Where to next for your collection? SOTC 2023.

Your collection is Hawt! Great pieces. I’m kinda in the same situation. I might still put together basic mods but I want to slow down and just save up for luxury pieces.

You already got luxury watches with the Invictas

Nice collection. I also like those modded ones. They are unique, and you probably enjoyed to make those.

I’m in the same boat as you for 2024. I have about 2 dozen and my strategy is changing. Looking to target either higher quality pieces or pieces tied to something. My last 3 buys this year were the Monta, Kurono, and GShock so my collection is already turning over. Need to figure out what to do with the ones I have first before the next leap forward.

Great collection. I would probably add a German watch into your collection.

I'm 80% sure I'm traveling back to Japan this Feb-March I'm hoping to find my first Grand Seiko. Last time I saw some nice vintage models under 1k. I also saw some brands I can't find on retail here to try like Fortis, Sinn, etc.

Excellent collection! I'm in a similar situation. I've gathered most of the affordable watches I like, so it's time to slow down and curate the collection. I look at watches as tools so I have a hard time rationalizing price points above $500, but I might test the waters with Longines, Grand Seiko, or Christopher Ward. I also want to expand to pocket watches and clocks, but it's harder to find a starting point.

I want to add a dress watch and maybe something bronze to my collection but that's all really. Oh and I should probably buy a watch box.

Saving up to take my wife on a grand vacation for a significant birthday this year, so the funds are going to be limited. I'll continue to enjoy modding my AE1200s in the new year and be looking more closely at G-Shocks as I also find my tastes slowly swinging towards the convenience of digital quartz movements. Perhaps a Hamilton Intra-Matic Mechanical or Mido Multifort Big Date towards the end of the year as funds begin to free up. That's the plan at least...😊

Great collection!!! Let me ask you this, now that you’re putting together your own mods, do you find it interesting purchasing other brands when you can build up a version for yourself?

I thought long and hard about this one, at least half an hour. It is different for us all, but I am getting the vibe that a fair few WC peeps are getting fed up with so many watches. Its a personal thing for us all, but it is a good idea to take stock at what you have and what you would like. For me I think I would like a 12 watch collection. 3 work watches, 3 divers, 3 dressier and 3 do everything watches, that might knock the number down in a few of those categories. I then realised I probably have 6 or 7 already. So what and if I get in 2024 will have to be considered very carefully. I have no problem with an expensive watch (I have a couple), but your right, for them they have to mark something special or memorable. A graduation, a birth, a marriage etc. I also have no problem if it goes over 12 IF the watch is cheaper, well made etc, Casio keep bringing stuff out so I tend to replace my work watch for the latest whoop de do every so often. Again for me I think £500 is the sweet spot a the moment, so what I buy will be around that and maybe only one a year. I would spend more for a special occasion type watch. But ideally keep to around 12 all that mean something to me. That is where I am at. The problem is every time I come on here, man some lovely watches !

Very nice collection. I sold a few watches this year and added more than I sold so I am back to the point of needing to downsize. I am going to sell or give away some of my watches I don't wear enough.

I am going to do some more mods on some of my Casio's. I have parts ordered to do a dial swap. If it goes well putting the hands back on I am going to buy a NH35 movement and all the parts and assemble a watch. If that turns out well I will probably assemble/build a couple more.

Adding a dress watch to replace my nice but very basic Orient Capital is my priority, since I am well satisfied with the small collection of divers and chronos I have.

Great collection and I like the special occasion watch idea. I'm 59 and I don't see any very expensive watches being added, in fact I think that's it for me. If there is one more watch on the horizon, it will be the Timex SG 2, but in reality I'll probably wind up buying another Timex Snoopy watch. lol. Time to start enjoying what I have.

Some good variety Santana!!! For 2024, I wanted to get some Vietnam War era watches!! I got one of them already, which is the Praesidus Jungle Field. I hope to get the Zodiac Sea Wolf before the summer

I got a big itch for the Tudor Ranger but unfortunately not big enough budget, so i think of getting myself the San Martin homage instead in 2024 if possible 🤞🏻

Another alternative is if San Martin actually make an homage of Sinn 556i RS 😄

Cool collection!!! My plan for 2024 is to only buy approximately 3-4 watches.

