SOTC looking to refine let’s have a chat.
I always loved watches and horology in general, started with the casios as a kid, back in 2010 on a trip home to ghana I picked up a swatch in the airport (aluminium irony Chronograph) and in 2015 on a trip to kenya it got scratched up to no end scaling some walls while on safari. So I came back and at the time I had an iPhone 6s+ i skateboarded everywhere and wanted directions on the wrist so picked up the first apple watch, it served me well till 2019 apart fro the one time i dropped it in cannes while putting it on (it shattered) but it was still covered so i paid the excess and carried on... though i realised that the series 0 gave me a weird rash... already I was thinking i need a tougher watch than this next time due to my lifestyle.
2019 my daughter is about to be born and i've bought 3 casios in the year, a dive style, a GD 350 (didn't realise my daughter would inherit my ability to sleep through a complete soundscape) and the G shock square... in the end I wore the g shock square the day she was born and climbed into the birthing waters with it on my wrist... thats a permanent stay in the collection.
It was pre pandemic and I was riding a motorcycle to work everyday (110miles round trip) I was hoping to off road too and the mudmaster looked like it would be the right tool for the job specially with those big old gloves on, I picked it up so i had 2 watches, I had loved the dive style casio and wanted a real dive watch... so I got the sumo which i loved even though i think it may be the limit of what my 6.3 inch wrist can support (51mm across) but the curved lugs hug it well, it ended up going back to seiko because i dropped it and there it stayed for 10 months in the mean time i had to scratch the itch and i'd always coveted the sna411 just didn't have the moneys when I was in university so it bought i'd pick one up and an snk809 to hold on to as my daughters first auto... then dan henry dropped a watch that looked like a watch I could never afford... cop that... the seiko came home and the bezel went... so off back to seiko for 5 months and it came back and the bezel went again (they re-cased the whole watch for me this time round) but in the mean time, i had no diver... so zelos released one and I always did want a blue watch..and it fit my wrist... and i love that lume.... so I sat there looking at my watch box thinking no more NO MORE, I WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO GET 1 WATCH! ... I boxed them all up and took my daughter (now 2) to Ghana to spend some time with the grand parents, i took 2 watches the g shock square + the dan henry 1937, figured that would cover me... and while I was there seiko dropped the ginza... one torn achilles later (sigh...) i'm hobbling back to the uk and I can't stop thinking about this beautiful dial that reminds me of the grand seiko's that I probably should have bought instead of buying all these watches... so I go in and pick it up and it hasn't left my wrist since (apart from to take this photo and maybe shower) every time i look at it I think of the trip to japan in 2018 where i took a picture of the cobbles of ginza with my phone low to the ground.
so now I'm here 'i'm looking at the collection i've amassed a relatively short space of time and wonder is it too much? should I sell and get a grand seiko keep it to 3 but that voice in the back of my mind says, "yea but what if you wanna..." there are far worse things to spend the money on though... right? help me... someone.... anyone.
Great set man. I'd say enjoy the journey for a while as long as you can afford it. You'll learn more about what you want as you go along. Seikos are pretty much easy to sell in case you want to try other Seikos so it's a bit nice to collect and try them.
Nice collection. I wouldn't sell any of them. Instead I'd save up, buy more watches and another box to fill.
Really nice collection. And very complete for different situations. I love all your casios especially the two on the left corner. I have them myself and would be staples in any collection of mine, when and if I would scale it down in the future.
Your Seikos are also all classic and get you covered for different situations.
In the end though, I could not help but admire the Dan Henry. It looks exquisite!!
👌👌👌
I can identify, and do understand the dilemma feeling you have. Hopefully, the things that have guided and prevented me from binge-buying in a short period of time (e.g. these past 3 months), amidst all the beautiful, reasonably priced, and great spec'd watches I see online, may also help you. Here they are:
1. Limited Cash - I decided to put a budget cap and schedule on when I can spend it. Whatever unique expenses we need to keep tabs on, it's good to decide how much really is your "disposable income". Having kids is a major and long-term investment of at least 18 years, and the expenses will continue to grow over time. This constant realization will give clarity on how to move forward.
2. Listen to your Conscience - As I look at various time pieces, these questions keep popping up time and again, "What's so nice about this watch? Why? So what if so-and-so said its a great watch. Is it really? Do you really need this watch? If you add it in your collection, how unique will it be from the rest? And will you love it uniquely as well? Or, is this just a passing fancy/ infatuation? Can you do without it?"
