How do you decide if you should buy a watch?🤔

It depends on what’s in my collection and whether the watch box has space. If I really like it and there’s no space, I’ll look to sell something to make space.

I’ve realised t’s hard to classify a “happily every after” watch. What I thought to be happily ever after gets replaced after a few months. Times change, movements change, our preferences change over time too!

Happily ever after pieces would be more sentimental and celebratory!

Other than that, it’s usually watching reviews on YouTube, having it on my wrist, taking 1727733 wrist shots.

If I still really really enjoy and pine for it after that, I might pull the trigger!

Online purchase: If its an expensive piece, I wait for about 3 days. To see if my hype for it can die down.

I was almost going to pull a trigger on a Vacheron, but 3 days later I decided to check the serial number on thewatchregister.com . Because the online seller had a clear photo of the caseback.

Then thewatchregister told me that I am missing a caseback movement number. I checked, and compared different images, then I realize that this watch actually doesn’t have a Serial Number!! I thought the caseback number was the serial number.

Oh BOY this could be a stolen watch!

I messaged the seller, but the reply was super vague.

So I ended up not buying

Note: The seller is from Hong Kong. Also, no box no paper

Well, first thing, I kept the watches I bought on a whim as a reminder of my mistakes.

Second, I only go and try on the watches that tickle my watchy-sense in the most expensive luxury boutique in the city, where the sailsmen and women are rude and snobby to customers. I dress down when I go and never buy anything so they treat me like garbage and don't lure me in.

I try them on multiple times, trying to stretch the time between the tries.

I buy new straps for watches I don't wear much to spice them up a bit and see if the itch goes away or if I'm still thinking of Him.

But, yeah, if you're not ready to buy, avoid stores with great staff that really knows their stuff and treat you well, because you'll buy! I love people that do they're job properly and with passion and it weakens my control on my spending. Rude and annoyed staff is what you want to look for; if you respect yourself, you won't give thousands of dollars to someone that doesn't respect your time, interest and money.

I sleep on it for 1 week. If after a week I’m still constantly thinking about it I’ll pull the trigger.

I have my evolving wishlist established in a long process, when ı have the economic availablity ı filter them acording to my priorities such as color or what my collection needs, then among the finalists I evaluate them thoroughly and at the end which one captivates my hearts gets bought

I wait 6-9 months before buying a new watch to gauge if I actually like it, or if it’s something I’m lusting. If I’m still thinking of it after this time period, then I’ll pick it up. If I’m not, I move past it. Also, I must be able to try on the watch. No matter how much I like a watch, if I’m unable to try on a watch, I will not buy it. Currently, with the exception of 2 watches, everyone of my watches went through the 6-9 month waiting period, with them typically on the later months.

The more expensive watch, the longer wait. The minimum is two weeks, maximum (unless life intervenes) a year.

I have a wish list that I update every few months. The interesting thing is that there is a core that has stayed and some that have dropped off because I have gone off them. Most things I buy I research fully. There are watches I have bought under £1000 that were bought on a whim but more expensive pieces, no.

Prior to the new year, I created a watch list (pun very much intended) and would buy whatever goes on sale. I could do this because I was largely buying Casios.

This year, I have set up a more structured list of 5 watches with major categories (e.g. Daily/Casual, Field, Dive/Sports, etc) and am shortlisting top 3 pieces which I expect will spend months on there before ultimately being bought as they’re much less affordable than your run-of-the-mill digital watches.

To help curate the list, I’m keeping the entire watch box’ cost on or below 5k. So if I wanted to buy say a more expensive piece, I could do so but I wouldn’t have as much “cap space” to fill up the rest of the watch box.

Who only buys the right watch? I have made many "mistakes" along the way.

But to answer the question, it depends upon how much it costs. If less than $100, while I am at the counter. Less than $1000, lets walk around the mall/show a bit. consider the watch. Something around $5,000, go have a drink at some bar after walking around considering it. Did that recently and decided nope, don't want it. Anything over that is sleep on it overnight. Maybe even a couple of days. If I decide yes, go back and it is still there, like my BR-X5, then that is an omen that I was supposed to buy it.

Of course all that goes out the window if I get "the call" from my local AD. 😉

With a dozen watches in the collection I'm focusing on the watches I really want so generally they are higher-ticket items that I really need to have done the due diligence on. For 2024 I've narrowed down to two watches that are in contention and its now a case of getting hands-on with both, on several occasions to ensure my feelings haven't changed and waiting until the funds are in place via saving. I haven't had any serious buyers remorse so far. My main concern is the new releases I'm not yet aware of that might be better than what I'm looking at. With any watch I try to ask myself 'where is the compromise' (from my POV). The perfect watch doesn't exist but if there's more than 1 or 2 compromises then I'm not pulling the trigger.

I look at it online, in the boutique as often and as stretched-out over time as much as possible. At least 1 year. If I continue to be obsessed with it, meaning the feeling doesn’t taper off, then it is a sign that the watch has found me.

My main strategy is waitin and patience.

During this time I check and try the watch as much as possible with different wrist shots and short videos to get a good idea about how it would look. I read a lot about the certain watch and watching reviews. If I get tired after few weeks/months I know it was just a hype.

I know that there is always a fear of missing out. But the worst what could happen is, that O have to keep my money for myself. Never be stressed. Never feel pushed.

There a only few exceptoons as like if a watch is offered very cheap to become a nobrainer and other once in a life time chances.

But in general:

Wait, have patience...and you will avoid so much mistakes and safe so much money.

