sebks
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Iwc big and small pilot: a shift in collector’s priority
Dear all,
Avid reader for more than 10 years I did not post for a very long time... but decided to change this bad habit to share some thoughts on my evolution as a watch aficionado.
I’ve been lucky to own some (to my eyes at least) very nice pieces such as ( list non exhaustive) the Pam 358 Chronopassion, a Bréguet Tradition 7027 in yellow gold and a Type XX, a modern Blancpain Fifty Fathoms « no radiation », multiple « normal » PAMs (24, 05, 372, 419), an Hublot Classic Fusion all black, a vintage Rolex 5513, and many more.
The common point: all have been sold, sometime to finance the next piece, sometime out of simple “boredom”.
I even grew a bit tired of the whole watch scene (price inflation, limited creativity from my favorite brands - don’t start me on Panerai 
, etc...) and did not buy anything for several years: my 2 last purchases were the Seiko Shippo and the Hamilton Khaki mechanical - great pieces and excellent value, while my last “significant” acquisition was a VC Overseas back in 2011.
, etc...) and did not buy anything for several years: my 2 last purchases were the Seiko Shippo and the Hamilton Khaki mechanical - great pieces and excellent value, while my last “significant” acquisition was a VC Overseas back in 2011.Now what has changed? I realized that the only watches I did not sell were the ones linked with great memories, so I started to look for “personal relevance” instead of only focusing on the intrinsic qualities of the piece.
The virus started to itch again a few months ago but long story short I decided not to buy the Royal Oak 15400 I’ve been eyeing for so long... and instead find something which would bring back the best memories and create new ones. I decided to buy not 1 but 2 watches to celebrate my 10 years wedding anniversary!
I’m a French expat living in Zurich for 5 years so the “physically” closest brand is IWC, Schaffhouse is a 45 min drive from home. I always loved the Big Pilot and the great thing is that they make a 36mm Pilot which is very feminine while also very closely related to the Big Pilot design...
So here it is: “his and her” shot just outside the Zurich Weinplatz IWC shop! Could not be happier!
Thanks for reading
Seb
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Iwc big and small pilot: a shift in collector’s priority
Dear all, Avid reader for more than 10 years I did not post for a very long time... but decided to change this bad habit to share some thoughts on my evolution as a watch aficionado. I’ve been lucky to own some (to my eyes at least) very nice pieces such ...
Great story....or stories and welcome here, congrats to your 1st post and new watches 👏🏻
You said it well, these watches are for joy and memories, not commodities.
Ahh! Memories indeed..
I remember well that I bought my Big Pilot from a small shop (no longer there sadly) on Bleicher Weg in Zurich. For me it is forever associated with the city and every time I wear it I fell warm and happy inside !
Great story and nice to have shared interests
My wife thinks I'm a little obsessive about watches and other things. She's been wearing her Swiss Railway quartz watch for many years, but did admit recently that the new 36mm Datejust with blue dial is quite nice ;-)
A great entrance. I don’t need to add a welcome as you are a ten year member.
It is great to hear from you with your first post. I feel every member counts because you are also readers and if we don’t have readers we have no want to read our exchanges. So a big thank you as a long time reader and first time poster. It is also great...
Welcome! You've landed with a splash.
Nice IWCs. Hoping to see more photos. Cheers. M4
Your story reflects the feeling in many of us...
Collecting watches should be about passion of art, technology, design, and "feeling" , not about investment. Which is why I'm so tired of the Marketing play of "scarcity" , long waiting list, ridiculous price, etc. And buying couple watch to share with yo...
Hey Seb, welcome.
Your thoughts and journey will be shared with and similar to many here. Good to hear (and see) the passion for finding something new has come back and compliments on the pair of Pilots. The BP has a soft spot with me, even though I let mine go a number of...
