FabR
[Senior Patek Moderator]
26166
The way I am, I tend to live passions to the fullest, get the best out of them, and then if I fall out of love, simply move on to the next one! Well, too bad it's NOT happened with Patek yet, or else I could have comfortably retired from my job! ;-)))
Seriously, some occasional down time is entirely physiological, but this is such a rich and diverse hobby that it was likely you would have returned to it (very quickly, in fact! ;-) It is totally possible though that one day you (or I) simply won't care about watches anymore, in which case it means we've found something even more interesting that will replace this part of our life.....and for as long as we continue to wake up every morning EXCITED about the things we'll do on the day ahead (to me, this happens EVERY day!), it won't a big problem if that happens! 
Cheers my friend.
Overcoming watch burnout
I have recently gone through the much dreaded phase of burnout. I felt apathetic towards watches and it seemed like nothing was peaking my interest. I'm sure it has happened to each and every one of us. It's not that bad since today, after a couple of wee...
Yes! Burnout is caused by two things...
1. The shortage of watches in general has many of us scrambling to buy watches we wouldn't normally accept. For instance, let's give a hypothetical example. Let's say I want this very very special watch and due to the shortage, I have to buy a plethora of...
Completely agree
Diversifying leads to a more sustainable horological journey... I'd love a cool clock, either an MB&F or an Atmos
MB&F and Atmos are good choices!
I don't own an Atmos yet! Hmm... And I really like Atmos clocks too! I might have to add one to the collection! But also, I need to slow down. Some rooms have three clocks! I should only buy something that I absolutely cannot live without. Or you just end...
An Atmos is actually a Must for a collector
The system is so unique. It took me years to decide, but when I had finally bought mine, I didn't understand why I waited so long, since it is such a cool object for your room or office. GEO
You're right!
Ok! You're right! I must get an Atmos! Been saying I would for many years now.
This matches my thoughts exactly.
I have numerous collections, hobbies, and interests. At times I become bored with one, so I change my focus for a time. There are times I buy two or three watches a month, and other times I don't even think about adding another to the collection. During t...
I use a similar strategy when considering my rotation of watches
I usually wear a single watch for two weeks in a row before switching to the next in rotation. It always keeps my love fresh.
I often do the same. In fact with a few of my watches I've wore them for months straight.
And my JD and JLC are two I wore virtually exclusively every day for an entire year (actually with the JLC it was a couple days short of a year, I had to send it for service). But there have also been long periods when I've changed watches two to three ti...
Fun!
I don't usually change my watches. At least not as a habit. I'm imagining one of those masters of ceremonies who host a show and have to change multiple times in the middle of the show. If I ever had to subject myself to something like that, I'd probably ...
Wow! You've got a lot of hobbies!
Medieval coins! That sounds very cool! 18th Century European Porcelain? I don't know much about that, but I do like those Bernardaud plates that I see at every hotel and restaurant. I also like the KPM Porcelain in Berlin and the Meissen Porcelain kind of...
Yes, my wife tells me I collect collections.
Antiquities, medieval (and ancient actually) coins, and porcelain are just the tip of the iceberg. Some of my other substantial collections... Medieval manuscript pages Loose gemstones Mid-century furniture and sculpture Original etchings and paintings Pe...
Impressive collection!
Always liked the 1994 E420. What a machine! I have a 210 and a 211 in my household. But there's something special about that generation with the 1994! 16th-17th century furniture? English furniture? Continental furniture? Very impressive. Seven metal dete...
LOL. I'll tell my wife you agree.
Regarding your Meissen porcelain comment, there's a few in this photo... The lions and sheep are all C.1740, and the needle case (front, center) is C.1750. The rest are various 18th century English and French, except the white libation cup in the center, ...
Exquisite examples.
And that 17th Century Chinese cup might be quite the thing for someone who likes ancient Chinese porcelain! I hope that your posterity will appreciate these treasures!
