TimeOut

NavarroOne
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Climbing the ladder or into the abyss

I consider myself a burgeoning watch aficionado. There is no tradition in my family for this and by the early nineties when I was in my early twenties, I had a well worn Puma sportswatch which cost less than $100. I was very proud of my Puma; the best looking and most expensive watch I had ever owned. Before that I had flirted with a string of Casio's that I loved as well, fascinated by the relatively new digital technology.

By the mid nineties I could now afford and gained interest in "high-end" watches which had never been on my radar screen before. After long studies, I acquired a white and gold Longines Le Grand Classique with a black leather band. Within two months I also added a Tag-Heuer 2000 sportswatch with a steel bracelet. Both had quartz engines and gave me infinite joy for more than 5 years; it was all about aestetics at the time.

Then I added an Omega Seamaster chronograph automatic to signal my interest in diving. An unexpected side effect was that I got taken in by the feeling of the self-winder rotating on my wrist which I felt gave the watch a soul. Henceforth Quartz became a four-letter word in my world and I now only have eyes for mechanical watches.

4 years later, aiming to complete my collection (!) I added a very ornate, thick and impressive Chopard Mille Miglia limited edition to signal my car enthusiasm. Again an automatic with split second chronograph  and this time with a sapphire caseback to see the belly of the beast. Somewhere between the Omega and the Chopard, I added a Tissot T-Touch which I think looks both sporty, rugged and beautiful. Though it runs on quartz, I'm fascinated by the technology crammed into a small space with compass, altimeter and thermometer and I think it's a modern classic.

Price wise it incrementally escalated from just below usd 1,000 to usd 7,000. I found myself ashamed to mention the high cost to friends and family as I thought it frivolous and vain to spend so much money on a watch. Moreover since I already had several fantastic watches I also worried about the increasing frequency of my purchases.

Now just less than 2 years after adding the Chopard, I'm seriously considering adding a Breguet 5327 Perpetual in yellow gold or perhaps a Lange & Sohne - Lange 1 (or Lange 1 moonphase or even a Langematik Perpetual). Looking just at retail before discounts, prices range somewhere between usd 20-40k or the price of a car! I'm beginning to think I have lost my mind and all sense of reality.

Is there a helpline I can call or will there be no end to this madness? Does anyone else out there suffer the ambiguity of watch loving and wonder whether you one day have to sell your soul and rob a bank to get your hands on a double tourbillon minute repeater perpetual?