Horological Meandering

I wanted to post this on the Panerai forum but then I think about it, I wanted to hear more opinions about this from all of you... I have been having this question in my head for a while.. Is it worth to sacrifice your whole collection to afford one watch... 

sacrifice most of my watches but not all. In any case I would like to keep a couple of watches in order to change the watch every now and then because wearing just one watch would not be enough for me. But surely, if I would have a real grade, I would eas... 

define as quality and quantity.. i would definately not sacrifice all watches including my daily beaters for my grail watch.. that would make my grail watch my daily beater! there are some that i wouldnt mind having removed, but i do feel a strong bond to... 

Because all the watches that i have bought to the present are the jewels of my own hard word. If the grail comes, and if i cannot afford it. Then so be it. The sacrifice is not worth it. But i am indeed curious to know what your Grail is that caused you t... 

I would be utterly happy not to mention extremely blessed if my collection looked something like this: Omega Speedmaster Professional Rolex Submariner URWERK 202 altin

It will mean several things: 1. Grail is a full stop. No it isn't. It's like perfection, it's something that you strive to achieve. When your income level is $200k, your grail is FP Journe; but when you have shit load of $, and that damn HM4 or central to... 

'ultimate grail'. Every next piece is a better one, sings louder, may seems like a "ultimate grail", but they often aren't. Things evolve, wealth, taste, liking, ... do. Do what's best to acquire your next piece, if it means to sell your entire collection... 

If you talk about Panerai, the Epitome is, for me, the 6154 or the 6152 4 lines. For them, I would let go all my panerais, to get the Panerai. Best, Nicolas.

I should be the first to know if you're selling your preVs... Hopefully by then I'd be able to afford them... Cheers Sam

I even tried in hurry to sell my Panerai watches in the hurry, and I had no answer from no one in the right moment... So I had to pass on them. To be precise, the 6154 went to a German Gentleman, who became a friend. And the 6251 4 lines ended in Asia. 2 ... 

Nicolas - assuming that you sold ALL of your watches, is there a single watch that you imagine replacing them all? I am trying to think of one watch to rule them all, so to speak; that watch would most certainly be as powerful as THE ring from Tolkien's l... 

I don't believe in Grail watch, I believe in Grail list. Our collection grows and slides with the up and downs like the vagaries of our lives,,,,and is a total reflection on liege philosophy. Very similar to weight gain or loss, we all go thru periods of ... 

I can actually see your points! Thank you for sharing! Cheers! Sam

To be frank, perhaps it would be more useful if you suggest what you have that you are thinking of selling and what they are being sacrificed for.

concept with watches or any object for that matter...... julian

I still like having MANY. ONE watch? Nah...even if it was a "super watch", and I can qualify easily for that statement. So can you, and many here.

and therefore a tough call. I guess it depends--what is in my collection and what is my grail. I'm still discovering what I find alluring in a watch, so I don't think i can answer that question at this moment. However, I do want to make some case for quan... 

My collectinon was originally built around a desire to own a fairly complete collection of the important pre-quartz auomatic movements.That means I own a number of watches that fall well below the average quality I own. However, they are not mere "quantit... 

As I collect mainly vintage I would NEVER sacrifice my collection for only one watch! It took me decades to find all the "treasures" of my collection (not meant from the sum in $$) - behind most of these watches stands a story... I could sacrifice maybe a... 

hey .!! firstly we are a WATCH NUTS ,which means we LOVE Watchezzzzz ;0)))))))))) to Answer your Question ?? i don't think i can live with Only One.!! i tell you why: i believe that No Matter How MUCH YOU LOVE your Grail Watch ,IT'S NICE TO MISS IT every ... 

Actually, to me, being mostly a vintage watches type, most of the joy is in the hunting of the rare, under-appreciated timepiece. This year, I have found myself selling a watch that had a significant monetary value (more than I would ever pay for a watch ... 

My grails have certainly changed through thru the passage of time and what was once desired would not find its way into my collection now.I now don't believe in grails as that would mean the end of the road and there are far too many pieces that I like to... 

I agree with many of the comments made above. I have several vintage sub collections and enjoy the hunting aspect, the search for completeness, the joy in finding something long sought or finding a perfect example of a beat up item already in the box. I c... 