Thank you. Most of my early Chinese porcelain is in one room, probably around 100 pieces. You can see a few in this photo. The paneled walls in this room make it perfect for displaying Chinese porcelain.
I have a few Japanese pieces but I'm just learning Japanese porcelain, which is to me more difficult than Chinese, but over time I'll get the hang of it. It all takes time. ...
An exquisite room! And an exquisite collection.
I recall you showing us a photo of your office in the past. What an amazing room. In California, we wouldn't be able to have such a room, as earthquakes would put all of these works of art in danger. Even with the sticky tape on the base, insurance compan...
You nailed it! Combination of 1 & 2 is unlike anything this hobby has seen before. The velocity of new watches and volume of media is overwhelming, especially now that the industry has moved to staggered releases across the calendar year
This used to be a nice slow hobby but the hype culture of consumption and big marketing budgets of luxury groups has put the pedal to the metal turning the cadence up to something more like fashion. I try to remind myself it's a marathon, not a sprint, an...
Is this the BMW?
Well said! It's a marathon, not a sprint! I like cars too, but I'm choked by the speed limit and bankrupted by the gas prices. I don't know where you live Fastwong, but I live in California. The price for Premium gasoline here is $7.199 per US Gallon (3.7...
A Porsche Cayman GT4, only 4L engine but it will still drink 8mpg at the track
What are you driving with such a big v8?!?! I'm surprised you aren't driving an EV in CA, carpool lane Legacy speed limits, decreased driving abilities, and more traffic has really dampened the old "sunday drive". That plus in many locales what used to be...
Oh! GT4! Very nice!
That's a sweet machine. I've always been a fan of the Cayman. Superb machine. I drive an AMG sedan, those are 5.4 liters (although they're downsizing to 4.0 liters now and will eventually downsize even further). But I also drive a Tesla Model 3. Although ...
Ah, nice! AMG V8s, always liked that of the european brands they were never afraid of displacement :)
I was always a fan of the big AMG engines, I'm sad the v8 is going away but think an ev future could be fun. Everyone is chasing final edition Dodges as they deprecate the big v8s and while I'll miss the character I'm sure 1000hp evs will be fun too. Plus...
The AMG V8s are good engines!
The AMG V8s are very good engines. Most of them are not dry sump engines, so don't go taking long sweeping turns at high speeds, as a prolonged g-force may cause engine oil starvation. The AMG GT two door sports car has a true dry sump lubrication system,...
Merci!
Any other interests outside of watches that have recently been grabbing your attention?
I remember these cool clocks you've introduced to us!
This Muhle Marine Chronometer is new to me. And I already saw your Michelin Man collection, didn't know there was a Michelin clock! Very cool!
Every time
i see prices raise vs my personnal income ... so that's quite often now. + when i see that i like more and more specific watches that tend to be out of reach ....
The price increase is quite an unfortunate aspect of our times
It is disheartening to see more and more watches you desired slip out of your reach
Has this pattern of price increases always been the case, but I never took notice before?
Granted, like you I notice more watches I like than used to be the case. So maybe that’s why noting price changes now. Or this is a completely new phenomenon. Is this a result of Covid, or this has always been?
I guess I really never get burnt out on watches,
I have other hobbies/interests to devote time to also. I don't have deep pockets that allow me to buy what I want on a whim, but I sure like to look at watches, in person, in catalogs and on the internet. The other hobbies save me from getting burnt out I...
Hey….. it’s just a watch.
It‘s not that we lose our homes, or wife, or fall ill if we don’t get our hands around this Aquanaut or Daytona. It’s not that our lives really change all that much if we long for a green dial new release only to see it’s black. Not to lessen our passion ...
Absolutely
I feel like it's always when we let it get out of hand that burnouts happen.
In over 25 years of being a bona fide "watch guy"...
I have never experience "watch burn out". Sure, I've been disappointed with brands, and forums, but the watches have always been my passion.
Watches never stopped being my passion
What I experienced was a slightl numbness for a couple of weeks. I didn't fall out of love, I just felt stuck in horological limbo.
So true!
