buy watches to own them long term, not to "experience" them.
I have bought and sold a lot of watches. But I feel that I'm actually getting closer to those forever watches and what I really like. I have limit of 3-4 watches max. That means I have to sell if I get a new watch.
I hardly ever sell anything, careful curating is the secret.
Another perspective to consider is like me and my fountain pen. I have a really nice one which I intend to use for decades, change the ink on it all the time. Yet you will see a lot of people get disposable biros, gel pens in office, using multiple at the same time or losing them. The price of a $100usd fountain pen vs $0.50 ballpoint.
Easily accessible watches at lower price points may be similar in these cases. Having multiple Seikos or different colour moonswatch etc. becomes more of an option and can be fun. Selling them doesn't seem unreasonable. I think there are multiple mindsets in watch collecting.
If you were born rich enough to treat money as a hobby, chances are you'd never even know that wasn't normal. So it goes with all investments. Treating an object as an object is not the same as treating an object as a standing reserve of potential currency. I see this with car guys all the time, they'll buy something cool, get tired of fixing it, and then make it someone else's project to partially fund their next project. Personally, I collect things because I want to have them, and that's the only way I understand. I don't buy anything with the intention of getting rid of it. That's not to say any mode of being is any more valid than the next, it's only to say my perspective. Flip away if that's your style, it's just not mine.
Wow profoundly true….. I have sold several this year and am now down to 5 watches. of those 5 there are two that I never plan to get rid of but you know the old saying if you want to make god laugh tell him your plans. Thanks for this post man I needed to read it.