What watch would you never ever sell in your collection?
Today is one of those Sundays when I get to have some me-time, sipping down my americano, looking at all the great posts/contents on WatchCrunch and thinking what to share with you guys. 😀 And I just happen to have one recent story.....
It was just 4 days back, 13th Sept'23 when my dad for no reason asked; "Would you like my Rolex?". In which I replied; "Hey if it's free, why not? 😂"
Learnt from my mom later that apparently 5 years ago before my wedding, my dad have been "hunting" for this piece as I previously told him I'm into either the Rolex DJ 16013 in black dial TT or a simple Vintage Rolex Date in gold dial TT. He only managed to obtain this piece this year after his friend managed to work a deal with another friend of his who happen to be a watch dealer. Better late than never I guess...🤤
Long story short, my dad have never been a fan of gold/TT watches or even jewelry as he find them too loud/flashy. While his son on the other hand (me of course)....is absolutely mesmerized with TT/Gold watches. So after 5 years in my marriage, and just 2 days before my 33rd birthday, he gifted me this piece which I'll never ever ever sell and would stay in my collection at least till I'm gone and it's passed onto the next generation. (Probably my nephews if I do not have kids of my own 😉)
34mm, Automatic movement, TT in Jubilee bracelet, vintage vibes..all speaks to me aesthetically. Just can't get enough of this piece..😍
What watches were you guys gifted in which you never ever see yourself selling?
A good watch tells time, while an awesome watch tells a story. Watch enthusiast > Brand enthusiast. Down the rabbit hole of horology collection.
nice story man! It is lovely to hear this stories.
i have 3 that i would never sell, one longines of my Grandfather , a zenith of my fatejet and a rolex that my parents gave to me for my graduation, yes I know I am really looky to have suck great pieces from my family! But none have your story!
Great story but for me I don't know if I would sell anyone of my pieces as they hold a special place for me. I have gifted quite a few throughout the years and sold a lot years back but my current collection is with me for the duration.
nice story man! It is lovely to hear this stories.
i have 3 that i would never sell, one longines of my Grandfather , a zenith of my fatejet and a rolex that my parents gave to me for my graduation, yes I know I am really looky to have suck great pieces from my family! But none have your story!
Nice pieces I must say!! 🙂 Nah, every piece has their own unique story. That's what make this hobby such an enjoyment and also why those pieces are close to our hearts.
Great story but for me I don't know if I would sell anyone of my pieces as they hold a special place for me. I have gifted quite a few throughout the years and sold a lot years back but my current collection is with me for the duration.
Nice! I'm the kind that if I don't wear certain watches for a period of time, I'll sell it off so that it gets better appreciated on someone else wrist. And also...more funds for me to maybe invest in other pieces that I'd like to try 🙂 But that being said, my brother in law is exactly the same, his collection is not for sale..though it's Iron man figurines instead of watches..😂
I just hope that no one will ever gift me a two tone gold watch, this is just too much old man retirement gift for me.
The only watch I got as a gift is a monstrosity from Cross dating to circa late 90's. It manage to be both small with a 38mm case diameter and huge with a >60mm span between the semi rigid bracelet links. I'm stuck with it because it's a gift.
All my other watches were bought because there was something in them that caught my attention and made them a worthy purchase. I guess that given enough time my interests will move on to other things but until then I see no reason to sell any of them.
Well said. I got the same reaction when I bring my Gshock or Ingersoll for a full rehaul or repairs. The watchmaker look at the watches and asked "are these sentimental pieces?". I was like YES, because normally people will get a new G-Shock for example instead of spending near to $100 for repairs. 😂
I agree, those watches are MORE than things, the rest are just yes..THINGS. 🤣
I just hope that no one will ever gift me a two tone gold watch, this is just too much old man retirement gift for me.
The only watch I got as a gift is a monstrosity from Cross dating to circa late 90's. It manage to be both small with a 38mm case diameter and huge with a >60mm span between the semi rigid bracelet links. I'm stuck with it because it's a gift.
All my other watches were bought because there was something in them that caught my attention and made them a worthy purchase. I guess that given enough time my interests will move on to other things but until then I see no reason to sell any of them.
