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I think if we always ask ourselves...
"Why do I want this watch in particular?"
Then you will be in good stead - if you answer yourself honestly, anyway. If you find that you are buying a lot of "smaller" pieces just because the excitement of purchasing breaks up the doldrums of day to day life, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate. On the flipside, if you are buying "heavy hitters" just to impress your collector friends, and you're too nervous to ever wear them, that is also a possible cause for rethinking the way you collect.
That said, all of this is just a theory; In practice, my collection is small out of necessity - these things are expensive 😂
WatchProSite Mini Debate: Quantity or Quality?
What would you rather own? A collection of 2-3 very expensive watches that total a specific dollar/Euro/unit amount or a collection of 20 watches that total the same dollar amount? There are two trains of thoughts here... 1. Advocates for Fewer Timepieces...
I'm currently more #2 but I want to be more #1.
But which pattern do you think you best fit into currently? I'm currently more #2. I've got many watches. Some that I haven't even worn once yet since I bought them. Many of which I haven't even worn for two or more years. And who do you want to be in the...
Definitely on the same path like you .
It’s just so damn hard to part with the watches that still put a smile on my face and which one you end up keeping 🤷🏻♂️. I have multiple grails that I can’t let go 😬
definitely number 1 for me
If a watch is not worn on a regular basis, I sell it unless it has emotional significance
Quality.
No question for me. And that applies to any product category, not just watches, especially when it comes to luxury/expensive product categories. I'd much rather have 3-5 watches worth $100K than however many 'inexpensive' watches that amount of money coul...
I agree with you!
I too would rather have a few pieces. It's hard to keep track of a lot of pieces! And I'm trying to push towards pieces that I really find quite special or significant. I need to go back to my rule. "If I can live without it, I should pass." I bought a Ro...
What a great mentality!
Yeah! If you've got the funds! Get both right? Some people own two airplanes. Some people own two or more boats. Some people own multiple homes. Definitely a rare air.
Some have a dozen cars, or 200 pairs of sneakers....
...so.... those $700 fun pieces can bring as much joy as the rare one you got for lefty dad as a gift. It's all about... Enjoying your time. ❤️ ...
Yup!
I'm definitely one of those people with too many shoes. And I'm just starting on suede shoes...
Both!
A watch collection must have a certain number of watches, but of quality-watches! I like diversity, I love dress watches, sport watches, diver watches, chronographs, handwound watches, automatic watches, gold watches, platinum watches, steel watches, watc...
A great approach! Both!
I like diversity too. But I also feel that I own a large amount of "very good" timepieces when I feel I should try to focus my collection on more timepieces that are more significant. Museum quality pieces. A Rolex is a great watch. An fantastic watch. Bu...
Diversity is an important factor to take into account
Some collectors want to have all variations of a Sub or Speedmaster and can have 10-20 pieces that look alike to non WIS. Or collect only one brand On the other hand, I am trying to build a small collection with a maximum diversity. Today, my base is at 5...
I think the first step of a collection is to build it, then the second step is to reduce it.
Maybe in order to fund " bigger " pieces? My personal ideal number of watches would be around 20 to 30. Which is already a lot! Best, Nicolas
What a great approach! Build it first, then refine it later!
20 to 30 does sound like a good number for you mon ami.
Same here
20-30 is the sweet spot I feel. I am aiming for 25 pieces in the next 5 years.
Totally agree with you!
I think that Maturity and Taste refinement come from the act of buying and owning. And it takes time. I don't get that from window shopping or from manufacturers' catalogue. 5 to 10 watches would be enough for me, but I don't have your love for antique an...
Thank you Etienne!
I agree with your statement. Maturity and Taste does evolve a bit and becomes more "acquired" after a length of time exposed to this business. Although, that being said, I still adore the first pieces I acquired for my collection. Thank you for your wise ...
Yes, indeed, it is the right way,
I made the same: first I built a collection of 20 watches but mainly with low-budget watches ( around 2.000 Euro on average ) then I started to reduce my collection with more valuable watches. I realized than that I do not have enough watches, I started t...
Good to know! 40 is too many!
I'll try not to hit 40. Hmm. I'm trying to see if I can live with less than 15! A tall order! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your path!
Agreed...
I might be able to live with just one Master Ultra Thin from JLC. One Reverso is hard too... That blue Tribute keeps on calling my name!
I‘m leaning more towards quantity, but only because I can afford a good quality level while going for quantity
If my total budget would be around 20k or less, I‘d probably go for just 3 watches. Above 20k I would start having more than 3 watches, but with a limit of 15-20 watches overall. Also, as I do wear all of my watches on a regular basis, I prefer not to hav...
If I recall correctly you have a white gold VC?
I assume due to the high cost of watches these days that an overall budget of 20K wouldn't be able to buy enough super nice watches. Unless we're talking a MING, a Nomos, and a Rolex. You might be able to do that for around 20K. But a Bulgari Octo Finissi...
