elliot55
2817
How Did Your Journey Begin...
...Whenever I meet a passionate
watch collector, I am always curious to know how it all started. As I’ve posted on this very forum, my journey
began when I purchased that Submariner some thirty years ago. And in the years since I have accumulated a
whole lotta’ watches.
Some even say that
people like us are nutty just for having more than one watch, let alone
spending more than five-hundred bucks on one.
I mean, who can successfully argue with a person who has forty handbags
and fifty pairs of shoes, all housed in a special closet that would dwarf some
New York apartments.
The other day, a
friend asked me (with an almost judgmental tone), “How many watches do you
actually have?”
Actually?!? Actually, I had to think about the answer. Did he mean, “How many watches do I own in
total?” or did he mean, “How many watches do I wear?” or “How many are
insured?” Or…? My answer turned out to be more of a question,
“I don’t know, twenty?”
Frankly, now I
was curious about the grand total and after spending a few minutes culling
together everything this horological packrat has gathered (horded?) over the
years, the accurate number of pieces is (gulp) thirty-three. Granted, that’s EVERYTHING. Every piece-of-crap novelty-watch given out as
‘swag’ by some mortgage company; every junky pocket watch picked up while
foraging at some NAWCC swap meet; every Timex or Casio I’ve ever owned -
running or not – all crammed together in a pile, like Schwarzenegger’s drawer full
of forgotten AP’s. Only without all the
AP’s.
At the end of the
day, the actual number didn’t even matter.
In fact, I am reminded by a dear friend who has always made the point “it’s
not the timepiece, it’s the story”. So,
I have to ask: How did your journey
begin?
Looking back, I guess
I’d have to say watch collecting is in my family’s DNA. Growing up, my grandfather had a beautiful
pocket watch that he kept in the vest pocket of his 3-piece-suit. Whenever I would come for a visit, he trusted
me with it and let me carry it around.
Of course, as a kid I had no idea what a Breguet was so when I was older
and the watch was left to me, I had a minor freak out. And I am pretty sure I’ve never seen my dad as
pissed off as he was when the watch was left to me and not him.
Unfortunately, it’s one of those timepieces that is only accurate twice a day and yes, I have explored having it repaired. There are two issues: 1) Parts that need to be replaced must be made and estimates have been received in excess of $20,000, and 2) Even if repaired I am quite sure it would still sit in the box at the bank. I can almost hear my German watchmaker friend saying in his Deutsch accent, “Fuggettaboutit”.
Sometimes the
obsession starts with a gift. Another
friend of mine was given a Jaeger LeCoutre Reverso by his wife for his 40th
birthday. We’re talking a guy that was
all about his G-Shock. Here we are
fifteen years later and that same G-shock devotee has got a bunch of Rolex, several
JLC’s, a Patek Philippe, a couple of Omegas – well, you get the picture. For others, the affliction comes from an
appreciation inherent to one’s own occupation.
I know a collector with an absolutely amazing collection of A. Lange
& Sohne timepieces.
Each one is a masterpiece, front and back, and when you ask him, “Why A. Lange & Sohne?” He tells you that as a retired engineer there is nothing like it anywhere in the world. He goes onto say no-one-but-no-one can engineer something like this better than the Germans. Or as he likes to say, “Niemand macht es so wie die Deutshen.” This is where curiosity
gets the best of me. So tell us: How
did your journey begin?
Cheers!
- Scott
How Did Your Journey Begin...
... Whenever I meet a passionate watch collector, I am always curious to know how it all started. As I’ve posted on this very forum, my journey began when I purchased that Submariner some thirty years ago. And in the years since I have accumulated a whole...
One watch guy from age 17 a Rolex.
Wore the damn thing for fifteen plus years. Swimming, showering doing everything with it on the wrist. Still in the collection first Rolex till this day. In 2001 a small opening a second Rolex platinum Daydate. Traded when i got the bug. Got the full illn...
Excellent Topic!
My first watch, “The One that Started it All” is a Rolex GMT Master in Steel with a Jubilee bracelet. Bought it for myself at the ripe-old age of 21 in November of 1986. Paid High-End retail from a Authorized Dealer in Los Angeles. Happy to say, I still o...
It Is A Fantastic...
... And iconic timepiece. I rue the day I traded away my "coke" bezel with jubilee bracelet. Looking back, it was a misstep. But hey, we look forward, right?
1974 is precisely when it all began
My Grandfather Carl died suddenly, and I went back to Texas with my mother and aunt. I was 23. My grandmother took me in their bedroom and gave me my grandfather’s two gold watches - an Omega bumper-wind wristwatch, and a Hamilton pocket watch. Eventually...
Ha! No Complaining Here...
... My friend. Love that IWC. And the dial on the Omega is gorgeous. The updated hands aren't so bad either. Have a great weekend. - Scott
I already shared this story, but all began when it was my 7th Birthday. My godfather offered me my first watch, a Timex, which shone in the dark. Then...
The next one which made me fall in love was the Rolex GMT MASTER 1675, because of this guy: It took me some time before I was able to buy my first serious watch, which was a Rolex GMT MASTER 16700, and since then... Well, you know the rest of the story. B...
First watch for me was a Movado piece...
given by my parents for high school graduation in 1985. Not a great horological piece but sentimental. It started a 35 year journey and many hundreds of pieces acquired. Dave
Was It The Movado...
... Museum piece? Iconic to say the least. And a superlative gift for one who made it through the rigors of high school - Scott
My older cousin got one of these for his birthday, and I was obsessed with it!
I was about 8 years old, and the rest is history. Watches have been a passion of mine since then. ...
My first “good” watch was as expensive as a Rolex.
But I demanded TECHNOLOGY, not tradition. This was my high-school graduation present: Alas, it generated respect for technology, but not love for watches. And my grandfather wore a Tradition watch from Sears—not a bad watch, actually—but not something to ...
Both Are Beautiful...
... That Hamilton is really cool. Hamilton made the 'Pulsar' James Bond wore in Live and Let Die.
Which is one reason I wanted it.
But I had a buddy who had the previous Hamilton QED, which was the same as the Pulsar, with the little magnets stored in the clasp that were used to set the time. I had to have one after seeing his. Mine has the next generation movement, after Hamilton wa...
I'm sure I've told the story before, but since you asked . . .
. . . here's the synopsis: Young No was transfixed by a full calendar that belonged to a relative. He (speaking in the third person) would stare at it on his Aunt's dresser for minutes on end. And it's been downhill ever since.
My Guess Would Have Been...
... That a Young Dr. No saw Keith Richards wearing an Omega... and it was all downhill after that.
Nah - I was a Kingston Trio fan . . .
. . . back then. Really. I'd play Scotch and Soda repeatedly on the mono record player . . .
Nothing like repeated exposure to Time and Newsweek..
When I was a kid. I remember staring at those Explorer II polar ads. Which explains this a couple decades later.. ...
