Horological Meandering

pplater
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From the cynical p.o.v....

...of a formerly oppressed, disenfranchised and shallow Antipodean colonial, rules are singularly unattractive, and exist to be resisted. Indeed, it seems that the only rules with any regular application down here are either the Rules of Fight Club or (for the Monty Python cognescenti) the Rules of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Woolloomooloo.

Taking a different approach: to follow no rules at all (other than Craig's most sensible guideline, above) is the path to constant surprise and pleasure in this life, having the capacity to lead to an eclectic, dynamic and varied collection which in and of itself may nonetheless have great inherent value. It will always satisfy; it will not be hidebound by artificial or uncomfortable constraints; properly curated, it should offer at least as much emotional  satisfaction and 'retained value' to the generations who follow. Indeed - who knows what they may want or value? What purpose then does it serve to be collecting principally with them in mind and to impose personal strictures on the preservation of that which is to be passed to them? Why deprive yourself in this life, or them in theirs, of the pleasure of an idiosyncratic piece by a Master - a Voutilainen decimal repeater, say, or a Prescher multi-axis tourbillon, or an Oechslin astronomical piece?

However - chacun à son goût. The ability to adhere to a carefully considered long term strategy is impressive. It would still be a great pleasure to see (and a privilege to inherit!) a collection developed by the application of the 'twelve commandments' !  ;-)

Cheers,

pplater.