Watch collecting philosophy

Basically just go with what appeals to me as a whole package. But more recently, I have tried to introduce more logic into selection, mainly around bringing something new to the party and liking it long term, whilst avoiding watches I really like but probably wouldn’t wear much.

I have been involved with watches most of my life certainly after I started to earn a decent income, started first with vintage before diving into higher horology with a genuine love for perpetual calendar moonphases, an embarassing number of chronographs along the way. My focus was to feel fun that the watches were a joyful experience. In my regular everyday routines and my profession, I tend to overthink everything, understand that if I would have treated watches the same way: to overthink the hobby, I would have stopped 30 years ago.

My main criteria is simply appearance and comfort. The price I’m willing to pay is a subjective analysis of specs, reputation for reliability, durability and accuracy, and how much I might enjoy wearing a particular watch.

tl:dr I really have no overriding philosophy.

I too have far too many watches in sight that I would love to own, but I figure its better if I can admire them from afar and focus on what I really want instead.

You’re right. My *gallery” of watches I really like currently stands at 108 watches!

Well overthinking can be fun too when everything comes together 😄 But it isnt necessary for all parts in life of course

Oj, yeah I have 15 in my gallery 😄

I think that in general the vast majority of folks are what I consider loose collectors: enthusiasts with a box full of watches which constitutes a “collection” in the most general definition of the word. They buy the shiny thing they like most at the moment, and then eventually move onto the next shiny thing. I definitely fall into this camp.

I think it’s pretty cool to come across a hard collector: someone who seeks out and selects specific items based on some self-imposed criteria. Their collections have direction and if the criteria they establish is pretty unique and/or very specific it can make for a fun and uncommon collection. I’d clearly put you in this camp based on what you’ve shared and I think watches tied to specific events in history is a pretty cool criteria… you need to find out what Hitler wore when he retired to his bunker or steal Buzz Aldrin’s watch 😂

And I realize it’s not as black and white as I am suggesting - people can be both types of course. With a simple enough criteria you can have sub collections of nearly anything whether that’s microbrands, chronographs, or red-dial watches. Just my 2 cents!

Yeah I totally see people being in both camps at the same time.

Im not going to get the actual pieces that people wore but Id like the reissues that the same brand makes or the same kind of watch, like I bought a new Lip Churchill few weeks ago and I see why people like the heritage of the Speedmaster. And the reissued Vertex dirty dozen watch looks very cool. I like to be able to tell a story of how the watches came to be no matter if its original or reissued from the same manufacturer. If you understand what I mean

Nowadays, I'm trying to be more thoughtful of my collection. Aside from sentimental pieces, I'm limiting it to 2 or 3. More quality over quantity.

I'm thinking of long term ownership, including servicing. So I'm OK with waiting and really thinking if the watch I'm eyeing is something I can clearly see myself owning in 10 or 20 years.

With this, I don't feel the need to buy the next hot thing. And I won't feel too guilty if I end up buying something pricey.

My logic:

I see - still a cool criteria! However, I stand by my original statement… you must find Hitler’s watch, it’s the key to everything.

I try n keep it simple…….

I buy them because I like them, I do lean toward divers though 😉

Well Im not sure exactly but Im aiming for mostly attainable pieces that fit the criteria. I could for example say the Sturmanskie Gagarin was supposedly the first watch in Space and the Smiths Everest was together with Rolex the first watch on Mount Everest. Small pieces of history here and there and it makes it very enjoyable for me.

Sounds like a good strategy 👍🏻

I tend to desire unobtainable “perfect” watches to me and stubbornly stick to wanting only them like an FP Journe or a Moser or Patek etc , so I snob myself, so I don’t do impulse buys , for instance my latest desire is Platinum Globemaster :)

You’ve landed on the same philosophy as myself, I very much have a story and aim for an emotional connection with my watches.

Won’t bore with 10 or so stories, but perusing my posts usually reveals some long winded personal connection to one of my watches 🥱😜

Wasn’t Hitler’s watch a Lange?

Both the A15 and the Seagull are on my radar as well as few other items 👍🏻

Well I dont mind that I had watches that were not of the same concept, it can fit in a separate box maybe 😄

Hey, get out of my head! 🤣

For sure, this bias to historical significance is quite unusual. Why limit yourself to watches and not just go for various different antiquities? Fossils, iron age arrow heads, Roman coins, WWII medals, Medieval turnips..?

