Purchase Frequency?

Hi, I'm Cantaloop and I'm a Watchaholic. It's been two months to the day since my last purchase and I'm hoping not to purchase before December. I've only ever sold 2 watches

I buy inexpensive watches frequently, but try to leave time between them to enjoy each purchase. I have a wishlist with about a half a dozen under £100 which I could buy all at once, but by giving each some time I get to bond with every purchase.

I buy expensive watches very rarely, my last 18 months ago. Currently there's only two on my wishlist over £1k. I'm waiting for a new release (not yet announced) and perhaps a Daytona if I really want it (years of indecision).

I build about 1 a week and end up gifting them to friends and family sooner or later. Just got a NH35 36mm case today.

I buy what I am really attracted and drawn to, and after much thought. Waiting and calming down helps tame acquisitiveness, and wakes you up from being fooled by the initial attraction. Patience is a virtue. It's just like dating. You don't marry the girl after the first date, right?

I normally buy my watches in spurts it seems. I’ll put my name down for multiple watches, and sometimes the call will come within weeks of one another. I never intend on buying two or three watches within a month or two, but it sometimes ends up happening that way. The only exception to this was my recent affliction with Traska. I bought one to see what I thought of them and within a week I was purchasing three more!! They were just so inexpensive relative to the watches I had been purchasing previously that it didn’t feel like a guilty pleasure- if that makes any sense…coincidentally, 4 Traska’s ended up being the value of a good entry level luxury watch! 🤣🤪😅💸💸🙈

I've bought my last watch. in fact I've bought my last watch three times this year so far, down from six last year.

Nothing wrong in having many girlfriends though who know you will not marry them and accept it and enjoy living under the same roof and sharing you with each other 😜

My taste is more expensive than my wallet allows, I have to wait ;p

Sounds like the same thing I’ve been doing, buying a bunch in the beginning and now slowing down. Good, I’m not crazy. 😂

That’s awesome that your building them! So cool!

Good advice, thanks! True, but it’s the dating part that I’m having the problem with. I keep dating different watches, they come and go, but not sure if I should slow down and just wait for the few ones to settle down with. Part of the fun of this hobby for me is the research and wearing different watches for a period of time and then selling and moving on.

Do you ever find yourself wishing you wore a different watch for the day since you have so many to chose from? I’m assuming you have some overlap in styles if you have a big collection. I’ve bought watches that I love, but then I’ll end up not wearing it for awhile because I wear another one that I love of a similar style. Then I feel like it’s a waste and I should just sell it to put the money towards something else. #confusedcollector 😂

Yeah that’s my problem too. I guess I have a hard time waiting longer periods to save up for the big guys, so once I get a smaller amount, I’m like, hey, I can just get that less expensive one “for now”.

From your post, you seem to be concerned about:

1) the frequency/ speed of acquiring watches to be part of your collection, and,

2) what kind of collection you want to have (i.e. lots of less expensive watches enjoyed more frequently vs. few more expensive pieces acquired over years).

End of the day, it's up to you how you answer both. There's no hard and fast rule. Just note that answering #2 is crucial, and how you answer #2 will determine how you answer #1. Be clear about your answer to #2, and fine tune your criteria in choosing a watch. Then, #1 will follow.

Having said that, if part of your fun in this hobby is the hunt, and wearing different watches constantly for a period of time, then go ahead and enjoy! But reading now your other comments, my $0.02 worth of advice is, don't settle for anything less than the watch(es) that meet your fine tuned criteria.

OK, I'll confess.

I just bought my 14th watch this year. Now before you get all excited, 8 of those were on sale/clearance (how do you resist a Bulova Surveyor "Heartbeat" automatic for less than $200 US from a MSRP of $475 US?), one was a gift, 2 came into the collection as a result of attend WUWF Chicago, my wife convinced me to get a yellow Citizen Tsuyosa when she ordered her blue Citizen Tsuyosa. All of these were less than $500 (not MSRP).

The year started with a Bell & Ross BR-X5 (see my review of same) that I found in the proper color, blue, on a bracelet. To the best of my knowledge, this model is still pretty much unavailable 9 months later. And the other is my Rolex Air King. I told my AD I liked that watch and if they ever got one in to consider it sold as it was probably in less demand than my ultimate desire, a Rolex "Batgirl" GMT Master II. Sure enough, a few weeks later I got "The Call" and now can rock an Air King whenever I want. These were my two "big" purchases to date this year.

Funny how that happens 😜

The last couple I don't think are worth selling because They are quartz experiments with upgrading grocery store watches worth under 10 bucks to Swiss powered watches. The last one was the VH31 Seiko upgrade with the sweeping second hand. Stupid thing has no date.

The only one I assembled was this DIY Bronze Diver. It was really fun to do. I wanted to get that experience of putting something together. Seiko NH35 movement which doesn’t keep great time but good enough for wearing for about a week or so at a time.

The kit watches are a great way to start out. It's the more expensive route but safer. Japanese Auto's end up costing over a hundred bucks on average where the refurbished Chinese ones end up costing under 50 bucks to convert to Swiss.

Thank you! Great advice! I have a pretty good idea of what my final aspirational collection would be: I was very lucky to get a Speedmaster last fall (earlier than planning because of a great deal)… so to compliment that I would like to eventually get the Explorer I (field), the Tudor Black Bay 58 Blue (diver), and a Grand Seiko (dress). I feel like that is the ultimate collection for me, my favorite watch of each style that I would keep forever and hand down to my kids (yes I know I’m boring and those are pretty common choices). Obviously that will take a lifetime to achieve because I’d have to save up for all of those. But part of me feels like if I just wait to save up for each watch then I’m missing out on enjoying so many other inexpensive watches for years in the meantime.

I had a thought that I could have a watch or two at a time that I enjoy for a short period of time and then upgrade as I save up. I know I’d lose a little money each time but I feel like that the cost of “renting” the watch for a month or two and then let the next person enjoy it. I’ve just been asking myself if that’s worth prolonging what I really want for more watch hobbying in the meantime.

I’ll wear 2-4 watches a day so I can rotate through my colllection quicker than I would if I only wore one per day. I’d only get to wear a watch once or twice a month if only wore 1 per day. But I agree with you that there is room for consolidation and when I get the call for those more expensive pieces I’ll sell some that I don’t wear often enough

Completely makes sense, hard not to buy good watches that are on sale under $500 (I’m always about to click the button on a CasiOak like every week). I loved going to WUWF NYC last year, so I totally understand that purchase too! And congrats on the Air King! Fantastic watch! That’s like me with the Explorer, I so want to buy one. But I’d have to trade in my Speedy to afford it which I just can’t make myself do. I’m a space nerd so I love space-themes watches too. I had a Bulova lunar pilot, and two different Zelos meteorite watches. I’m also pining over the Lorier Astra whenever that comes out. I don’t know, I’m just overwhelmed sometimes.