1- You cannot have only one watch. Need at least two for dress watches to alternate, plus a beater, in addition to the grail 2- Once you have acquired the "grail", most likely you will start searching for the next "grail" on your list. We are never satisf... 

in order to buy my UN Freak i sold 225 watches which left me, at the time, with only 12. i had spent years gathering 3 seperate collections. military watches, Omega's and Tuning forks. it was a huge sacrifice, but i did well and managed to buy several oth... 

That's a large amount for watches you sold for the FREAK... Well thank you for sharing your experience Graham... Cheers Sam

i must admit that i do regret selling a lot of them Sam. i've owned so many of the vintage pieces that are now more desirable than frankincense, but with so many i'd lost the interest and found i was overflowing with choice so i ended up wearing just a fe... 

But knowing vintage watches, each are unique... So best of luck my friend! Thanks again for sharing! Best, Sam

this is where my new theme is paying dividends Sam. collecting vintages only from 1964 means that many of what i sold i dont want back and i've managed to get pieces that i didnt have before so it is cyclical as Andrew has already commented. you should do... 

the Freak prove to be all you wanted it to be? Cheers

thats a good question PP and yes is the answer. it is a stunning watch, a totally conceptual piece that is like no other. it is a love it or hate it watch though as it isnt to everyones taste. i hope i never have to part with it, but if i do it will be so...  

And I have done so in the past - no regret. I had too many watches back then anyway. But now the quantity is multiplying before I realize - I am still pursuing quality, but not necessarily with sacrificing quantity. Meaning, I am finding more and more (re... 

Wow Ken, you must be very successful here in Tokyo! I envy you! Tschuss Stephen

... the ones for USD3K here, 5K there, 2K here and 0.5K there and such A zero or two zeros are missing from what you might have imagined? But, mind you, these are all high quality (in my veiw), simple but elegant and super accurate, manual winding mechani... 

to trade all my watches for one, but I have found that all the watches I have purchased grow on me with time, I actually like them better the longer I have them. As stated by many, I like to have variety and wear a different watch every day. My goal is to... 

But do you still think of getting that particular one watch you were going to buy? Thanks Stewart Sam

But if you're sacrificing 3 quality watches for 1 super quality, then I'm not sure I would do that. If the watches are not quality, then yes Cheers, Anthony

I have one wife 35 years. I've only had 2 houses in 40 years. And 3 cats in 40 years. There the restraint stops. I like variety. 150 watches. 75 cars etc Cheers Cazalea

Thank you for sharing Cazalea... Cheers Sam

but over time. In order to experience the fullness of any collection spanning something as rich as watches or vehicles, one must be willing to let go, or extremely wealthy and/or have lots of space!

Great question, Sam, and lots of interesting responses. Many have experienced the cylical nature of collecting. I just wanted to mention that in the early phases of collecting, or when moving to a new theme, there is usually a learning curve. It is during... 

With the underlying principle that the ultimate goal of life being a state of contentment/peace achieved through simplicity. If one agrees to this tenet, then it makes sense. No physical attachment to the several drawers of watches maintained, allowing on... 

Thank you for sharing your view Rob! Best, Sam

I really don't know since I can't speak from personal experience just yet. What I do know is that I look forward to the day when there are no choices other than the one on my wrist to accompany me on my journeys aka life. Whether that ONE watch be as basi... 

Consistent with this philosophy, I have reduced the number of watches I own in order to finance grail acquisitions. That being said, I would not sell all of my watches in order to acquire a single grail. A certain amount of variety is essential, including... 

at the moment I find that I crave variety and enjoy the choice of wearing a different watch every day. Each of the watches in my small collection has its own charms and my most difficult decision is which one of about five watches should be the next one a... 

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I settled on 3 watches in a rotation that I continually wear. I've had as many as 4-5 but I always end-up combining the bottom 2 to trade-up to a new "third" watch. My approach is to spend as much as I can possibly afford (given my personal circumstances ...  

I don't think one single watch fulfills every aspect of my life adequately. Plus, if I have to let one go to bring one in, I probably shouldn't be buying the piece. Now, if you choose to trade up/out that's one thing, but I wouldn't buy something where I ... 

I want to believe that at this point, the watches that I'm buying have qualified after much research to be keepers. To surrender one for another one will undermine the whole raison d'etre of how and why i buy watches... and that might bring me back to zer... 

I would never consider selling my WHOLE collection for ONE watch, however much grail it is to me, a Voutilainen, a Dufour, or some super-duper complication. The interesting thing in this world of horology is that there are way too many offerings and varie...