This incredible passion of ours is just like anything else in life... cyclical. Thankfully my winters have never lasted more than a couple of weeks, while the summers take up the rest of my time!
True
The worst offenders are the brands that you love the most when they let you down The cure is to diversify, by looking at many different brands
Well Said And Agree. I burned out about 8 years ago....
Was mainly following the typical PP pieces decades ago, was easy to see the company change plus I burned out. Sold 'em all except a vintage 3820rg. Took a year off, then started procuring what made ME happy... from $600 fun Kickstarters and nice desk cloc...
I’m taking a breather now
Maybe I’m also going through the burnout phase. Nothing in the watch world excites me nowadays, especially from the boring Richmond Group. I expected more from Panerai and JLC. Other than a daytona I’m collecting later in the year, I’ve got nothing lined ...
I completely understand
I'm with you on Richemont brands: too boring. Just give it some time, you'll be back sooner or later, once you have the chance to rest and come back stronger than before
I’ve been diverting the attention
To other hobbies lately. Lots of cardio and shopping for Nike sneakers. Maybe I’ll purchase something next year. Yes it won’t end here yet.
The way I am, I tend to live passions to the fullest, get the best out of them, and then if I fall out of love, simply move on to the next one! Well, too bad it's NOT happened with Patek yet, or else I could have comfortably retired from my job! ;-)))
Seriously, some occasional down time is entirely physiological, but this is such a rich and diverse hobby that it was likely you would have returned to it (very quickly, in fact! ;-) It is totally possible though that one day you (or I) simply won't care ...
Truthful words!
It's a hard hobby to fall out of love with, because of how deep and broad it is. I don't foresee myself ever abandoning my passion for watches, but as always in life, you never know...
Watches
I have made peace with myself that the Swiss, Germans and Japanese can make them faster than I can possibly afford and obtain, therefore I just enjoy looking for now. 😀
That's a great place to be
We don't need to constantly look for the next one, it lessens the enjoyment of the pieces you already own
It happened to me often several ago. I still have rare case of fatigue but as other have mentioned here, for me having diversity in the collection seem to be a good remedy for that…
Having different style of watches helps. For example while I am mostly into classic looking 38-40mm watches, this weekend I wore my 372 47mm Panerai for the first time in two months and it totally cured me! Tomorrow back to a 38mm dress watch!
Changing straps, wearing 1 watch in straight 7 days before rotating.
And stop looking at watch releases too often. Yes , lately the watch releases are so boring and underwhelming IWC keep delaying to release new Ingenieur. Instead, they keep release another colours for pilot line. Put new movement in old Aquatimer and call...
+1
Grand Seiko is so boring I agree. I yawn when I look at their catalogue. I never bought an IWC and perhaps never will. Same for the watches on the Richmont group.
I agree with everything you said
That blue dial JLC MC calendar was so good, I don't get why they decided to limit the best version of the watch. So much more interesting than the silver dial version IMO
"We really need a breath of fresh air in the watch industry''...I cannot agree more!
Same old same old everywhere and if we watch watch related youtubers, they talk mostly Rolex, Rolex and Rolex... so boring indeed. Are prices coming down more? Is it good time to buy now? Which Rolex model to get? Etc etc... 🥱🥱🥱 If not Rolex, then it's th...
Embrace it. It’s part of the journey..
I haven’t picked up my camera since the pandemic but don’t feel bad about it. And I am quite passionate about that. But there are days when even the Muses take a holiday So be it. Why it’s not a profession, thank God. As others have pointed out, something...
I never grew out of books or artwork but I grew out of watches
The hardest part of collecting wasn’t finding watches I liked. I usually did, and even when I didn’t I enjoyed the exploration. I never hankered after anything I couldn’t get. Why inject misery into something that should be exclusively pleasurable? The ha...
Watch burnout
Be not particular into high horology i have not to wait till an AD pick me out for a rare Patek Philippe. I stopped collecting watches, and be curious how i go to react to it. There is a limit, and i reached it.
