Dilemma of watch enthusiasts?

Hi all,

as Daos ("dxboon") recently encouraged everybody to share our ideas on various topics, this is my attempt to describe a phenomenon which I observed with myself and many people posting on this and other watch-related sites:

1. We are eager to acquire "new" (no matter whether vintage or brandnew) watches and are by no means content with a single watch. (Somewhere I spotted a pic of several hundreds of - how else can you name it - accumulated watches)
2. On the other hand we are longing for a quality like authenticity and "personality" that comes with a watch only if it is worn on a regular daily basis.

I can remember reading posts where we could almost feel the aura of a vintage watch that arose from the fact that is was someone´s Dad´s watch which he had on his wrist for decades and people reacted with emotional and passionate comments.
It is obvious that all our treasured, beautiful watches will hardly ever gain this status that we value so much, because we do not wear them on a daily basis.

Talking of myself, I have about a dozen of nice watches for various occasions: work, leisure, sport, formal issues.
My son sometimes asks: "Got a new watch, daddy?", whereas my wife lost track of them already. But my son or wife would not be able to tell which of all these watches was so very special, because it was "my" watch. My son may inherit a watch collection one day, but never his "father´s watch".
I suppose this quality is inevitably lost, as soon as you are no longer happy with one watch. (Which is only too understandable as there so many lovely ones around!).
Sometimes you can hear an echo of our longing for "The" watch, I think, if you feel the need for another watch, the "Allrounder", i.e. a watch that is suitable for many different situations and could therefore get this special quality. But usually there will come another beautiful watch and the allrounder will sleep in its box until it is woken up sometime.

Does this sound familiar to you?
I would be interested to learn from your your experience and appraisal!

Best regards,

anaesdoc

Dilemma of Watch Enthusiasts

By: daringdave : June 16th, 2009-18:22

I read with interest your post about "collecting" watches. I think many people acquire watches just for the sake of quantity and once they have acquired several realize that they have sacrificed quality and become disillusioned about the whole subject. It...

Best compliment

By: anaesdoc : June 16th, 2009-18:49

that might be paid for your gift by your son-in-law, isn´t it, daringdave? If he does not want to give it back or away, this is just something I would wish for when giving a watch away. BTW, I find giving a watch as a gift is most difficult in many i...

Interesting thoughts!

By: dxboon : June 16th, 2009-20:03

I do think stories of singular timepieces passed down between generations, especially of the type you cite (a watch worn daily for decades by a father, then passed to his son) are moving, but I also believe that in a collection of multiple watches, equall...

Interesting comment as well!

By: anaesdoc : June 16th, 2009-20:33

Hi Daos, I am sure, you´re right with your consoling thought, that I/one may have several watches and there still is a possibility for the watches to be fitted with a special significance (I just try to figure out, what to do if you had suggested to sell ...

Modern times...

By: dxboon : June 16th, 2009-22:34

...are increasingly complex to be sure, but the true things -- like the love of a child for his father -- always remain as they ever were. I have no doubt your son will one day cherish one or more of your watches, not as an object of inherited means, but ...

A Father's One Special Watch

By: Frederick : June 16th, 2009-22:43

Hello Daos, Your post is very interesting. It reminded me of the watch I gave my son. Just before our son was born, I splurged and bought myself a "nice "watch. It was a used Rolex stainless datejust. I wore that Rolex for the next twenty years as my dail...

Your son is a lucky fella, Frederick...

By: dxboon : June 16th, 2009-22:53

...to have such a generous father! It's wonderful that the two of you can share this hobby together! My dad and I share many common interests, but I'm afraid watches are not one of them. C'est la vie ! Hope you are having a great week so far! Daos

A watch can be priceless

By: Gilapedro : June 17th, 2009-01:00

Thank you for sharing the nice story. I bought a Rolex SD when my son was born. The Explorer 1 that I wore for years was sent in for routine service and that triggered the itch to add a SD. The idea of getting a watch for the birth of my son didn't cross ...

When timepieces...

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-02:02

turn into pieces of time! Very moving story of a walk back into personal history by the means of one´s watches - thank you for sharing, Pete! Many more good stories to follow... anaesdoc

Priceless

By: daringdave : June 18th, 2009-18:44

Well said Pete; I think that people sometimes wait too long to attach meaning to various items in their lives. That old car that has been sitting on the family farm, that special pen, the gold watch. Those stories need to be told and passed along. They ar...