I‘ve been above 20 pieces already and didn‘t like it, because each of the watches didn‘t get enough wrist time. I‘m currently sitting at 16 and quite happy with that.
I started my watch collecting life with a Nomos (still own one today), so my limit of 20k was rather reffering to my beginnings of a watch collector.. Still own a Nomos, a Sinn and a Dornblüth, which are well below 20k (even below 10k) combined.
About the same
I have around 16 pieces so far. Feels ok, but I still want a few more pieces to “complete” it. I think I will reach about 25 pieces and will stop at that mark. I still have a few pieces on my wishlist and it’s good to look forward work hard towards someth...
More is more fun for me
I have a friend who follows a 10 watch rule, selling pieces which he stopped wearing often to get new ones he would potentially will wear more. I can’t seem to follow the rule. There are far too many wonderful pieces out there I’d like to own. It doesn’t ...
Sounds a little excessive
But it’s true. 20-30 feels just right. Can’t have all in life but watches are good enough for me. Not all hard/medium hitters. Quartz pieces like the Bulova Accutron, Omega Z-33 or Polaris are just as exciting.
Ahh. Peter Chong. Always smiling when I see him.
Yes. I bet almost all 10 of those watches are probably Lange timepieces.
I can name a few he had
1) JLC reverso platinum 2) Laco Pilot sterile dial 3) Grand Seiko Chronograph 4) Sinn EZM in titanium The rest maybe are Lange. Those pieces I saw him wear on events and some for cycling with me.
Oh! I've never seen him wear a JLC Reverso nor a Grand Seiko.
The Laco and Sinn make sense - both German and somewhat similar to Lange. Good to know!
Yes he wore those
The JLC reverso platinum was worn during a JLC event I recall. It is so heavy and amazing looking, with the balance spring exposed on the reverse side. It has a pidgeon grey dial. He wore the GS chrono during a cycling session. His collection has a mix of...
Peter's Great!
...bicycles of course, and his photographic skills are excellent! Plus there's the fun SG vibe ❤️
Yes he is awesome guy
Humble, kind and not vindictive. He has a self-depreciating way of life, not taking himself too serious. And he always pays his portion fairly. You know some friends use people, and give the short end of the stick? Not him, he always gives fairly. For exa...
To me it's all about balance
It comes down to how you approach collecting, I wouldn't hoard, there's such a thing as too many watches, but going as far as having just two or three watches... I don't know if I'd be able to do that.
That's true! Balance!
Hmm. Maybe you're between 1 and 2? Agreed. Maybe narrowing it down to under 5 pieces might be a little hard for some of us.
Not a bad place to be!
I'm kind of a 2 trying to be a 1. Maybe that makes me a kind of 1.5 too.
Why do you want what you want?
I don’t consider myself a collector so my approach may not answer the question. The watches I own are meant to satisfy two primary criteria. They must appeal to my sense of beauty and they must fit into my lifestyle. Those rules have determined the number...
Very fair!
So in other words, if you have a very varying lifestyle, then you get to wear more watches? And what counts as lifestyle? Is there a red watch or a purple dialed watch for wine excursions? A nice brown dialed watch for those cigar nights? I suppose I'm ge...
Exactly. Wardrobe plays a role. I like my watch straps to match shoes and belt.
Weather also plays a role. My latest acquisition was on a metal bracelet for summer days when the temperature make a leather band impractical. As long as I can visualise the occasion, I can justify the purchase.
Great question Patrick! I think I am in camp #2 but there is a but!
For me I need a minimum critical mass of watch as I like to rotate them and not wear the same all the time. Heck I probably have 20 different straps for every watch I own! So clearly for me I would not be happy with only 2-4 heavy hitter. However now that...
Ahh!
So many people have armoires with 7 drawers. I remember asking the furniture store employee why is it 7 drawers. She told me it was one for each day of the week! So you can't go beyond 30 since there are only 30 days in a month! That's very true! Back to ...
I don't know. I don't have a specific use case for this that would come to mind. The challenge I see here is for me the cost of the collection, while very important, is not the only factor...
my passion for watches is not directly linked to the cost of these watches. Its only one parameter and camp one versus camp two assumes more expensive watch are better quality and bring more enjoyment. This is not always the case so it could become a trap...
True!
Higher cost doesn't always mean higher satisfaction. I'm thinking more and more about focusing on really special pieces. Unfortunately those special pieces are high cost. But... They can present to be good value.
#1 for me!
I only just recently went from a single watch to a two-watch collection! ...
This is a great example of collecting...
Only buying super great pieces that really excite you. I'm sure that you find the Rolexes nice, the JLC nice, even the Lange or Vacheron very nice. But you chose these two because these two were probably "better than very nice."
#1 for me. I think of watches like cars, enjoyment for me is the miles not the choices in the garage.
Heck, if watch servicing was like a car instead of a prison sentence my dream would be to just have one watch. Until then, my goal is 2-3 watches to wear all the time and build some memories with. I'm getting close....