Your comment reminded me of my wife comment when I recently gifted her a Cartier Santos Galbee 24mm in two tone. She was like "this is too much! I can live with my smart watch!". Then she started acting all weird when she's out, worried that she will damage the watch. 😂 Only until I told her "Watches are meant to be worn and enjoyed. Be proud of those scratches and dings, it simply means that you wore the hell out of that timepiece and it serves it's purpose 🙂 " that she starts to loosen up and enjoy the timepiece.
I have at least a handful of watches that I will never sell but the truth is I tend to not sell any of my watches. My niece and her mom were dropping off some small gifts for my wife and me last year just before Christmas after their spontaneous trip to Rome. My wife took the opportunity to show my niece the watches that I had bought for our daughters a few days earlier when the younger woman said that she was shopping for a Cartier as a first luxury watch. I was surprised that she was not wearing any of the watches that her dad, my older brother had left behind after passing at a ridiculous young age of 58! Specifically a TT 80s Breitling Chronomat with a pilot style bracelet that she and I painfully removed from his wrist one dreary evening in a hospital emergency unit so many years ago already. As far as I know she has not taken the watch off since my suggestion. Watches are meant to be worn if not by the original owner, than by a next.
My Tudor BBGMT my wife purchased me for our 34th wedding anniversary. My Seiko 5 with arabic numerals (purchased for my most recent birthday in August). My son purchased me a Bambino for my birthday in August. Lastly, my Daughter and Son pooled funds to buy my Father's Day watch, a Baltic Aquascaphe.
Needless to say it's been a very good 2023 watch year!
Too many memories with this one
The same with this one
All of them. Each has a story to tell and I will pass them all on to my son.
A thought from your story, make sure you tell your dad how much you adore this piece and will cherish it and pass it down. It's clear he got it with you in mind the whole time. Not just elude to it, explicitly say, "dad I heard you spent a lot of time looking for this, and it took a lot of work finding this for me. I really appreciate it..." We all tend to gloss over really sharing feelings like this but life's too fleeting not to. Both him and you will be glad you did.
My first ever luxury watch. Even if I will own a bougie watch in the future, there is no way I will ever sell this beauty.
Apart from the Americano (never EVER drink coffee like that again!), this is a great story and a terrific watch! For me this is my FU watch, to embrace my inner Soprano…
None, I’m a collector 👍🏻
My Luminox sea turtle small, memories and price will never let it go.
I have at least a handful of watches that I will never sell but the truth is I tend to not sell any of my watches. My niece and her mom were dropping off some small gifts for my wife and me last year just before Christmas after their spontaneous trip to Rome. My wife took the opportunity to show my niece the watches that I had bought for our daughters a few days earlier when the younger woman said that she was shopping for a Cartier as a first luxury watch. I was surprised that she was not wearing any of the watches that her dad, my older brother had left behind after passing at a ridiculous young age of 58! Specifically a TT 80s Breitling Chronomat with a pilot style bracelet that she and I painfully removed from his wrist one dreary evening in a hospital emergency unit so many years ago already. As far as I know she has not taken the watch off since my suggestion. Watches are meant to be worn if not by the original owner, than by a next.
Well said, couldn't agree more. Sorry to hear about your brother. I guess it's true, our watches will outlive us, and hopefully during then, better and more memories will be build onto the next generation who got it on their wrist. And hopefully a subtle nostalgia feeling they might get when they look at the time piece and thought about all the fond memories we left behind. 🙂
My Tudor BBGMT my wife purchased me for our 34th wedding anniversary. My Seiko 5 with arabic numerals (purchased for my most recent birthday in August). My son purchased me a Bambino for my birthday in August. Lastly, my Daughter and Son pooled funds to buy my Father's Day watch, a Baltic Aquascaphe.
Needless to say it's been a very good 2023 watch year!
I must say, your kids have good taste! Hard to go wrong with a Bambino!!!
Too many memories with this one
The same with this one
Very nice time pieces! Longines is sooooo under-rated imo!
A thought from your story, make sure you tell your dad how much you adore this piece and will cherish it and pass it down. It's clear he got it with you in mind the whole time. Not just elude to it, explicitly say, "dad I heard you spent a lot of time looking for this, and it took a lot of work finding this for me. I really appreciate it..." We all tend to gloss over really sharing feelings like this but life's too fleeting not to. Both him and you will be glad you did.
