One day just one watch
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I can imagine what happened to you but…
I am not there yet! With the watch market going crazy the last couple of years and prices that keep on going up I often wonder will it end and if so when? I do have a passion for watches and that has been the case for more than 35 years. I started out buying a Swatch with money that I made being a dishwasher in a restaurant. And 35 years later I have reached the peak of Horology when I recently bought a Patek Philippe Aquanaut. Lately I have been realising that the instant joy I feel when I am on my way to buy a new watch, is over much quicker after I have put the watch on my wrist. Don’t get my wrong I still feel excitement but it fades away much quicker than it used to. In Dutch we have a saying:
Het bezit van de zaak is het einde van het vermaak
Which roughly translates to: Once you own it (the watch) it’s the end of the pleasure you felt when you were pursuing it.
It has been said on this forum many times, it’s the pursuit of the new watch that gives you excitement, and with the purchase comes an end to the pursuit. After that you can still enjoy the watch, admire it, show it to friends and play with it, but for me the real joy is in getting informed on the watch and see if you are able to get it.
So all in all maybe you got saturated if that is the right word for it. Maybe there have been enough watches on your wrist for now and who knows in time the itch will come back and you start all over again. I had a pseudo for a long time being Just One Watch and that is more a wish than a reality because if only I could be happy with owning just one watch, that would save me so much time (and money), but hey I am still not there yet in deciding which watch that would be and in all honesty I like the hunt!
PS I have narrowed my grail watch down so far to the following: It has to be waterproof to at least 100 meters, have a date, an automatic movement, probably a steel bracelet because I want to wear it day and night, have some gold on it, but still no clue which brand what colour dial (blue or black or white) and what price range. So the story with watches continues😉
More posts:
Crazy thing happened to me!
I sold all my watches a few months back and have totally lost interest! How can something like this happen? I used to love having a collection. I am thinking the way the market has panned out had an affect on me. Not sure. Rolex BS totally affected me but...
Once a WIS Always a WIS
We are human, passion varies, other life events and things take priority but you always come back to it. Its all part of the journey. Enjoy the ride and see you soon Cowboy. S
I've considered selling only a couple, but seller's remorse sets in before
I even sell anything so I just keep them, they are costing me nothing to have and enjoy.
You raise an interesting philosophical question. Why do we do what we do?
There are many possible motivations for our activities. The motivations of our youth can change with age, experience or circumstances. It sounds like you've reached a point where you're examining yours.
Fully agree with you except I have never sold a watch (yet).
But the market, the market-ING, the incessant lesser-product for higher price, the fixation on price appreciation, have all really taken the bloom off the rose for me.
Maybe your taste has evolved and you simply had no watch in your collection that triggered passion, but maybe a different watch not in your collection could?
This happened to me last year where my passion for watch was still strong, but I fell out of love with almost all my watch, sold them, to renew my collection with reference better to my taste. So far this move holds the test of time...albeit it has not be...
Yes indeed!
In my case I also found some time it is only by owning a watch that you know if you like it or not!
shock 😲
Ripper, what happen? I discovered the Omega Seamaster 300m diver by your posts. Bought it, by your posts. It happen not to me. I think that i like watches, and i am not interested in any market what so ever. I hope you find the road back. Even new cars ha...
That happens to me.
I get burnt out of hobbies and then I move onto the next. I'm usually a circle of hobby interests. For me it's cars, watches, guns and knives and repeat process. When I get burned out of one I move onto the next, until I'm done there and it is a perpetual...
Cool
I do not have such a cycle. Interesting to read your way. I have the same hobbies for decades. Some are new, such as collecting art and silver work.
I’ve thought about it.
It’s tempting to just sell everything and see how one would begin again, having more experience, being better informed and more aware of what’s out there. I think if there was an easy way, without getting shafted, to just sell it all I think many more peo...
I can imagine what happened to you but…
I am not there yet! With the watch market going crazy the last couple of years and prices that keep on going up I often wonder will it end and if so when? I do have a passion for watches and that has been the case for more than 35 years. I started out buy...
Rolex BS? What is it and why did that make you sell? You had Rolex and sold?
I need more details 😌
I generally dislike most of the bigger brands
I think there are still some people doing cool stuff, but you have to forge your own path. I also like a lot of vintage stuff.
What have you sold, if it’s ok to share?
For me, because my collection theme has less redundancy, it is difficult to sell everything. My worries are if I sold them, I may not be able to get them back later if I missed them. I do have less interest recently due to the craze and also lack of watch...
Give it some time.
The love will come back and you can start a new and fresh collection again
I have long contemplated selling all ( or at least most) of my watches to buy one real “Monster” of a watch!
Just can’t seen to pull the trigger on that idea. I totally understand your motivation. Sometimes in this ol’ life we can only focus on something so intensely for a limited time. What does a person do with ALL of those watches? It does get a bit strange a...
I think we all have these moments at some point .
I can’t give all my watches the same amount of love i want to . But I can’t get to that point to sell them tbh . They still give me a smile on my face when I see them . I hope you will find your love for this hobby again at some point
Same here! I wouldn't say I totally lost interest but sold / traded / gifted most of my watches in the last few months
The watch market is crazy. Watch purchasing and servicing feels less and less like an enjoyable experience and more like the hunger games. It's not just watches, it's everything that gets hit with the hype stick. Buying my last car a few years ago was lik...
I read all your replies
The more I think about it the more the answer comes up. I started out with the idea of building a collection only to fall into the serial flipper category! I went through every brand so fast that I think I never stopped to enjoy it. I’ll give it some time...
Ripper.
I know of a friend who has sold everything only to buy back into watches again. I think it’s crucial to focus on what really matters. Recently I sold a couple of watches I never thought I would. But I did. And I knew the reasons clearly. Ultimately it is ...
It’s not a cheap endeavor but what about
…contracting an Independent Watchmaker to have him/her build you something from scratch. Here it will be highly unique to you, all the features and material you want in a watch with zero marketing influence. Most are glad to treat you with developmental u...
some wise guy said....Insta killed watch collecting - i think he is correct !
i'm almost in the same point as you're...so i recognize instantly what you mean. couple of indies are keeping me still hanging to it... Best, mahesh.,
Not quite there yet but i am thinking about letting go of sentimentality in favor of practicality to free up cash just because..
But then i’m weighing it against seller’s remorse so not quite easy. No right or wrong when we choose to do what we do. Growing up in the 80s with not a lot of money, the value aspect is ALWAYS at play. Buying Seikos is my version of the horological carbo...
I’ve contemplated, but not there yet
Pretty drastic, but I get it. I’ve cut down my collection to just 8 watches now, and even then, I’m so tired of the hype that made some watches unwearable outside just because of the recognition, that I’ve stuck with just 2 watches pretty much all the tim...
Well this post did not age well
One thing selling everything did was get me to branch out into brands I have always passed up. Here is the first of two…. ...
Very interesting topic!
I'm a little late, but I still want to contribute my experience. I can understand ripper444 very well. It is simply a phase of life that each of us has already experienced at least in thoughts and emotions, even if not each of us then acted with this cons...
It's true. Marketing sells watches better than polishing the undersides of the hands 😥
Sometimes I walk through stores (anything, not just watches) and I'm astounded at the poor quality of.... Everything. We are in a vicious cycle where marketing sells more than quality/value so brands spend more on marketing so marketing gets more expensiv...