Quite unusual? Did you not see all the other people in the thread who collect pieces because of their history? People go on and on about how the Speedmaster went to the moon. Aquiring things because of their connection to history is quite common I would say.

Sorry if I upset you - it wasn't meant as slight or a scoff. I thought we were here to philosophize about watch collecting approach. I'm genuinely interested in the different reasons people buy watches.

Yes, I think your approach of not caring what a watch looks like, and just buying pieces that have historical ties, truly is relatively unusual. By this I mean I suspect there are less watch enthusiasts who prioritise the history of a watch, over the looks or functionality of a watch. Sure, history and provenance is nice, but I doubt it ranks number one in most people's next watch purchase criteria.. I feel a poll coming on! :P

I'm also interested to understand how you attribute historical importance/interest? It's a pretty broad spectrum so how do you choose your next purchase? Does JFK's gifted rolex from marilyn monroe rank above or below the Seiko Astron first quartz watch vs. a Speedmaster?

My personal watch philosophy is quite pragmatic: For me, a watch is a tool to be used. I wear it very frequently, all day and night, for work and leisure, it serves me for a lifetime. I buy good, well designed watches; accurate movements, legible, comfortable, subtle, suitable for multiple situations. They need to match my lifestyle. I invest in brands with strong reputations as I believe it brings inherent value. I'm less of an observer and more of a user of the watch. My appreciation comes from it doing it's job, and doing it well. I like to travel and explore in my watches. I want to pick up a thousand scuffs and scrapes and memories and patina, and eventually pass them on to my son, who watches me grow old in my watches. I hope the memories we build together remain engrained in these watches after my days are done.

No offence taken, I just think we misunderstood eachother.

I do of course care what watches look like, but I think the history behind why they look like they do (like mil-spec watches for example) gives extra character, while just a good looking watch without any history attached to it to me feels a bit soul-less. A good looking watch with history is of course the best option and fortunately there are a lot to choose from.

I would say anything in between is worth a mention if its a watch that I like the look of and that I think is significant to history. I think the new reissue Momentum Magnum PI watch is worth a mention just because I like Magnum PI for example 😂

I think the Speedmaster is top since its an important milestone to human history(I am somehow not crazy about if for some reason, but I think it ranks very high). Astron ranks pretty high as a milestone in innovation and is something I wish was available(and for this purpose I think a regular quartz Seiko would suffice as long as I tell myself that is the reason why I got it) and for the same reason I would also want to include a Citizen Eco drive to the list since it too is a cool milestone in innovation. I dont think historical gifts ranks so high, but if I like the watch I think its something that adds character to a watch.

TLDR Id pick a ugly watch with history before a pretty watch without any history(soul-less). There are however lots of nice looking watches with history attached for an affordable coin and the rules arent set in stone so Im doing fine. :)

I am in the process of making a list of watches that I would want to have and watches that I think are worth a mention. It could become a future post.

I see a lot of value in that approach as well, and I too see myself giving my watches in the future to my children, but while they grow up I can teach them hands on some significant moments in history and how these watches played a role in that time. If they are at all into watches or history only the future can tell 😂

My philosophy is to have a collection for each use case.

So, I'd have a dressy or a formal category for business meetings and suits (think of a 1908 or Tank, anything with a black leather band), an everyday category which would be a simpler time-date watch (think of an smooth bezel steel Datejust in dark blue or black dial), a casual category which can be a diver or a chrono (think of a Sub or a steel Daytona), and a weekend/ultra casual category which can have fun colors (think of a GMT Meteorite Pepsi), and a "bling" category to flex (think of a Skydweller blue dial in Everose or a GMT Rootbeer in full Everose).

I'm allowing myself to have multiple watch in each category, but I try to balance it out, not having too much of one category.

This is why as much as I love the Hamilton Ventura's design, I'd probably never get it because I don't know when I will where it.

I have 2 strategies to collecting.

1. Celebrate milestones or achievements. It's actually very handy, you don't think about what to get yourself to celebrate, you know what you want for your b-day, etc. And having a watch as a milestone helps to bond with a watch on a deeper level.

2. Vintage marketplace finds. That's the way to get a pretty unique and personal watches for a reasonable price. And because this watch is relatively unique to you, you gotta also deeply bond with it.

I am trying to be purposeful with my collection, each watch should tell a story and celebrate something even if it's a small one and I should wear it almost weekly only then it's going in the watch box.