Help!: Consolidation Regret?
Genuine help & insight appreciated...
As I'm sure has happened to many of you, my collection has ballooned over recent years. I find it really difficult to fully appreciate every piece that I have acquired.
Something I've been thinking about recently is opportunities to trim down my collection by consolidating a few pieces into a new piece that covers most / all of what I like about the potential outgoings.
This is obviously a trade-off - what I'd lose in variety I'd hopefully make up for in wrist time (and having more opportunities to bond with a watch and build memories together).
See the candidates:
Out: Omega Seamaster 300 NTTD, Rolex Explorer 114270, Tag Aquaracer
Each of these hold varying degrees of sentimentality, and market / resell value
In: Rolex Sea Dweller ref 126600
Has this contemplation happened to you? Have you pulled the trigger and had regret? Or did you do this and found it liberating and successful?
Would love to hear from you,
Will
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Wills Watches
“I’m just a watch, looking up at a man from a watch box, asking him to put me on today”
sydney
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I have traded 10 seikos for an Omega speedy … I hardly wear my Speedy cuz I think I baby it too much , and I don’t regret trading the 10 seikos for one Omega… 😜🥳
Less is more. Those are 3 fantastic watches and two of them I covet. That said… if you aren’t feeling the love send them off to someone who will look at them the way you look at that Sub.
In my opinion, you’ll regret getting rid of them for the sea dweller.
A collection should have limits on its number (could be 5 or 50). You only have so much wrist time available. If you’ve reached your upper boundary, you should shrink the size of the collection and upscale the quality of the pieces.
I'm holding decluttering sessions every 2-3 years, during those I go through my wardrobe, my stuff I have in a drawers, and my music gear. I do it because my brain doesn't accept any form of learning except trial and error, and that cultivates a need for an experiments. I love adding some interesting gear in my creative process, and I like to experiment with different clothes, different styles, and different approaches to work, art and organising my environment.
This approach inevitably leads to amassing excessive amount of stuff, so I'm usually selling things I don't need at marketplaces. In a years of doing so, I became kinda great at emotionally detaching myself from things, but it's never a 100% success.
I would say, that downsizing is generally a liberating and very useful process. Just like buying new gear and experimenting with it, selling gear allows to figure out your true likes and dislikes, and it makes possible to focus on particular approach/style/creative process/etc.
But let me tell you about that one thing I regret letting go of. My wife, who was just a friend at that time gifted me a lighter on my 25th B-day. She also made a DIY birthday card for me. She was and still is my best friend and i used this lighter every day for a straight year. Then we had a couple of principal arguments, which sadly resulted in us parting ways. I was devastated and just sad, so I threw a lighter AND A CARD in a trash can, and just so I couldn't possibly get it back, I took the can outside and emptied it in a container for waste collection. That's it, the present was lost forever. I moved on with my life and I thought we're never gonna talk again.
Little did I know, that 2 years later we gonna make peace, finally accept our feelings, start dating and after 2 years of dating marry each other.
I feel so, so awkward and sorry for doing such stupid thing. Lighter is a half of the problem really, even tho it was one the most sentimental things for me ever. But throwing away the birthday card is next level stupid and borderline disrespectful. No amount of mental gymnastics, stoic readings and appreciation for memories can replace this card. Sometimes letting go is hard, but sometimes is just short-sighted.
So I would say, most of the time, changing pace from buying to selling is beneficial. I guess in your case, if you really want that watch, it would help to bond with it on a much, much deeper level. You would try to squeeze every bit of wearing potential, which means a lot of fun - different straps, unexpected attire matches, etc. But if you have some strong sentimental connection with one of the three watches you have on a chopping block, I would think twice about selling. Because, after all, managing regret of selling a cool shiny object is fairly easy, but dealing with a regret of losing valuable item, which is linked to really important time or people in your life could be a pain.
P.S. I'm really, really glad that I didn't threw away my first watch which I bought with my own money. The only reason this watch is still here it's because I gifted it to my future wife couple month before we temporarily parted ways. I mean, losing one of two most sentimental items is hard, but make it 2/2 and it's purely idiotic.
Im generally always "pro" consolidation and have done it myself many times. But it also has to make sense for your entire collection and your life style as well. In this case, because of the watch you're trading "into", which is the SD43, Im not sure this watch will provide the same level of versatility as the watches you're trading in. One of the rules I have when Im consolidating is trying to think if there will be situations where I will want to pick one of the watches that Im consolidating OVER the watch Im consolidating into.
