How much research...

How much research do you do before buying your new watch?  I know these things are impossible to quantify but it would be interesting to hear your thoughts. 

I spend evenings scouring the net for anything there is out there about the watch. I then watch all the videos I can find (skipping any unboxing bits). I then sit and worry for about three weeks, do the same round again and work at making a decision. Mostly, I don't make one.

If I do buy the watch, I do the same again: scour the net, watch the vids, just to check that I have got it right. I try to skip the ones that say: DO NOT BUY THIS WATCH. That's just horrible.

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My process is similar... I spend weeks/months/years reading and watching reviews, then thinking about the watch. Often times I talk myself out of a purchase, well before I ever seriously consider buying. 

After I buy, I also tend to go back and watch reviews while I wait for my purchase to arrive. I think it helps to set more realistic expectations, and help counter the "honeymoon" phase. 

Realistically, this is what I do with most large purchases... last time I bought a car I spent over a year looking at reviews, comparisons, as well as made multiple trips to dealerships to look at and sit in vehicles. 

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Maybe it’s because I buy the more affordable line of watches but for me I want to like it and I don’t really care what others think. However, I generally buy recognised reputable brands, and most of the time even if I buy a watch online I’ve probably tried it on before that. If you look at the watches I have they’re mostly from one of the larger brands or a microbrand that has been checked out by someone I know and trust. I might see what my favourite youtuber says and I’ll ask more general questions here but if I like something I don’t want someone telling me not to get it. 

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It's all about the research, as we see most things on screens and there's not many bricks n mortar shops about (and if there is their hundreds of miles away),so all the info is online,personally I check prices,look at loads of pictures, check out written and video reviews, um and ah about it,get obsessed, go for it and then lose out in the last 5 seconds, damn you fellow fleabay bidders. But it pays to get as much information as possible, wrist shots especially and trying to gauge the physical size/height,which has put me off a few I've lusted after,which for most of not being millionaires it's important not to waste our hard earned cash on something that's not right for us.

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raiding all that YouTube channels,forums and website to get crucial information that I need

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I did about 4-5 months of research before I picked up last watch, which after discount & gift card redemption was less than $700. Not a lot to a lot of watch enthusiasts here, but to me it is and it's my 1st watch buy since my last buy almost 20 years ago, I considered carefully. 

I kinda know the styles and dimensions of watches that play well on my wrist (dial and bezel size, L2L, strap widths, dial colours and case materials etc). So if I see something that catches my eye, the first thing I do is look at the watch spec. If that checks out, then the long phase of watching and reading reviews begins. After weighing up the pros and cons, I sit on it for a month or two and go cold turkey. If I still come back to the watch after this period, then I know this might be one to pursue.

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I have had a handful of impulse buys, which I define as less than a week or two before me first getting interested in the watch and hitting buy. Only one of those is still in my collection, and partially because it is too cheap to really warrant selling. 
 

Usually I will read every article I can find, watch every YouTube video, and the better ones read/watch 3-10 times each as I obsess. I then set it as my phone/computer’s screensaver, and then ultimately decide it isn’t for me and then find a new watch to obsess about and every 3rd one or so I will buy. 
 

Honestly there is only so much you can do to be an active participant in the hobby. You can spend your time obsessing, or spend your time constantly buying/selling. The former is cheaper for me 

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I spend an inordinate amount of time on watch forums, watch YouTube or Facebook pages.  I try to keep a solid overview of the market and models that work for me.  I visit ADs whenever I can to try on watches to confirm or deny my future interest in any particular model.

When it’s time to buy, I have a sorta pre-approved list of models that I’ll buy.  At that point, it’s kind of a crapshoot which one gets purchased depending on where I am, what my budget is, how bad I want it or how I felt when I woke up that morning.