The Perfect Collection
We all are looking to find a sense of completion when it comes to our watches but is this really possible?
Taste fluctuates and evolves, but some watches will always stay in the collection.
For me, after losing a lot of weight, some watch choices of the past have become obsolete.
My wrist size went from 21,5cm to 18,5cm in the last two years and this made me question my tastes and tendency to go for larger watches.
For example I always adored the bauhaus design of Nomos, Junghans and Stowa and with my big wrist the Stowa Antea KS 41mm was the perfect choice back then.
With 50,5mm L2L this watch has now become too big for my wrist.
It started to feel wrong and wasn’t a very pleasant view anymore.
I then sold some of my watches and recently bought the Nomos Tangente 38 which has a L2L of 47mm. It hugs my wrist so nicely I am very happy with it and I don’t think I’ll ever fall out of love with it.
But my point here is we’re always changing and even if you’ve acquired the perfect collection for the current You, you never know how much you, your tastes and requirements will evolve or change in the future.
This is why your tastes and choices alone won’t be the most important factor if watches will stay in your collection but rather the emotional value behind them.
You can acquire your grail watch and fall out of love with it again if there’s no emotional value or connection to it other than desire alone.
For me I am at a point where I’d confidently say that I own 3 watches I will never sell, because there‘s more to them than just scratching an itch, fulfilling a desire to get something new or expensive.
These watches are:
- A 1995 Breitling Antares, the watch my grandfather wore and was gifted to me. My most valuable possession.
- My Tissot PRX blue dial quartz, a gift from my brother for my 30th birthday. I love that watch to bits while being the only Quartz watch in my collection.
- My Nomos Tangente 38 which represents my journey to a new Me. It marks the point in time when I reached my weight loss goal of 82kg and is meant to be a reminder of my own strength.
12 years of watch addiction brought me here. My current collection: Tissot, Stowa, Breitling, (Grand) Seiko, Oris and Nomos.
As a watch geek, I don't think my collection will ever be complete, but at some point in the far future, I might be content with it.
As a watch geek, I don't think my collection will ever be complete, but at some point in the far future, I might be content with it.
You might be or you might not. Enjoy the journey, because it’s unclear if there’ll ever be an end to it.
Ha! I just posted something similar and I totally understand where your coming from 🍻
I don't think too much about an 'end game' to my watch enjoyment. My collection is like a river. Some watches are the essential rocks that make up the river bed and will be there long term, or perhaps they may get swept away in time. Others are the water flowing through; beautiful, refreshing and appreciated while they are there but destined to eventually move on, perhaps to another's part of the stream. Sometimes the water is still, sometimes it flows faster.
I don't think too much about an 'end game' to my watch enjoyment. My collection is like a river. Some watches are the essential rocks that make up the river bed and will be there long term, or perhaps they may get swept away in time. Others are the water flowing through; beautiful, refreshing and appreciated while they are there but destined to eventually move on, perhaps to another's part of the stream. Sometimes the water is still, sometimes it flows faster.
Well said! Cheers 🍻
I don't think too much about an 'end game' to my watch enjoyment. My collection is like a river. Some watches are the essential rocks that make up the river bed and will be there long term, or perhaps they may get swept away in time. Others are the water flowing through; beautiful, refreshing and appreciated while they are there but destined to eventually move on, perhaps to another's part of the stream. Sometimes the water is still, sometimes it flows faster.
So eloquent.
Congrats on your weight loss !
I've been collecting for almost 4 years, and during that short time my tastes in watches have continually changed. My most recent acquisition, which is also one of my favorite watches in my collection, is something that I would never have given a second thought to when I started collecting. I still appreciate all of the watches in my collection, and have no plans of selling any, but if I were to have to start fresh, my collection would look different than it does today.
Nope, it never ends and that's how it should be. It's more pleasurable to make progress towards goals than to achieve them. It's called the progress principle.
Shakespeare said: "Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing."
Spock (Star Trek TOS) said: “After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but is often true.”
Congratulations on losing the weight. I've been trying hard for a couple of years now and not getting anywhere, so I know it's not easy. Well done.
Congrats on the weight loss! I first got into watches purely from an aesthetics point of view and so my perfect collection consisted of only dress watches at the time.
A few years and watches down the road, I realized that I wanted something more "robust" and started looking at different sports watches. I also realized the dress watches I want are out of my pocket's range. 🥲
In any case, I'm fairly certain my next watch will be my exit watch. That would put my collection at .. 12? including the sentimental pieces that just sit in the box. Not including those, my main rotation consists of 4 watches as of right now. And I am having trouble rotating through those so...
My ideal rotation would be 3 watches. 1 dress, 1 everyday, and 1 fun watch.
Congrats on your achievement! About 5years or so ago I was attracted to huge watches. I had like 3-4 TW Steel pieces. Until I learned more about horology, specifically movements/calibres. When I look back to those years now I am like Ugggghhhhh! It is all part of the journey we are taking I guess.
I am pretty satisfied with my collection right now and would like to convince myself that I am "complete". That I have sunk in way more money into this hobby than what is reasonable. That is probably until another piece catches my eyes. Who knows, at the rate I am consuming content in this platform that might be sooner than I would have wanted. My preferences might even change overnight!
As they say "Its all about the journey". I don't think there is a specific destination in this hobby.
Congratulations on losing the weight. I've been trying hard for a couple of years now and not getting anywhere, so I know it's not easy. Well done.
It’s been the hardest thing in my life tbh but it’s still not as hard as it seemed to me all these years. For me the ketogenic diet was the key to success. You might want to give this a try, too. But I’d advise doing so with caution and occasional visits to the doc.
But if I could do it, you can do it as well. I know that sounds like a phrase but it really is true. Stay strong 💪
Feel like an oddball when this comes up as my tatses have not really changed in 4/5 years and im pretty dead set in what I want to own, In terms of the fancy stuff.
Thats why I like affordable watches as you can wear them , have your fun and then give them to other people , hopefully get others hooked on the hobby
The Perfect Watch Collection... What ever floats or rocks your boat! For some its just one watch and others varies the style, brand and makes. So many choices out there I learn the hard way I went ape wall at first and got some over size and funky fashion no name brands watches and felt like I was on top of the world. I now stick to the respectable brands. I know I will never own a Rolex or Cartier. But thank God for affordable watches.
I am definitely in the “journey over the destination“ camp. I do feel pretty content about my collection in recent years. As is evident by the decreasing turn over rate. I think I went thru 10+ watches in the first year of my collecting. Last year I bought sold a couple.