Self-imposed watch collecting rules

It sounds to me like you have experienced a lot of brands and have found what you like. I really don't have any rules, other than I try not to have too many of one type of watch. I would probably have nothing but divers if I didn't do that. 

Left to my own devices, I would have been perfectly happy with a few divers. 

My biggest rule is don't go into debt to get one. 

My newest rule is one per year (or less)

So to achieve this one per year...are you going to not log on to WC for a year??? 😀

I didn't make it through January...so my 1 a year clock has restarted

Not going into debt is a great rule for everyone! I too have been trying to add less.

Haha! No, I just know now what I ultimately want and multiple watches a year will not allow me to get there. 

I have a Seiko, a Timex, a Citizen, a G-Shock, a Swiss, a diver, a field watch, a dress watch a digital, a chronograph, some novelty. My basic bases are covered, so now it's mostly straight on to the Grail. 

Will there be temptations (Bel Canto - Moonglow) along the way? Absolutely, but with the Speedy as my heading, I should be able to stay on course. 

That’s a really good observation. I feel like I could have an entire collection of Seikos. There are still a few other brands I’d like to experience. The good news is if I get the Negroni it won’t be too much of a financial deterrent to acquire different brands. Thanks for your feedback!

I try not to duplicate movements.  It is because I am a gearhead. And there are sooooo many rabbit holes to go down...  It has kept the collection a bit more manageable... the other half happier :)

Personally I do not have rules I just buy what I really like. Maybe impulse buying and spending too much for a watch.

I’m jealous of your freedom LOL 😂 Still good to have those guidelines to keep yourself in check though.

I’ve got a price limit if €1000 untill I think my kids old enough that I don’t worry about them picking up and breaking a very expensive watch.  I’ve got a minimum wr requirement of 100m so that I can use all my watches all the time no matter what I’m doing. I’ve promised that I will not get more watch storage so I’m limiting myself to 20 wri watches, I’ve got 2 spaces left and if I want anymore after that something else has to go first. 
I also used to have a date requiremen but that’s gone now. 

I find that very interesting. Thanks for the comment and the explanation. It really makes a lot of sense and very similar to why I limit myself to one watch per brand. I certainly understand that keeping the other half happy is most important! 

I leave that up to my wife but she's an enabler as well. She wanted to go on a vacation so lure me to go to Japan so we can go "watch hunting" and to the Seiko museum. So if you see me on the street begging for money just walk away I might spend it on a watch and not food.

Still the Speed...good job you're staying focused lol

Rules 

1. No debt.
2.  5x to charity what I spend on watches annually.  So far I've managed to keep to this for about 6 years.
3.  Ten max.  Once the box gets full, one in one out.  I've gone down the 30+ watch path before and i found that I ended up hoarding watches I had no intention of wearing.  Which is silly.

I am very strict with my spending. I have a set watch budget and will only spend more if I sell watches to allow for that purchase. 
I also thought I had a strict watch collection size limit. But that has gone out the window 😁

My only rule is that I buy what I like and am going to wear. I really don't care about new designs or certain brands if I don't like it I'm not going to buy it. It always bothers me when people say you have to have this watch in your collection. If you don't like the watch why have it in your collection. 

1.  No debt
2.  Every piece has a role designation - once the bases are covered, any new purchase must upgrade or supplant the current piece filling that role and the old piece gets sold or given away to someone that will use it.
3.  Never treat them as investments or financial assets

This is helpful for me. It shows me that rules will change as I go along. I would like to start getting into vintage. Very cool that you viewed watches strictly as tools and found so many different uses for them.

Very wise to set a budget on a purchase, especially in this economy. I thought I would reach a point where I wouldn’t add anything unless I got rid of something, but that hasn’t happened yet. So yeah, I can relate to that.

Stay strong and keep avoiding the peer pressure! It bothers me too that so many people think “you need to have a Speedmaster” in the collection (or whatever watch). In many cases, the fact that so many people have the watch makes me want to look elsewhere and not be another sheep.

I think the “no debt” has been the most common rule I’ve seen, and for good reason. 

Id be interested to hear your role designations. I feel like I would find a way to cheat on this rule. For example, I have two dive watches but one is a modern design (Oris Aquis) and one is a vintage reissue (Zodiac Super Sea Wolf). Would you consider these two different role designations?

I don’t consider watches as investments. I do, however, look up the market value of a watch when considering a purchase and try to get the watch for as close to that price as I possibly can to make sure I’m getting good value.

Exactly.

Yeah cheating on the rule with small variations is definitely a pitfall but instead of doing divisions like modern vs vintage I do like sporty versus formal variants. For example I've got two divers as well - one is like a more "formal" diver (that wouldn't look out of place in a shirt and tie) and one is like a sporty casual diver for jeans and a tee shirt - now both are currently occupied by cheap watches, both Casios. The formal diver is a blue dial Duro and the sporty diver is a black and white face with a day-date.

One example of upgrading a role is one I just did last week - had a Timex Weekender as my "goldilocks" role - which other enthusiasts call "GADA" or "duz-all". I upgraded to a Seiko 5 "dressKX" and gave the Timex to a coworker of mine that liked it and wanted a watch.

Most of my roles are all still occupied by inexpensive pieces that are systematically getting upgraded as time marches on. A lot of these were purchased before I came up with and started following the rules, so as I upgrade some pieces, the role variants will also get pared down I think. For example I don't really think I need a "dress sport" and a "dress formal" role, and even if I did, the "diver formal" can do that anyways since a diver is a sport role anyways.

I guess I'll just make a list of the roles I have now and the pieces that occupy them.

Military Field - Hamilton Khaki Field Auto 38

Military Field Chrono - Timex MK1 Chronograph

Military Pilot - Timex Expedition Chronograph

Goldilocks - Seiko SRPE51

Goldilocks Chrono - Seiko SNDC81

Dress Sport - Casio MTP-SW300

Dress Formal - Casio MTP-113A-7A

Diver Sport - Casio MRW-200H

Diver Formal - Casio "Duro" blue

Digital Beater - Casio F-91W silver

Digital Casual - Casio A168

Thanks for sharing! I would definitely find ways around the rule to justify another watch without having to get rid of one. Like “but this one is a different color/case shape/movement/complication” etc.  Nice collection too, btw!

So I thought I would give an update here. I’ve broken all my rules. Bought an SPB 143 on discount but over $1k. Can’t bring myself to sell my alpinist, so that’s 2 of 1 brand. How are the rest of you doing?

Thanks so much for the update! I’m staying strong so far. I haven’t bought the Negroni Cocktail time yet. I’ve actually listed a couple watches for sale in an effort to downsize and upgrade my watches. The green Sharp edge is not one of the watches I’ve listed so I think I’m sticking with one Seiko. This could change at any moment though 😂

My new rule is thumb is buy what you like and makes you happy. If that means more of 1 brand, than so be it.

Excellent rule! Your happiness in the hobby is the most important thing.

Excellent rule! Your happiness in the hobby is the most important thing.