What's the definition of "enough"?

Another lovely Sunday, taking in the aroma of my double espresso, savoring the taste of my English egg tart, while flipping through the pages of my newfound book; “Your Money or Your Life – Vicki Robin”. Fascinated by every idea, question and how thought provoking this book offers. One key question is: “What’s the definition of enough?”

As human beings, the “always wanting more” mindset led us to consume more than we require, stuck in the rat race, higher statistics of mental health issue as humans no longer feel as connected or as joyful (even though we have the technology capability to "connect"), etc. On the contrary, the same mindset also led us to better living conditions, awesome technology, advanced medical practices and of course, greater movement on our time pieces.

Probably one hot topic in the watch enthusiast’s world revolves around: “Can I live with just a handful of watches in my collection?” (Be it 1, 3, 6 or even a dozen). This has been a question I’ve been constantly asking myself for a while now. Though not as deep into the rabbit hole as probably some other enthusiasts, my current collection still contains around 18–20 timepieces.

My self-talk has always been: “If I get an AP Royal Oak (Offshore) or a Rolex Sub 16613 Bluesy, I will be done with my collection”. Then when a Cartier Santos review came out, my heart begun to flutter. Then a Panerai PAM 088 GMT took my breath away, and Christopher Ward Bel-Canto hourly chime got a hold of my soul.

Another voice then pops up in my head asking “Do you really need another time piece when possibly your 1-watch collection would be your Rolex Explorer 2 ref.16570?”. In terms of everyday usage and lifestyle habits, this piece literally ticks every box. (Though I’m likely not going to have 1 watch collection as there are other sentimental pieces that I will never get rid of.)

Being in this hobby or rabbit hole as we call it, I’ve learnt so much about myself from the purchases I’ve made. From jumping into purchases during initial phase, to slowing down and making sound decision on every time piece I come across. Evaluating whether this timepiece fits my lifestyle and if I already have a similar timepiece that can serve that same purpose.

More often than not, you’ll find similarities between something you already owned against what you’re looking to purchase. For instance, my Rolex Exp2 literally serves the GMT function, so why do I still need the PAM088? Of course, we are purely looking from a functional standpoint instead of aesthetics.

Enriching one’s mind really do have an impact on one’s decision and chain of thoughts. I’ll be looking to streamline my collection to possibly just 12 pieces, with ultimate goal of having just 6-7 watches in my collection/rotation.

I would like to slow down, evaluate, and re-evaluate(s), before making another purchase. Not going to lie, I’ll probably still drool while watching watch reviews on YouTube, researching and admiring high end horology pieces, and fighting the urge against any impulse purchases every now and then. However, I hope to reach a point (not just in watch collecting) in life where I clearly know the definition of “What & When is enough?”.

What’s your take when it comes to having just a handful of watches in your collection? What lessons have you learnt throughout your watch collecting journey? When and what will be your definition of “enough”?

Feel free to share so that we can at least help out any new watch collector on their journey to probably avoid some "mistakes" we did before them. 😎