Lets say I have an Omega Speedmaster and a Zenith Chronomaster, and want to trade it into a Rolex Daytona Gold, Oyster flex. In this scenario, there may be times where I want to remain "low key" and want something like a speedmaster instead of the Gold Daytona. However lets say I had a 5 digit submariner, an explorer and a seamaster and wnated to trade in for a modern 12 series Sub, I would do it as it would literally do everything those 3 watches do, but just in a better way.
I'm holding decluttering sessions every 2-3 years, during those I go through my wardrobe, my stuff I have in a drawers, and my music gear. I do it because my brain doesn't accept any form of learning except trial and error, and that cultivates a need for an experiments. I love adding some interesting gear in my creative process, and I like to experiment with different clothes, different styles, and different approaches to work, art and organising my environment.
This approach inevitably leads to amassing excessive amount of stuff, so I'm usually selling things I don't need at marketplaces. In a years of doing so, I became kinda great at emotionally detaching myself from things, but it's never a 100% success.
I would say, that downsizing is generally a liberating and very useful process. Just like buying new gear and experimenting with it, selling gear allows to figure out your true likes and dislikes, and it makes possible to focus on particular approach/style/creative process/etc.
But let me tell you about that one thing I regret letting go of. My wife, who was just a friend at that time gifted me a lighter on my 25th B-day. She also made a DIY birthday card for me. She was and still is my best friend and i used this lighter every day for a straight year. Then we had a couple of principal arguments, which sadly resulted in us parting ways. I was devastated and just sad, so I threw a lighter AND A CARD in a trash can, and just so I couldn't possibly get it back, I took the can outside and emptied it in a container for waste collection. That's it, the present was lost forever. I moved on with my life and I thought we're never gonna talk again.
Little did I know, that 2 years later we gonna make peace, finally accept our feelings, start dating and after 2 years of dating marry each other.
I feel so, so awkward and sorry for doing such stupid thing. Lighter is a half of the problem really, even tho it was one the most sentimental things for me ever. But throwing away the birthday card is next level stupid and borderline disrespectful. No amount of mental gymnastics, stoic readings and appreciation for memories can replace this card. Sometimes letting go is hard, but sometimes is just short-sighted.
So I would say, most of the time, changing pace from buying to selling is beneficial. I guess in your case, if you really want that watch, it would help to bond with it on a much, much deeper level. You would try to squeeze every bit of wearing potential, which means a lot of fun - different straps, unexpected attire matches, etc. But if you have some strong sentimental connection with one of the three watches you have on a chopping block, I would think twice about selling. Because, after all, managing regret of selling a cool shiny object is fairly easy, but dealing with a regret of losing valuable item, which is linked to really important time or people in your life could be a pain.
P.S. I'm really, really glad that I didn't threw away my first watch which I bought with my own money. The only reason this watch is still here it's because I gifted it to my future wife couple month before we temporarily parted ways. I mean, losing one of two most sentimental items is hard, but make it 2/2 and it's purely idiotic.
Great story and excellent point about the power of sentimental items.
I have to say that the three watches are not really varied. They all have black dials and you have two divers. So I don't think it will really be a big change having only the Sea Dweller.
Less is more. Those are 3 fantastic watches and two of them I covet. That said… if you aren’t feeling the love send them off to someone who will look at them the way you look at that Sub.
I think where I'm struggling is that I really do like all three. But my aim here is to consolidate so that I can really really love just one.
If you contemplated this for awhile, I say do it but don’t be surprised if you end up still looking at other watches while your bonding. In the end, I wouldn’t categorize anything you’re giving up as unobtainium, so it’s possible you could reacquire if you had the energy/funds to do so. Good luck!
In my opinion, you’ll regret getting rid of them for the sea dweller.
I haven't held one in the flesh - I definitely need to track one down and handle.
Do you have a negative view of Sea Dweller? or more a general comment about trading in the three?
I'm holding decluttering sessions every 2-3 years, during those I go through my wardrobe, my stuff I have in a drawers, and my music gear. I do it because my brain doesn't accept any form of learning except trial and error, and that cultivates a need for an experiments. I love adding some interesting gear in my creative process, and I like to experiment with different clothes, different styles, and different approaches to work, art and organising my environment.
This approach inevitably leads to amassing excessive amount of stuff, so I'm usually selling things I don't need at marketplaces. In a years of doing so, I became kinda great at emotionally detaching myself from things, but it's never a 100% success.
