The watch that got you into watches

Easy answer for me. Oris Aquis black rubber strap. December 2019. I was looking all over YouTube for what would be my first “good watch” since I became obsessed with the topic for no apparent reason. Got it at Jomashop

But i sold it a month later and got the Oris Aquis Clean Ocean 😂

Can't remember. It was 1963 or so.

Probably a drug store Timex. Like everyone else back then.

The in-laws are very generous indeed! Love the Alpine Eagle.

For me it was the Seiko Speedtimer (Seitona). I wanted a chronograph, solar worked, loved the look. From there it's been a rabbit hole ...

This is my baby. My ride or die. Such a beast of a watch.

In the 90s I learned about JLC and the Reverso and was very entranced, particularly with the duoface. It was just a cool concept to me. It took more than 20 years but I finally bought one. I had it for two years and sold it because I never really wore it (many reason for this I won't go into here). This is how I learned that watches you like/admire don't always = watches you would wear daily.

Since then my obsession has grown, and many brands intrigue me.

Gifts indeed are very powerful starting point. Mine started ~2008 when I was gifted by my employer a Tissot T-Touch. That's why these days I also gift watches to many people I hold dear.

Rolex. I worked at a 5 star hotel and saw them day after day. When I got promoted I bought a Rolex Date. I was so happy!

I've always loved watches, even as a little kid - when the Baby G came out when I was about 8, I became obsessed but never got one. I think a lot of my obsession with watches now stems from the whole "I'm a grown-up and can buy things now" mentality 🤑

This was 1000% the start of my problems 😅

But it’s not an addiction as I tell people!

Your watch was in the Korean drama series crash landing on you 😍

Around 2017-18 I was given this Shinola for Christmas from my father. At the time I was wearing an Apple Watch. I never considered buying or collecting watches but I was, and still somewhat remain, impressed with the Shinola. The Apple Watch died and I was a bit tired of it and eventually I found a job that I could wear my Shinola daily. My new job also really required me to wear a watch at some level as a tool and I began reading about other watches and my collection began.

My first personal purchase was a Brew Retromatic followed by a CW Aquitaine and I was off…still when I look at my watch box the Shinola seems like the beginning.

I was stuck in the quartz zone for a long line time until I head all about the #bambino... Took the chance and now I'm in love again, now with #automatic #movements! ⚙️🤓

Originally my #timex #easyreaders gave me some confidence in highschool and college 🎓🏫

The Rolex Submariner of one of my uncles, another of my uncles had a Datejust that was in the 70s in the 80 a brother in law had a Submariner other one a Cartier Santos anothe in law Vacheron Constantin, well Since I was a small child I was used to seeing many watches on the wrists of family and friends, and my first watch at the age of 7 or 8 was a German Kienzle manual winding dirty dozen small seconds watch.

I’ve always liked watches, but only had two for the longest time: one (I then thought of as) ‘dress’, one (Swatch :) for all the other stuff. Then this one came along, which threw me headlong into the rabbit hole:

A beat up little watch I bought from a high school classmate. Crawford? Croton? I can’t remember, but it fascinated me. Much later I began looking for a similar watch. I had no luck , but the search got me started

Casio ae-1200wh so i could still tell the time while my hands were too dirty to use my phone

I have been messing with watches for as long as I can recall, definitely had a few drugstore Timex watches probably bribes from my future bro in law when he was romancing my sis. After earning a few decent pay checks, I bought an obligatory gold and steel Datejust a steel Sub for imaginary casual events that existed only in my make believe world. Finally sourced an AP Royal Oak perpetual moonphase which I still own roughly 4 decades later. The agent who represented AP also sold Breitling watches during the the late 80s until the brand was taken over by Breitling Switzerland here in Canada. Breitling remains the brand that has kept me in the hobby. It is not even my favourite brand but definitely it was an 80s Chronomat that kept my interest alive after I moved on from Rolex and lacked the income to pursue higher horology.

I realized that I would never be able to go back up the rabbit hole when I saw my partner's AP's case back. Men's watches in particular are really awesome. My Tudor BB is my favorite.

I was maybe 12 or 13 years old and this beauty gazed at me from behind a glass watch display case, it started there and over 50 years later and hundreds of watches in, here I am.

I don't really watch them myself but this was on when covid started and I actually liked it. I haven't watched another one since though lol

It was this Junkers which I bought 5th Sep 2011.

This one really started me down the rabbit hole 25 years ago. 😃 😊 😀

This one really started things going. It was a gift from my parents in 1986 or 87.

Then came this in 1991. The rest have not been as good 🤣

The 1998 Bond was gifted to me by a family member in 2000. Ten years ago I gave it to my son. The 2023 Summer Blue is my current (and forever) Seamaster. I've been into watches since I first saw one as a small child but the Seamaster kicked off the real madness. 🙂

Some are ok to waste a few hundred hours, my wife finds them relaxing since her job can be stressful. I keep an open mind. Take care my good man!

JLC Master Control Geographic, which I bought back in 2000, when I was promoted to a manager.

This is why half of my core collection of six watches are from JLC.

Just before the pandemic I decided that I wanted to buy a nice watch. I’ve been very successful/lucky in life and felt I deserved it. Only had a few weeks before the shutdown so it didn’t happen. Two years later I finally embarked on a shopping adventure. I knew next to nothing about watches, but looked at all the luxury brands and narrowed it down to a VC or Patek. They were actually available back then. Ended up buying this Patek. I have bought a number of others since then but this holds a special place.

Late 1980’s. I lost the original watch. But found same watch this past January on eBay. The rest is history.

Wait your in-laws bought you a Chopard?!?!