The status of my watch collection - 5 and counting!

I’ve always been interested in watches, for as long as I can remember, but it is only recently that I began to get into watch collecting seriously and that I started to take more of an interest in different watch makers, movements, complications, and everything else that comes along with it.

I wouldn’t say I have a particular style that I like, there are just some watches that catch my eye and others that don’t.

The first watch in my collection was a 30th birthday present and really started my watch journey. It is a Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Complet Vasco da Gama. It’s currently being serviced so a stock image of it will have to do for now:

A few years after getting this I was looking at different projects and wanted to find something to tickle my creative itch but that was also related to watches. I always liked the idea of ‘making’ my own watch (not really realising how complicated that could be) and stumbled across DIY Watch Club, so my second watch was a home made diver:

My third watch was a surprise present from my wife that was very much appreciated. I had been looking at a Speedmaster from the 1990’s that was at a local dealer but I wasn’t sure if it was the right watch for me as I prefer the styling of some of the newer Speedmasters. I had seen the Apollo 8 Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster on the Omega website but by the time I came across it production had already stopped so I assumed it was one of those watches I would never own, until my wife tracked one down:

Watch number four was a small (-ish) gift to myself that I somehow managed to convince my wife I needed as a dress watch for a wedding we were attending. I don’t know why she bought that but I am so glad she did because its probably my favourite in my collection, a Rolex Datejust. I love the simplicity of it and I don’t think the blue sunburst dial will ever go out of style. There is something timeless about a Rolex and it has a feel on the wrist that I haven’t experienced with any other watch so far:

After getting all of these amazing watches I wanted something that was an ‘every day’ watch that I wouldn’t mind if it got a few bumps or scratches. I knew I wanted something mechanical and I liked the idea of a proper dive watch, rather than using the DIY Watch Club one I made which is supposed to be rated for 200m but is untested. After some research I landed on the Tudor Black Bay 58:

After getting the Tudor I tried to convince myself that my watch collecting journey was complete, but with these things it is never complete, and I still have a few on my list that I would love to own one day…

The Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph 42 with the pistachio dial is still very high on my interest list, but I am yet to see one of those out in the wild outside of a passing glance at the Breitling boutique in Edinburgh (the watch is since gone). I would also love a Speedmaster Silver Snoopy but the grey market prices for those are a little out of my price range so that might be one I have to let go of an know that I will never own. My current fascination is with JLC and I would like to take a closer look at the Reverso Duoface and the Master Control Chronograph Calendar, but I’m not sure I can justify getting another watch just yet!

I’d love to hear other people’s watch collecting journey’s and what sucked you in to this fascinating world, I especially love a watch that has a good story, whatever watch it might be!