I would say, that downsizing is generally a liberating and very useful process. Just like buying new gear and experimenting with it, selling gear allows to figure out your true likes and dislikes, and it makes possible to focus on particular approach/style/creative process/etc.
But let me tell you about that one thing I regret letting go of. My wife, who was just a friend at that time gifted me a lighter on my 25th B-day. She also made a DIY birthday card for me. She was and still is my best friend and i used this lighter every day for a straight year. Then we had a couple of principal arguments, which sadly resulted in us parting ways. I was devastated and just sad, so I threw a lighter AND A CARD in a trash can, and just so I couldn't possibly get it back, I took the can outside and emptied it in a container for waste collection. That's it, the present was lost forever. I moved on with my life and I thought we're never gonna talk again.
Little did I know, that 2 years later we gonna make peace, finally accept our feelings, start dating and after 2 years of dating marry each other.
I feel so, so awkward and sorry for doing such stupid thing. Lighter is a half of the problem really, even tho it was one the most sentimental things for me ever. But throwing away the birthday card is next level stupid and borderline disrespectful. No amount of mental gymnastics, stoic readings and appreciation for memories can replace this card. Sometimes letting go is hard, but sometimes is just short-sighted.
So I would say, most of the time, changing pace from buying to selling is beneficial. I guess in your case, if you really want that watch, it would help to bond with it on a much, much deeper level. You would try to squeeze every bit of wearing potential, which means a lot of fun - different straps, unexpected attire matches, etc. But if you have some strong sentimental connection with one of the three watches you have on a chopping block, I would think twice about selling. Because, after all, managing regret of selling a cool shiny object is fairly easy, but dealing with a regret of losing valuable item, which is linked to really important time or people in your life could be a pain.
P.S. I'm really, really glad that I didn't threw away my first watch which I bought with my own money. The only reason this watch is still here it's because I gifted it to my future wife couple month before we temporarily parted ways. I mean, losing one of two most sentimental items is hard, but make it 2/2 and it's purely idiotic.
Thanks for the insight, and great perspective.
Im generally always "pro" consolidation and have done it myself many times. But it also has to make sense for your entire collection and your life style as well. In this case, because of the watch you're trading "into", which is the SD43, Im not sure this watch will provide the same level of versatility as the watches you're trading in. One of the rules I have when Im consolidating is trying to think if there will be situations where I will want to pick one of the watches that Im consolidating OVER the watch Im consolidating into.
Lets say I have an Omega Speedmaster and a Zenith Chronomaster, and want to trade it into a Rolex Daytona Gold, Oyster flex. In this scenario, there may be times where I want to remain "low key" and want something like a speedmaster instead of the Gold Daytona. However lets say I had a 5 digit submariner, an explorer and a seamaster and wnated to trade in for a modern 12 series Sub, I would do it as it would literally do everything those 3 watches do, but just in a better way.
This is really great insight, thanks. I have a fair few other watches, in a variety of metals and styles. I think what I'm trying to do here is remove the overlap in this category ('premium utility') so that I have a go-to option.
The question is, is the Sea Dweller the answer? I think it incorporates elements of all three:
Explorer's handset and similar dial
Seamaster's HEv, diving credentials, Pop of red text
Aquaracer's functional bezel (the Seamaster's one is borderline unusable)
Thanks again for the useful perspective
I have to say that the three watches are not really varied. They all have black dials and you have two divers. So I don't think it will really be a big change having only the Sea Dweller.
Omega is a v. dark brown, but I get your point. That's the thinking here - pick a single watch that means I don't miss any of the three
A collection should have limits on its number (could be 5 or 50). You only have so much wrist time available. If you’ve reached your upper boundary, you should shrink the size of the collection and upscale the quality of the pieces.
I second this opinion I am in the midst of trying to slim down my collection but I don’t know how and where to sell everything
The Sea Dweller is the single watch that I might want from the Rolex catalogue. For me it is not even a fair trade. However I also understand familiarity, continuity with old friends but finally we are dealing with mass produced objects of metal so no hesitation on my part. One very special watch instead of 3 nice models. Unless you wear 2 to track another time zone, most fellas even geeks wear 1 at a time.
Wise words, thanks!
my opinion, if you don´t wear those 3 anymore, or not much...yeah, downsizing is very libarating and the Sea Dweller is just an awesome beast...I´d go for it
Thanks for the advice? How were you getting rid? Which channels were best?
It would help to know the rest of the collection..
I am a big fan of consolidating and having a few watches I’ll wear for life.