Thanks for the reminder man. Your comment literally hit me hard. I realized I indeed glossed over it. I shall drop him a text at the very least to share with him my thoughts and feelings. Thanks again man! Really appreciate it! 🙏
My first ever luxury watch. Even if I will own a bougie watch in the future, there is no way I will ever sell this beauty.
beautiful time piece! the blue dial, creamy indices...been eyeing one for myself as well for awhile now!
Apart from the Americano (never EVER drink coffee like that again!), this is a great story and a terrific watch! For me this is my FU watch, to embrace my inner Soprano…
Hahaha, I shall only go for Espresso from now on sir! 😂
I have my grandfather's 1950's Waltham dress watch, my own late father's 1972 Seiko UFO that he bought new, and an ultra thin solid tungsten quartz Movado with an integrated bracelet given to me by my dad as a graduation present 25+ years ago; I never wear any of them and they have virtually no monetary value but none of them will ever go anywhere, they're far too important to ever leave my collection.
Well said, thanks for the great sharing. Same for me, my Ingersoll which is my grad present and this Rolex oyster date will never leave my collection ever!
One of the enthusiasts who showed up at this weekend's WC L.A. Meetup is a physician who was going on about how much he regretted selling me this Junghans Meister Driver Handaufzig in 2021.
Bear in mind he's owned watches costing multiples of this one including an A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk but you could tell how wistful he was about this simple piece.
What he didn't know is that it's the only "forever" watch in my collection that doesn't have a personal or sentimental nexus for being permanently in the mix.
It's pretty neat when a watch stands on it's own like that.
I would regret selling it too if I were him! 😍
I sold my first Seiko 5 that I wore when I proposed to my wife. I’ll always regret doing that and I might try to track it down someday.
Two of my watches I never want to sell because I think they are perfect. My Black Bay 58 and Grand Seiko SBGW231. But the one I’ll never actually sell is the Seiko SNXS79. It’s absolutely stunning, more so in person. It’s so cheap and on an upgraded bracelet it looks way more expensive than it is. I still wear it a ton even with much more expensive watches in my collection. It’s just so easy and worry free to wear. Also because I sold my first Seiko 5 and realized it was a mistake.
Indeed. Sometimes just a slight tweak will make a watch feels totally different!
As an investment, I don't think I'd ever sell my Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39mm red grape dial. When I finally was making enough to consider buying a Rolex those were the least expensive I could find; even buying a Rolex my frugality gets the best of me. Anyway, they discontinued the 39mm a couple years later and now it's worth double what I paid for it! Others: My Zenith Port Royal V Chronograph. It has a pinkish-peach dial. I think it's one of the most beautiful watches I've ever seen. My Breitling Superocean would be tough to part with, as well as my Carl F. Bucherer Central Chronograph, again both beautiful watches. I recently found a passion for Squale watches and have two, both those would be tough!
Nice!!! Good taste I must say! Be sure to share some photos when you got either on your wrist!!
I always say none of my watches are ever to be considered for sale, but as the collection grows and my taste evolve, I’ve found that there are, indeed some watches that I’m willing to part with as an upgrade or consolidation of my collection. For me, most of these watches are made by Tudor as I’d much rather collect some nice Rolexes and watches from other higher end brands, such as AP, Vacheron, Patek, Journe, Lange, DeBethune, etc. I don’t envision selling any other watches in my collection unless I had a Rolex that I could trade in as part of a larger grail watch purchase. Oh, and I would never sell my father‘s Rolex DateJust. That watch is definitely staying in the family forever.
Indeed. Never ever sell your Dad's DJ! I am also looking and saving up my way to an AP RO/Offshore. That's like one of my grail besides the Rolex Sub 16613 Bluesy.
Lovely dad you have :) beautiful piece too .
Thanks! Indeed. I am bless to have a great role model. 🙂
My SARB017, it was my first "real" watch of my collection and it's gone with me everywhere. From hikes to getting married and beyond it's been the flagship of my collection simply for all the memories it holds.
If i'm ever gonna get an Alpinist, this will definitely be the one!
Well said, couldn't agree more. Sorry to hear about your brother. I guess it's true, our watches will outlive us, and hopefully during then, better and more memories will be build onto the next generation who got it on their wrist. And hopefully a subtle nostalgia feeling they might get when they look at the time piece and thought about all the fond memories we left behind. 🙂
👍