Those 3-4 I already have planned out as well as they are ones I am craving for:

Hopefully a (1.) Christopher Ward C63 in a green dial. (2.) Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition. (3.) a micro brand watch such as a Lorier or Baltic? (4.) a chronograph!

All these I feel will fill a lot of holes I see with my collection and will probably then allow myself to stop and save for a while to save for my next grail watch.

Also plan on adding some more tools and straps to the collection as well as some books on watches so I can unwind after a nights work and read more about this incredible passion we all love!

Wishing you all a great 2024 full of ticks, tocks and wristworn clocks! 😂😂😂

Over the years my collection has been up and down and begining of this year I decided to sell everything not sentimental except my speedmaster and have a three watch collection I was up to 21 in total and it was way too many

Obviously I failed badly to get down to three but I did get the two watches I had picked to go with my speedy 😊 I’ve decided not to sell any more watches as I miss too many that I sold and eventually will look to replace some but this year my aim is to get a empror Tuna first and if I can I’d like to add a seiko from the SLA line and that will be my lot. Hopefully I will be more successful this year than last

Not sure if this aligns with my experience but the older I got (54 now) I wanted to clean up what I had as I bought what ever I liked… but some how it’s changed for me and I felt I wanted to declutter my collection.

I sold off so to have more meaningful and memorable piece, IMHO it’s the nature of our habit, evolution if you you will.

BtW lots for you to keep in your stash that I can see.

Enjoy the ride🤝

It’s the orient bambino on an ostrich strap. Thank you 🙏🏾

Yes sir! Well that’s the plans anyways. If I end up buying more I can at least tell me self I tried now to 🤣

Thank you Raymond. It will definitely be a tough choice to consolidate. The invictas as more likely on the chopping block as I just don’t have the motivation for oversized watches at this stage of the game.

Ohh nice! Where did you pick up the AE1200 mods? I wanted to get one in a full gold look but I’m struggling to find one. 😞

Thanks! I've been emailing Kenneth at SKXMOD for the parts. He's been very helpful in helping me source the old cases with the "Illuminator" engraving, as they're no longer being manufactured. Full sets in matte and polished gold are currently available on their website, so I would hurry if I was you! 😁

Great collection! Like others, I also enjoy seeing the mods. Do you find that the mods also follow a similar path as the collection? Does the changing collection influence the future mods, or do the mods light the way for the future collection?

I have 60+ in my collection to-date simply because I don’t sell my watches. I’m telling myself I will stop in 2024 until my daughter graduates from NYU in spring of 2025.

Probably easier to do intermittent fasting and keto for 5 years.

Very cool collection 👍 and me too is in the same boat. I’m planning to buy fewer watches in the higher end, but it’s only a plane, it still has to be tested 🫣🤣

Mods in general from my collection are entirely inspired in the moment. In the past it was driven more by altering what I already have by modding watches that where in the collection. Out side of that it’s randomly inspired really. Thanks for your feed back Rob.

It’s been 2 years of watch collecting. This year is been about maturing my style of watches and a bit of modding. Here’s what happened I was seriously down sizing took a chance on some watch modding and ended up loving the watches more. For 2024 I’m gonna for sure end up getting rid of some and maybe buy another one I’m not gonna lie about that one. My big super down fall would be if I hit the lottery I’m gonna end up having a master closet full so so many watches that I can’t keep count of anymore and end like this dude or far worse!🤪

I wish to reduce but upgrade . Another Tudor to replace a Seiko I am selling and will keep looking for the final watch to be a 1948 Omega small seconds , then I am done :)

I reduced the size of my collection to 12 pieces this year. I had +40 previously but got frustrated as just couldn't wear each piece for a decent length of time. Since downsizing each watch gets far more wrist time and I now appreciate the little differences between each.