It would help to know the rest of the collection..
I am a big fan of consolidating and having a few watches I’ll wear for life.
Ok, deep breath (edited to include categories):
Dress
* Longines Classic
* Christopher Ward Malvern
* Zenith Elite Power De March
Dive
* Tag Heuer Aquaracer
* Omega Seamaster NTTD
* Doxa Sub 300 Caribbean
* Seiko Prospex SPB385
Sport
* Rolex Explorer 114270
* Casio Illuminati
* Casio G-Shock x Bodega
* Seiko mod
* Nivada Grenchen F77
* Seiko 5 Sports
Chrono
* Surges Chrono
* Nivada Grenchen Datomaster mechaquartz
Vintage
* Omega Seamaster 1969
* Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1951
* Rolex DateJust 16220 1991
I haven't held one in the flesh - I definitely need to track one down and handle.
Do you have a negative view of Sea Dweller? or more a general comment about trading in the three?
No, I do not have a negative opinion of it; the SD is a great watch. But if the 3 you’re trading hold sentimental value, not sure it’s worth the trade. You’re giving up 3 good pieces for another good piece. Not sure it’s something I can do. But you should def try one on in the flesh before doing the trade.
I’m of the opinion that 3 luxury timepieces is better than 1.
More variety & options to match outfits as well as different activities.
As far as your dilemma, I would keep the 3 or exchange them for another 3 or 2 timepieces.
You've got the wrist size for the sea dweller. Out with the old!
In my opinion, you’ll regret getting rid of them for the sea dweller.
Most definitely. It’s not as if these were three insignificant watches in exchange for the Sea Dweller. Those three are amazing watches
Very, very fine line between having something you have truly moved on from vs just getting a little bored with it. Consider putting the ones you don't wear away in a box and perhaps a good chance after a year or two you will open the box to find a renewed interest. Or maybe there is a certain specific occasion or choice of clothes or location that fits the watch and you bring it out for just a few wears a year in that situation. That's a way to add variety and still enjoy the watch.
I think where I'm struggling is that I really do like all three. But my aim here is to consolidate so that I can really really love just one.
You should like all three. They are beautiful and well made watches. I have been struggling with a similar but almost opposite dilemma. I recently got rid of all but one of my “cheap” watches. They were distracting me from my “nice” ones. I’m down to 3: A Seiko 5 that gets no wrist time but I keep for travel to shady places. A Speedy 3523.80 that is beautiful (my wife loves it) but not practical. And a Seamaster 300 heritage that I almost never take off.
I Really want the FXD and could easily pick up a used one. I haven’t. I already have a blue diver that I really enjoy wearing. I also really wanted a NTTD. It would have been a stretch but I could have picked one up a few months back. I didn’t. Again, I have a fantastic 300m diver that I love to wear.
I’m not buying any watches at all. 90% of what I want would distract from what I already have and the remaining 10% I am still trying to track down. There is an Explorer 2 in my future and probably an Aqua Terra Day Date.
The Speedy will be re-homed after my next purchase. I love it and have some great memories with it but it has its flaws and I don’t wear it enough to justify keeping it.
Less stuff makes for a more concentrated experience with the things you do have.
I’m in the camp that less is more, but I do think 3 might be the perfect balance for a collection.
The sea dweller is a rather big and bulky watch which may not be suitable for all ocassions like you might not feel the heft initially but I promise you, you will eventually and that’s the time you’ll wish you still had your Explorer or Tag or Omega. If you can keep one of your initial 3, do that and add the sea dweller. Might be a stretch financially now but trust me you’ll appreciate having that lighter, smaller watch on some days.
At one point I hit the same breaking point of too many watches. There are about 10 watches that I will never sell because they have a meaning to me (gifts from special people, a reward for hitting a milestone or just a great watch). You have to ID the watches that you haven't worn in a few weeks and let them go. I sold a few watches and then I had the funds to start buying again. There is nothing like that notification that "Your Watch Has Arrived".
Sounds like a good approach - spending time away from some makes you realise which ones you miss, and which ones you don't
The sea dweller is a rather big and bulky watch which may not be suitable for all ocassions like you might not feel the heft initially but I promise you, you will eventually and that’s the time you’ll wish you still had your Explorer or Tag or Omega. If you can keep one of your initial 3, do that and add the sea dweller. Might be a stretch financially now but trust me you’ll appreciate having that lighter, smaller watch on some days.
Thanks for the insight - I definitely need to try the SD on in person