Thank you!

By: Gilapedro : June 19th, 2009-01:50

Thank you Anaesdoc and DD for the encouraging words. These are stories I seldom share with others as they are my feelings more than the watches. "A house is a house until one makes it a home". "A watch is a watch until one makes it pieces of time". pete

Dad wasn't a watch guy

By: Robert and Ana : June 17th, 2009-04:36

This topic put me in a reflective mood. I'm embarrased to admit that my interest in watches far surpasses that of my hard working (now long since retired) father. My dad, like his own father, was a career Correctional Officer for the state of New York. Da...

Giving watches is a delicate thing

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-15:24

Hello Robert, I believe you are right when thinking your dad would accept a gift for courtesy but might not really value it. I have seen that some times and must admit, I once was so unappreciative myself! My parents gave me a nice Maurice Lacroix watch f...

great topic, great post, Anaesdoc.

By: ThomasM : June 16th, 2009-23:50

Hi, A very good topic, and I hope to read many more personal thoughts and experiences on this very subject. Thanks, Daos, for opening the door... In yet another airport lounge, waiting for yet another flight across yet another body of water...and with a w...

Thanks a lot!

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-01:44

Hi Thomas, I feel very indebted to you for your approving comment and almost see myself as an intuder in your specialty when musing on the psychological implications of our watches. Your post with the excerpts of an article are another proof for the truth...

One of a Legion....

By: MTF : June 17th, 2009-00:27

anaesdoc, As another anaesthetist, I am glad for your missive; obviously you have calm periods at work to think about stuff I can see your argument about watches with insufficient wrist-time to become 'special'. On the other hand, the current Mrs MTF know...

Calm periods at work

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-01:57

... may occur in an anaesthetist´s life, that´s for sure, but in this case, I am sorry to report, it was due to a nightshift which did not give me a decent rest, so that I decided to turn to posting, MTF - nice not to be the only (sleepless) "sleep doctor...

my Dad was and still isnt a watch man, but i did get his beloved grandfather clock

By: G99 : June 17th, 2009-05:30

he gave it to me on my 40th birthday and i treasure it, possibly more than any of my watches. (i'd have to think about that one). i have a large number of watches, but there are always one or more watches that mean more to the owner than other pieces. for...

The thoughts and memories I leave behind, not the actual watches, are what is important

By: mkt33 : June 17th, 2009-09:10

important. It would seem we share similar issues: 1. I have more watches than limbs 2. I need another watch as much as I need a hole in my head but somehow I always have a new excuse for the next purchase. 3. Our professions sometimes do not allow us to w...

Did my best already!

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-15:02

... Mike, but when "collecting" my family I did not pre-estimate my future watch collection . At least my wife and I made it up to one third of my watches number (see above to make the maths) and nowadays I´d rather give away some watches than start ...

Well, the topic about MY watch is quite tough

By: amanico : June 17th, 2009-10:09

It would be an ideal world if I could choose MY watch, the only one I will live with. From my collection, I can't choose only one, and decide to sell the others. I sell, form time to time, watches which don 't correspond to my tastes, anymore or which I d...

You can´t get everything in life

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-15:45

...is a famous and often quoted saying, but nevertheless it´s true, isn´t it, Nicolas? I am with you, that I could hardly say, what might be MY one and only watch. I would also be unable to say what could be MY shoes or MY clothing - they vary a...

I've often about how I'd design a watch, but

By: mrsnak : June 18th, 2009-09:50

For some reason, I'm more attracted to how others do it. Probably the same reason, that although I'm basically an artist and painter by trade, I have virtually none my own art on display in my home.

Not quite a dilemma for me.

By: ling5hk : June 17th, 2009-16:12

I know which watch to give to my son regardless of the wrist time. My wife even has decided THE watch to give to my daughter. I agree with MTF that it is the story behind the watch that makes it "special" not the wrist time. In addition to "my" watch, the...

Very D´accord with you, Ling

By: anaesdoc : June 17th, 2009-17:06

... firstly on reinforcing MTF´s remark, that the stories behind them make our watches special. ...secondly that we are talking about a very luxurious dilemma, that many people would like to share with us! So, there´s no need to cry out loud, ra...