3. List your Criteria - I needed this to prevent me from being taken by every wind of fancy. What are my minimums? What are my non-negotiables? What are my nice to haves? Then, when comparing time pieces, I needed to be brutally honest with its Pros and Cons. Seriously doing #1-3 have forced me to be realistic and sane when choosing.
4. "Coffee Brew Time"- I love brewing specialty coffee. A good brew takes good technique (like #1-3), and the right brew time. So, what I've done is collect all the photos of the watches I find nice and seem to want to buy. Then, in my free time, I look at all of them for the next 2 weeks. I then try to identify which ones have an up-and-down liking level, which ones lose their luster over time, and which ones I keep coming back to. This really helps shorten the list.
5. Community of Collectors - I appreciate you sharing your story, and asking for advice on how to proceed in your journey from fellow collectors here. "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." Watch collecting tips on YT by Teddy Baldassare, Timed Square, and Escapement & Watch, have helped me tremendously. Listen to all the tips you get. At the end of the day, you do you, and I believe you will find your unique path forward.
I can identify, and do understand the dilemma feeling you have. Hopefully, the things that have guided and prevented me from binge-buying in a short period of time (e.g. these past 3 months), amidst all the beautiful, reasonably priced, and great spec'd watches I see online, may also help you. Here they are:
1. Limited Cash - I decided to put a budget cap and schedule on when I can spend it. Whatever unique expenses we need to keep tabs on, it's good to decide how much really is your "disposable income". Having kids is a major and long-term investment of at least 18 years, and the expenses will continue to grow over time. This constant realization will give clarity on how to move forward.
2. Listen to your Conscience - As I look at various time pieces, these questions keep popping up time and again, "What's so nice about this watch? Why? So what if so-and-so said its a great watch. Is it really? Do you really need this watch? If you add it in your collection, how unique will it be from the rest? And will you love it uniquely as well? Or, is this just a passing fancy/ infatuation? Can you do without it?"
3. List your Criteria - I needed this to prevent me from being taken by every wind of fancy. What are my minimums? What are my non-negotiables? What are my nice to haves? Then, when comparing time pieces, I needed to be brutally honest with its Pros and Cons. Seriously doing #1-3 have forced me to be realistic and sane when choosing.
4. "Coffee Brew Time"- I love brewing specialty coffee. A good brew takes good technique (like #1-3), and the right brew time. So, what I've done is collect all the photos of the watches I find nice and seem to want to buy. Then, in my free time, I look at all of them for the next 2 weeks. I then try to identify which ones have an up-and-down liking level, which ones lose their luster over time, and which ones I keep coming back to. This really helps shorten the list.
5. Community of Collectors - I appreciate you sharing your story, and asking for advice on how to proceed in your journey from fellow collectors here. "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." Watch collecting tips on YT by Teddy Baldassare, Timed Square, and Escapement & Watch, have helped me tremendously. Listen to all the tips you get. At the end of the day, you do you, and I believe you will find your unique path forward.
Thank you so much for your reply! lots of food for thought.
Thank you so much for your reply! lots of food for thought.
just passing along what i've personally learned on this unique journey of ours. of course, honest, practical, and wise advice from these guys have also greatly helped:
1) Teddy - "7 Things I Wish I Knew About Watches When I Started" https://youtu.be/IKjyixLMqN0
2) Alessandro - "These 7 Watch Collecting Mistakes Will RUIN Your Collection!" https://youtu.be/8SZWO0f6FEc
3) "Falling Titan", Host of E&W - "What You NEED to Know as a Watch COLLECTOR" https://youtu.be/pS-zVgDsqkQ
The control I keep is the budget…if you are an avid online buyer you would’ve noticed that the price fluctuates with time and you would find a deal if you wait….I shortlist my model …wait maybe an year max…find a crazy deal…and grab it….it works for me…Don’t ever think of selling or abandoning your collection….I abandoned my collection once when I moved on…still regretting it…started again from scratch….😢
I got to 36 watches before I realised I had a problem. This Yr I've been focusing on selling the ones I dont wear and buying a few, more expensive pieces. I was never going to wear 36 watches afterall.
I still have about 17 but I mostly wear about 9 of those.
I've grown through buying affordable watches over 2/3 yrs, learning what I like and use, then flipping these for what I'd term entry level luxury pieces that I know will stay with me longer.
That's a great collection with some good variety. I am always a fan of having fewer, nicer watches, but I don't think that 8 is overkill. If it were me, I'd probably keep 1 or 2 of the Casios, and sell some of the more valuable ones to get one "big" piece, but you also can't go wrong with what you have now!