Mostel
4360
OK, here goes
I can really summarize this almost entirely in one sentence. I would never buy from any gray market seller, and I would never buy what the community valued more than I did myself.
I was a bit of a sheep in the beginning. I had the income to throw in the fire as I made many expensive 'mistakes'.
I would never believe in marketing. Only the watch itself.
I would buy for wild passion, never for resale (which is rarely 'true' anyway.)
My biggest lesson is again, about the gray market. I would say to my younger self, 'stay away.' Not because they sold fake or malfunctioning watches... but because they are almost always in it solely for the money... and they 'tutor' you to make money your guiding light. They 'love trades'. And why not? They always win like a casino, with trades. I could go on.
I would never buy from anyone who didn't earn my business. I bought some watches where I 'hated' the guy I bought from! because I wanted the watch so bad. NEVER again. God, do I regret those deals! Except for the lessons I learned.
I would be more cautious, go slower, as I do now.
I would get a Rolex sooner. 
That's a start.
M
This message has been edited by Mostel on 2011-02-05 17:49:43 This message has been edited by Mostel on 2011-02-05 17:50:15
If you could start all over again...
and with the benefit of hindsight what would be your first watch to start the ball rolling again? Would your style of collecting change, with more or less pieces for instance? Or are you fully satisfied with your lot right now (present collection) and wou...
Good question Fernando :)
I would have concentrated on a few Patek minute repeaters: 5078, 5074, 5016, all in platinum...presumably through auctions...plus maybe one or two independents, for instance: Dufour, Voutilainen, in other words, five watches instead of fifty. Note that th...
You are not greedy Sam..
just a wiser man.Life's too short to not live it to the full. Those 5 would be too awesome for words - it can still happen,can't it? Thanks for your response. I can see where this is going. Best fernando This message has been edited by fernando on 2011-02...
Probably ALL Independents...
A great question, Fernando, and one that has been exercising the mind a lot lately. Starting all over again (at the right time, of course)? Easy. Dufour's Duality, both Simplicities, a Haldimann H1, a Voutilainen Decimal Repeater and Daniels' Millenium wa...
Acquiring those would keep...
you busy for a few years I imagine pplater.No beater in the lot - perhaps 1 rolex? Thanks for your reply. cheers fernando
Broke for a few years, Fernando....
As for a beater? There are two Simplicities in the list - one for formal, the other one on a Nato strap... Cheers, pplater.
in the worldly wise words of Johnny Hates Jazz
Why can't i turn back the clock Bring the wheels of time to a stop Back to the days Oh no no I remember when Life was so good I'd go back if i could Oh oh i wouldn't change a single day Don't let the memories slip away Best, Horo
The song & memory quickly..
came back to my mind Horo.What a catchy tune & so relevant to this post. A nice thought if only we could 'turn back the time'.So many mistakes could have been avoided but we wouldn't be who we are now,with battle scars and all. Cheers fernando
I would also need a time machine...
Tough question, Fernando. I think I would sum it to around 10 / 15 watches, a kind of blend of the nicest Vintage and Modern watches. I would certainly get a selection which would look like something like this: Panerai 6154, the epitome of strenght and el...
Those pieces would do ...
anyone proud Nicolas.A lot of vintages I see but aren't most of them in your current collection? Best fernando
6 Vintage out of 15...
which represents a good proportion, in my opinion .... Almost one third. Aren't most of them in my collection, Fernando? I fear they were, but 3 of them have recently gone, sadly... Best, Nicolas
Not to go off tangent...
But if I had the chance to go back in time, I'd take it a step further and think about the money that I wasted on other things when I could have plowed them through watches instead! I keep thinking about money that I wasted 10 years ago that I always equa...
I am ...
perfect . Thus, i fell no need to turn back the time. Even if I can turn back the time, most probably I would keep on making mistakes, judging by the size of my brain. cen@taipei
There is the small matter, Cen...
...of THAT watch - the 'one that dare not speak its name'. No regrets??? Cheers, pplater.
You meant my
Oris watch? . Really, I have no regret at all. Well, maybe there were 2 little regrets, but those regrets were done with no prior knowledge of what the future had to offer. One is regular carlo ferrara, before I knew there was an open dial one. I bought t...
I wish I wouldn't make same misatakes...
... of losing money by buying on impulse and selling soon after with regret.... But I am half sure that I will make the same mistake and go through the same path again... Ideally, I would want 10 very nice watch collection. Can't name the name here, but I...
hmmm...
probably some LE of SE Panerai Radiomir, as well as some GP 1966/Piaget Altiplano/, and then a Moser. Those three would do it for me. J
I am very slow to purchase things...
...and tend to study and explore for ages before buying -- this goes for all items, not just watches. I personally, wouldn't do anything differently in terms of past purchases. Even now, as I strategize about future acquisitions, I cannot see myself regre...
Interesting question
if I would start over again knowing what I do now, I would probably skip some of the very early watches I bought when I did not know what I like, but otherwise I would probably arrive at something pretty close to what I currently have. If I would travel b...
The re-acquiring most of what...
you have now after the big pieces is an interesting revelation Andreas. Wouldn't it be better just to maintain the status quo ? Thanks for the feedback cheers fernando
OK, here goes
I can really summarize this almost entirely in one sentence. I would never buy from any gray market seller, and I would never buy what the community valued more than I did myself. I was a bit of a sheep in the beginning. I had the income to throw in the f...
Speaking from first hand experience there Mostel...
I guess we can all learn something from it. cheers & thanks fernando
It's a journey...
The thought that immediately occurred to me was that if I were starting over again, even with the full knowledge that I have today, there are a number of pieces that I've owned that I would buy again. For me it's a matter of a journey -- one's development...
Valid points there Gary.
The journey,the trials and tribulations, are all part & parcel of the horological experience.The 'lesser' watches as you look back were perhaps instrumental in formulating the necessary mindset and appreciation as you move up the proverbial ladder. I'...
That is a question I ask myself every day...
Due to my limited funds, I do wish I had "studied up" more before purchasing anything. I am now into time-only manual winds, with maybe an exception for power reserves and maybe a date for a watch like Lange 1. I would also look at used pieces more seriou...
i might dispose some to streamline my current collection..
...as over the years i realized it is difficult to be collecting as i simply cannot have them all or follow with every product launched.. Although my watches are inexpensive compared to some out there, i may dispose some to focus only on ceratin brands as...
With the tune that...
Horo kindly set in motion now playing in my mind, I would first like to thank you for a superb topic. It articulates well something which each of us all either have thought about, done or will do so sometime down the road as we continue on this horologica...
Well said Rob.
It's not the physical aspect but the experiences garnered and what that memory holds that really counts. If I ask myself the same question,I probably wouldn't change much, probably because I'm lazy but who knows what the future will bring.There definitely...
Yes & no.....
If I could start again, it would be much easier and avoid all the mistakes that I made... Some mistakes coated more, some less.... But if I flip the coin.... These mistakes were a sort of school... By your misaes you learn.... And you do not only learn bu...
I only know what I know ...
... now because of the journey and path I have followed. So I probably wouldn't change much as those experiences have been great, even if there are watches I don't care for as much now. Giving advice to others about what I have learned may be a different ...