Let the watch find you...not the other way around 😊

Many of mine are what I call "limited opportunity" watches. Another collector or seller shows me the watch and I have a brief period to decide whether to jump on it or not. Lately I have been buying it immediately if I really love it whereas before it only took me liking the watch to pull the trigger.

1. I wait ages. Months to a year these days. I've learned to let the initial excitement cool.

2. Because I wait so long! If it's out of sight and out of mind, it was just a passing fancy.

I've really tried to cultivate an attitude of contemplation around what I buy. I have a much better idea than when I started about what I will actually wear and enjoy. If I know I'm going to buy a certain watch for sure, I'll wait for a sale or a good price and then jump on it.

I only buy watches that I have a genuine need for, for whatever specific situation it is. The rest of them are often gifts from other people who I've mentioned them to and don't count. Only very rarely have I ever bought a watch that wasn't up to the job, and I usually notice the problems with it instantly.

I make my mind up first, then get the cash together and pull the trigger straight away

It's an instant decision for me if it's < 1,500. Once the price goes beyond that I do tend to be more analytical on whether the watch is adding something new to what I have already.

There is the total Impuls way and a more calculated way for me. The two main factors, in the impulse way, in determining whether to by is my inner feeling about the watch and also my wife’s opinion 😱(the last mentioned factor is still a mystery). To really be sure that the watch elicits the right response in my gut I sometimes have to wait months, and sometimes seconds. In the calculated way I can wait for a long time before I buy. That’s typically expensive watches where I find prices/quality is important and if I buy used - how well did the previous owner take care.

I'm typically careful about purchases and do a lot of research and comparison. But I'm also open to making the occasional impulse buy, particularly if I already have trust in a brand. Sometimes you just need to follow your heart. It helps that I mostly avoided such purchases when I was still developing my tastes, and therefore don't have a ton of regrets; I feel comfortable enough in what I like and my ability to asses quality visually.

Do I have money? Buy it 👍🏾

Great post! It seems lately, on a weekly basis, I am completely locked in on something to save for, and a week later, I'm like... meh. So I think I will get the money together first and try some of these great strategies!

The hunt is the stage I enjoy the most, so I prolong it as long as I can endure, for better (buy) or for worse (discard). I start by reading the official documentation, reviews, forums, etc.; followed by going to see it and trying it on more than once. As a complement, when I go to try it on, I always carry with me an established piece that I love, in order to force a comparison between love and temporary fever. After that, I let a few weeks go by, and if I still want it, I pull the trigger. Otherwise, I discard it forever.

I allow myself to study and spend time with the watch for months or even over a year before pulling the trigger. In that time a watch may fall off my list or move up and down it but if it’s mostly on my wishlist and I can’t stop adding photos of the watch to my phone camera roll? It’s prob more than just an infatuation. I also try to associated major watch purchases of over say 5k to a milestone, so this gives me some buffer time.

I have a wishlist. If I see a new watch I like it goes on the list with a picture and the basic details. Everything stays on for a minimum 3 months before I'm allowed to buy it. When it comes to purchasing I have to weigh up between those on the list. Eventually I realise that some are never going to be purchased so they get deleted.

My list has been up to nearly 50 (obviously including a lot that didn't make it) but it's now down to 8 which I'm quite happy with. Two aren't available yet, two are very difficult to get hold of, two are classics that I never find in the right condition and price, and the last two are easily available and inexpensive. I could just buy them tomorrow but I'm hoping to hold off for the year and maybe one of the others will come up.

Now that you mention it, I feel like I generally do enjoy the hunting phase more than when it has arrived. Or maybe, i need to see if i am alr itching for another hunt🤔

What were some milestones where you got 5k plus watches?

I work in a creative field, so major sales/foreign rights sold (I bought a Grand Seiko for instance to commemorate a deal with a Japanese company)/ notable public events I was paid for etc. These all come with various levels of $ that is apart from other steady income, so this is also partly why I’m comfortable using some small percentage of it on more expensive milestone watches as it doesn’t really affect investments or other responsibilities. On the hunt for a particular Reverso at the moment. I also limit myself to a 6 core + 2 rule (and then if the need is great I’d need to sell to acquire anything), which makes me very careful and slow (at least moving forward) about what I want.

Most of my watches I have been researching for over 6 months waiting for the right deal before I pull the trigger. The only watches this didn't apply to were a cheap Seiko when I started just to get something on my wrist, a Gshock because as long as it was solar I didn't care and my Tribus because the deal was too good and they were selling out fast.

Do I really like it? Or is it a passing interest? Some catch your eye immediately and the more I investigate, I might end up generating more interest for myself ( maybe the heritage, the story/theme, fine details not seen initially, movement) or finding out more maybe wanes the interest.

I find that certain watches leave a lasting 'wrist impression' if you have tried it on, whether that it was negative or positive.

Negative example: Was looking at the Oris Kermit ( I love Kermit, the watch specs were nice and I found a shop with reasonable discount) but trying it on.... the dial felt too flat , too light, etc. Didn't leave me with a 'I love it' feeling. I went off for dinner to think about it but the lack of 'wow' on the wrist wasn't enough to drive me towards a purchase.

Positive example: tried on the IWC Ingenieur ( both latest 2023 model and the previous 2013 release) on 2 separate occasions. Loved how it just looked and sat on the wrist. I still think about it constantly... but no budget to buy currently ( see below)

Also depends on whether I am financially comfortable to buy it , which could be seasonal ( e.g. year end bonus time)

Finally, availability: Is it a limited window of opportunity? Unfortunately, this factor can trigger rash decisions as it adds time pressure.