State of the Collection 2023

It's that wonderful time of the year... the moment to see everybody's SOTCs and to look back to the year and to be excited about what's to come.

It was a very shaky January for me, with 2 new watches received on the same day and 1 sale. I wanted to take the year easy to prepare mentally and financially for next year, but succumbed to the AliExpress 11.11 sale. The collection stands at 10 pieces now.

Omega Constellation Quartz 191.0010 Calibre 1330 - Status: Safe

I don't wear this little guy that often after the honeymoon phase last year, but it still is my go-to dress piece in the rare occasion I wear cuffs. It is a reliable quartz piece that achieves flying under the radar while at the same time getting plenty of compliments when compared to the rest of my pieces. A good companion at weddings and in the office.

Casio G-Shock GA-2100-1AR "CasiOak" - Status: Safe

G-Shock doing G-Shock things. Worn during the meager sport I do, during the mobility and back trainings offered at work, when hiking... But it could well be a daily piece if that was necessary. This watch can it all. And it can look stunning if modded appropriately too:

Five minutes are enough to make of this modded CasiOak a true fun daily driver for the summer. I am native from Barcelona so I spend a couple of weeks in the summer over there, and that FKM strap saved me last year. The CasiOak can it all.

Seiko Prospex SRPA21K1 "PADI Turtle" - New Entry 2023 -Status: Mostly Safe

Wearing this watch is just fun. A new Always a pop of color on the wrist for these lighter summer days on that NATO strap. It is not seeing much wrist time during the winter as I'm not wearing colorful outfits during this time of the year. I could of course put it back on the bracelet but I just like it much more on the NATO. A surprisingly good travel companion too given the outstanding legibility and the lume by the shovel load on each hand and index.

Vostok Amphibia 420059 "Scuba Dude" - Status: Questioned

The collection is growing and it is tough for everybody to survive here without a very justified reason. The diver spot is covered by the PADI, the tough guy spot is covered by the G-Shock, the exotic watch spot is covered by the Seagull. Still, I love this watch and the ingenuity and resourcefulness of its design and it makes me wonder why I'm not wearing it enough when I wear it. I am fearing having to get rid of it if I fall in love of another dive watch.

Casio A-500WEA "World Time" - Status: It's Complicated

This was the second watch in my formal collection and it has played different roles during its history. It was my tough watch back when I had a 2-watch collection. It became my travel watch when the collection grew, and now that the G-Shock has world time functionality, this little Casio is in a complicated spot. It still serves me amazingly when travelling, as it allows me to not worry about getting undesired attention and to see what time it is on a plane thanks to the backlight. And hey, every collector needs a Casio, right? It's complicated.

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 - Status: Safe

The one and only. The watch that makes me feel like a million dollars when I wear it, the watch I want to be remembered wearing when people remember me. First loved by the internet after its release, later hated in equal measure, the PRX is already a modern classic. Count me in on the Fanboy category. It doesn't only symbolize what I achieved, but what is still there for me to achieve. This watch made many of us go "Hey, I can afford stunning Swiss pieces too! I want in the game!" Out there whenever it's time to do fun things in town, for dinner, for brunch, and even to strike a good conversation at an AD when trying on watches that cost one more zero than this one. Tough to take this one off in the evening.

Seiko 5 SNKL23 - Status: Very Questioned

Another looker right there. The obvious choice in all these "if you had to wear one watch for the rest of your life, what one would it be?" WC questions. This watch found its true potential only after I exchanged its awful stock bracelet for something from Uncle Seiko.

However, there's dark clouds rolling into SNKL23 Land. I'm planning on selling this watch and replacing it by a Grand Seiko SBGX263 next year. That is going to be probably my one and only purchase next year:

(That's me resisting the huge urge of buying that watch on the spot in London).

It is a bit sad, watch collecting can be ruthless sometimes. This SNKL23 is the stepping stone that made me think of this GS in the first place, and so will it remain in our memory when the time comes. Its soul will live on.

Straton Competition Driver Automatic - New Entry 2023 - Status: Mostly Safe

When I'm not wearing this watch I tend to think often about it. "It is a bit too large". "It is a bit too chunky". "It is a bit too heavy". "The bracelet is a tiny bit uncomfortable". "I don't use the chrono function much for anything, let alone the tachymeter"...

And then I put it on for the day and all these thoughts disappear. It becomes my daily driver and we do fun things together in the city and at work and time stupid things like train rides and pizza baking times and toilet breaks with a 0.2 seconds accuracy. And it ends up being a versatile piece that I can wear mostly everywhere and nobody would bat an eye. And then I start thinking that it must be me that I'm overthinking things, that I should just enjoy the hobby and this watch. And I put it on the drawer when the day is over and I go to sleep and I think "what if I went for the Tag Heuer Monaco?"

Seagull 1963 - New Entry 2023 - Status: Safe

The darling of the affordable watch collector world, the Seagull 1963 is mostly "sold" as the most affordable mechanical chronograph you will ever put on your wrist. But worn for a few days, it is a watch that hits you with a dressy flair when worn on a leather strap. It surprises you by dressing up any outfit you put on, even on its khaki NATO!. It starts becoming that piece that you wear to round off that nice outfit for a dinner out. A completely inappropriate behaviour for a "military watch", or from a "field-ish watch with a chronograph function". When I got it, I thought I'd spend the day staring at the case back, but that's not entirely accurate. I spend the day staring at it, period.

Knockoff Swatch that came with the Newspaper about 20 years ago - Status: Historical

I don't wear this one as I still have to change the battery, and if it had a new battery I would probably not wear it anyways. Anything it can do, there's another watch in my collection covering its spot. I wore this one as my daily when I was a teenager for several years, so it is tough to get rid of it and it would be impossible to sell it for more than a couple of euros.