raphmeisterclone
10
some lessons learnt on this watch collecting journey : )
Hi all,
Selected excerpts from my latest post on watch buying / collecting
- External beauty...the look: overall design, the case shape, dial layout and
intricacies(guilloche, wordings and whatever is on its face), the type,
marriage and quality of its different finishings, look of its
numerals(arabics,romans,art deco-ish,) color and look of the hands
- Refined or rugged or swings both ways
- Certain key functions you are looking for (see appendix at the end of this
post)
- Prestige or beauty or uniqueness in its inner workings
- Story, romanticism, classicism, history
- Exclusivity (you want to be the only one you see with it or you like being
part of a community or somewhere imbetween)
- Hearts desire (Due to seeing it on the wrist of someone you admire or whose
opinions you value or very sadly because your hero in some sports, arts or
whatever field wears it. Due to being enchanted with the ads and marketing of
the watch house. The spell being cast may be strong but this is where it gets
most tricky
- Fancy things about it, gadgety stuff about it
- Price range
Price almost didn't come into play 
Because my advice here is if you want to
get a certain watch and you've set your sights on it as the one for you (noting
all my proposed assessment factors to prevent you from ending up with a
mistake) then price may be a secondary factor. Of course, don't be eyeing
watches that are totally out of your means.
Do consider the family expenses, mortgage, car payments etc before even setting
your sights on a potential next acquisition. Don't
spend above your means. When they say its an addiction they’re not joking.
If price is the key factor though, the suggestion is do not buy a
cheaper watch instead of the one you would really like to get. Saving it up is
best, credit can be bad if abused.
And resale price is a consideration only if you think you may be making a
mistake on your purchase(which no one does at the time they make the purchase
decision) and may sell it further down the road or you know you are definitely
selling it down the road or may want to liquidate it for a rainy day.
Try not to believe the hype (well not all of it
anyways
The game is luxury. Watch houses push
- exclusivity : limited editions, limited productions, prohibitive
prices
- innovation : new materials, new combinations of different
materials and calling it fusion, new escapements, new in-house movements with X
amount of power reserve and special features and the list goes on, technical
superiority
- uniqueness : uniqueniss of the design, of the movement (inhouse
or rare) or uniqueness of any part of the movement related to the watch.
Uniqueness of the brand and of the watch history which can't be made up in a
flash
Cheers,
Raph