That's true! Memories are important!
Did you see anything super inspiring at Dubai Watch Week?
I found the event overall very good...
Some of the panels had mixed results. The NFT panel could've been stronger and the Made In America panel could've been stronger. The Debates were a lot of fun and if you listened closely you could catch some good bits of wisdom that really showed the ment...
Same. The organization, venue, all of it was really excellent but the panel I attended (People vs. Luxury) was lacking. All the ingredients were there, probably just needed a stronger moderator
I loved that they picked a street level venue, it was cool to see all the random people passing by stop to see what was going on. Really great way to promote the hobby vs hosting it in some conference center. I was slightly concerned about security given ...
Wished you stuck around for the debates...
And I wished you did some of the classes. Definitely wasn't as strong as the events were in Dubai. And there weren't as many brands nor brand executives. In Dubai, it's amazing, all the famous watch company executives are there at your fingertips. You can...
Great post btw
Quality for me. I look back at some pieces I bought way back when and still have and think why on earth did I buy these? The more I learned about horological wonders, quality without hesitation. I hope to add some more “quantity” to some of my quality pie...
You're definitely firmly in the #1 camp!
Glad to see someone who knows what he wants! Try your best to stick to it!
Probably correlates with age too..
In my case, growing older and moving towards #1. Although, I don’t really have a lot to start with as I only have 10 or so pieces and half of them are Seikos! And yet, it seems a lot to me. Also, sentimentality gets in the way. Having said that, the proce...
Indeed... Our answers do become more nuanced over time...
Sentimentality does indeed get in the way for me too! Especially pieces that have a special memory attached to them. I was talking to a collector recently and we talked about collection survivorship. Will his children appreciate the collection? What role ...
I think if we always ask ourselves...
"Why do I want this watch in particular?" Then you will be in good stead - if you answer yourself honestly, anyway. If you find that you are buying a lot of "smaller" pieces just because the excitement of purchasing breaks up the doldrums of day to day li...
What prompted this question...
I was chatting with another collector and when the discussion came to who will carry on maintaining our collection after we are too old, I asked the other collector if his children would have an interest. Then I asked the collector of his children would b...
In that dystopian future
I'd agree with your logic. In a future free of mandated smart watch wearing, I think there will still be room for other philosophies of collecting. Here's hoping that our wrists remain free!
Hopefully! But I've got a feeling that between insurance companies, Big Brother, et. al. I have a feeling our wrists will be occupied with some sort of tracking device!
Hey! People on house arrest have an electronic ankle bracelet which starts beeping once they get too far from their home. But if the government puts it on your wrist, then all of a sudden people are happy to wear it! Who knew!
People have been willingly carrying around tracking devices
for as long as smartphones have been around. Law enforcement, government, etc has no need to force people to carry them around if the convenience of the technology convinces people to do it of their own volition. For those who are really interested in dis...
One thing is certain: the greater the penetration of digital technology into our lives (incl. into our bodies and in shaping how we think), the more powerful will be the urge to hold on to analogue, tactile material.
This partly explains the enduring appeal of mechanical watches, vinyl records and so on. They're cast as inferior or antiquated technologies but this misses the point of their value entirely. They prompt lasting connections that are intimate and emotional...
Thank you for your thoughtful response...
I concur with your thoughtful response... And I dread the day when health insurance companies ask us to wear a smart watch so they can track our health. Yes, there will be advantages, we will probably be healthier. But if I'm wearing a smart watch, then I...
Quality for me
and also because I prefer not owning too many watches as they would not be getting sufficient wrist time. I have 4 quality watches at present - my target is 7 which for me would be more than enough.
Thank you for sharing!
You know... I agree. For a long time, I only wore one watch. And that was enough for me! I could go back to just one watch!
Interesting debate
#2 currently But if I find a watch I really like, I don't mind wearing it all the time~
Yes! Very interesting! A multitude of different thoughts and opinions!
I used to wear just one watch all the time. In fact for a number of years it was the only watch I owned. I was happy. And I still own that watch, but now I own many others. But I think that first one still makes me the happiest.
Interesting topic!
I would say I'm nr 1. I enjoy my things when I use them. As another member here wrote I'm enjoying the car when I drive it, not lookong at it parked in the garage. Same for watches. I have six in cirkulation, and when I find a new watch I like it must "fi...
lm6! Does the 6 stand for the 6 watches you have in curculation?
Yes. It's a little sad that they don't all get some wrist time. I have some watches that I haven't seen for years!
No - the 6 is a coincidence.
And come to think of it, I have seven watches in circulation, of wich one is a pocket watch. Happily used when the occasion calls for it!
Ahh! Soon to be lm7 then?
Very good to know! And nice to know you've got a pocket watch for those special occasions. I nearly acquired one myself. But at the end, I realized, I would sadly never use it and that I'd likely damage it or lose it.
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