What have you learned about your collecting tastes over time since you started?
I have a thing for green dials
Before I didn't really think about case size which is funny cause my first two watches were like a G-Shock (huge) and a Timex easy reader. When I got more into mechanicals I got into Orient which actually has thick 41-42 mm watches which bug me and I'm trying to get rid of it now along with a Seiko Presage Zen Garden, also 41 but looks huge and is too thick for me now.
36 - 40 mm is my sweet spot and I don't like 22mm bands, only smaller. I do have bigger watches like Laco and Bulova Lunar Pilot but I feel the history and use-case make it okay. Plus I have a good sized wrist so I feel like I can pull it off.
Movement and accuracy out of the box, I have higher expectations now. I'll still buy an unregulated Seiko if its a super beautiful and limited dial or something like that, but I do want more without having to worry about regulating later.
I don't want a bronze watch
I prefer bracelets over straps 85% of the time.
The gap between strap and case bothers me sometimes, especially on Longines, maybe Nomos but never owned one.
I like sunburst and waffle patterns on watches
I like a mix of high polish with my brushed steel not just brushed
Adding:
I like integrated bracelets 🙈
Firstly, gorgeous Alpinist!
What I've learnt is: I thought I only liked sports watches, I'm starting to fall in love with dress watches now. Never thought I would.
I learned that my taste can change when I find the right watch. Happent to me with Roman numerals for example…thought I’d never liked them until…😎
That Alpinist is a stunner Pete!
I think the best thing I have learned is to be less impulsive than i was in 2020-2022.
Also realizing that there is only so much wrist time to go around, so paring down the amount I own.
Thinking that I'll always be changing bracelets to straps and vice versa when i realize what the watch came on usually looks the best...at least in the watches I have owned. This is not the case with my Seikos as I generally swap those out.
I learned that my taste can change when I find the right watch. Happent to me with Roman numerals for example…thought I’d never liked them until…😎
same here!
I learned that my taste can change when I find the right watch. Happent to me with Roman numerals for example…thought I’d never liked them until…😎
Same thing for me with Romans!
I guess that's kinda my answer to the original question, too. I learned that my favorite thing in the watch hobby is falling in love with something that I thought I disliked... Romans, white dials, chronos, big watches, small watches, integrated bracelets... what next?
Be patient.
Accept that you will put your foot in your mouth.
Taste change.
Don’t use a checkbox.
Trust your own judgment.
Few mistakes can’t be undone.
Come to terms that you will make mistakes.
Small crowns suck.
Although a great resource take YouTube with a grain of salt.
When I started in the hobby, met some folks who definitely knew more about watches than I did but it is a hobby that is mostly subjective. Almost 50 years later, I find that I have remained constant in what I hope to gain from my harmless affectation, I still like what I like, liked. Other enthusiasts’ opinions are fine but just noise to me.
I eventially get bored of most watches I buy
I like colorful textured dials
I think we all have some sort of kinda “watch snobbery” that makes us feel superior to other collectors in some way, mine is “I like the underground obscure low cost/high value stuff”
Titanium is the best case material
Quartz is dope
I wish I could just own like 1 or 2 watches and be happy — I romanticize the “this was Dad’s watch”thing hard — but I have come to accept that this is not me and I will probably always own like 8+ (even that sounds like a small number)
Watches should be thinner
Independent watchmakers > mainstream watch corporations (but my frugality and inevitable boredom with a watch prevents me from buying them anyways)
Don’t listen to hype. That’s what I have learned
I have learned that I was on a highway nearly two decades long passing different brands from different countries in different genres, sizes, materials, colors, you name it. Now I left this highway and I am on a calm street, enjoying the game more specific. As my collection is all about elegant sportspieces (three handers) in all kind of dial colors. I have learned that watches can be treated like shoes. Yes even our wrist has a size. I learned what to look at and what to search for. Sometimes not following a trend but finding the right watch only for yourself. I learned staying confident to my own thoughts and needs.
I thought that the more watches I bought, the higher my price point would go.
Nope, can’t bring myself to spend over $500 and I’m very happy with the pieces I have well below that price point.
I have noticed not much has changed over time and even align with my approach to my other hobbies:
I'm still a bit frugal but impulsive watch buyer. All my watches are under $500.
Bracelet 100% of the time.
Small collection is fine for me.
I like a watch that has "lived" a little. As I'm looking to purchase items on the used market. Just as long as the crystal is okay and everything works I'm okay with a few blemishes.
When I first got into watches I really enjoyed more elaborate or wild watches but I have noticed that what I like to wear is very different from the ones that I read about.
I really like the hunt, buying watches at sales.
I've learned that there is no end, you are never finished.