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Thoughts on a collection.
If I may relate a recent experience, I recently cataloged my departed father’s knife collection. There were many pieces but they were generally from 3 manufacturers. But what struck me, is that despite all these knives, he only carried an Ulster Boy Scouts of America knife and he had a pristine spare in the collection box.
By many opinions on collections, his fit the bill very well. He had a type, and stuck to it for his collection.
To me the collection felt stifling. I feel there is so much more out there to explore. Thankfully, we can both be right. He enjoyed his focused collecting, while I prefer collections that strive for variety. While I knew he had a collection of knives, I had no idea the numbers or the focus. I suspect there was a tiny bit of self consciousness holding him from sharing because he feared he would appear obsessive. But he had one buddy that shared his tastes in knives. I suspect he helped shape them. That buddy is buying the whole collection and I hope this is what my father would have wanted.
Make your collection personal. Fear not the label someone places on you or your collection. It’s not that someone’s collection.
A collector's collecting crisis
Hello everyone, I've been collecting watches since I was 17 and I've always considered myself a Collector. I never questioned what it meant, I just knew that I was one. Why? Well, similar to a student earning the title of Doctor, I wanted a status that re...
In truth I’m not sure there are consensus answers on any of your questions.
A collector’s motivation can be pure passion or pure economics, we see this at all levels. It can also lie somewhere in between. For sure there are infinitely more collectors with a bias towards the monetary aspect in the last several years and I feel man...
I may not answer all 3 points,
Hi Epiloque, This may not be the answer you are looking for but I really do think you are seriously over thinking it and this should not be a problem and definitely should not be one that is consuming your time or thoughts. It really IMO is this simple bu...
Thanks Marc for the honest answer. It IS helpful.
Sometimes a slap on the hand is the necessary stimulus to "snap out of it!" and take a more relaxed approach...especially for my personality type. That being said, I think these answers will elevate the collecting experience. For instance, to understand w...
The big loss in collecting for me over the last two years has been the meeting people.
Lockdown, inability to travel etc has had a definite impact on the joy of collecting for me. It’s something I didn’t identify in my original reply but for some people, myself included, i think that aspect of collecting (the social) may be under appreciate...
Thank you for your time
Hi Jay, Thanks for this meaningful answers. 1. Yes, I agree. Though I count myself in the PASSION category, my passion is still coloured (or stained?) by the economics of it. For some reason, should I make the choice between a hyped watch, and a non-hyped...
Re 3)
Yes, to both. In terms of volume I don’t really have any hard rules. I certainly, like many of us, have too many watches. But that’s the collector thing, logic is often overruled! In terms of value I reached a point several years ago where from a pure val...
1
I started from point 1 on with a theme. Requirements leads my watch collecting. Your point 1. Somebody who buys a hobby object and go on buying the same. 2. A collector looks like a passionated human who have a little museum at home. 3. Keep all emotional...
Hi Weems -
I adore your answer to point 2 “a collector is someone who has a little museum at home”. Very helpful and I think I might adopt your idea!
1. In my opinion to call someone a "collector" vs an "enthusiast" I like to see a theme to the collection. Not just random watches that they like that have no connection.
So far I consider myself an enthusiast as i don't think my collection has a certain theme yet. 2. It should look like whatever the collector wants it to look like. I have seen awesome Seiko only collection up to Royal Oak only collections and find them al...
Interesting...
To you, is a theme more important than the Selection process? For instance, you might have no theme, but a rigorous Selection process. This implies thought and meticulous search, and could be a characteristic of a Collector?
My understanding is
1. A collector must collect some things. The drive overpowers rational logic. If you can explain or completely control this drive you are not a collector. There is a genetic component to it. My uncle and I have it but no one else in our families. 2. A “co...
What an excellent reply!
While I am not a collector, but may once have been one in the making, a book collector I would've become, I have enjoyed your knowledgeable, no: wise, post very much! Cheers Marc
Books are usually less expensive than watches
So you can have thousands of them: I have thousands (in multiple rooms) but am cutting back slowly. ...
Fair question
I have collected series of books, and various books on certain themes, yes. And rare valuable books. But I am a primarily a book reader, often a book writer, and professionally a book editor and publisher. So it's my profession and not just an affectation...
Exactly
And I seldom believe anything just because it’s in a book - because I know authors, editors and publishers …
Hi Cazalea!
Indeed this is a very helpful reply. I note in particular: 1- "the drive overpowers rational logic" and the "genetic component" 2- I agree that collecting watches is about collecting horological paraphernalia and also memories such as the factory visits a...
More than watches.
A good reply. Watch collectors collect also watch products. In my case i have some loupes, a pushpin tool, a watchcase holder, books, magazines, a watch winder, bracelet adjuster, case back opener, antimagnetic pinsets, hands remove tool, a time grapher, ...
Hmmm - yes though someone here made the distinction between collector and hoarder. With 700 pieces what would you say makes him a collector rather than a hoarder?
(no offence meant - just a discussion and playing the devils advocate)
Thoughts on a collection.
If I may relate a recent experience, I recently cataloged my departed father’s knife collection. There were many pieces but they were generally from 3 manufacturers. But what struck me, is that despite all these knives, he only carried an Ulster Boy Scout...
Thank you for sharing - there is no doubt he's a collector :)
I retain your comment "make your collection personal"
I would answer this way:
1) A collector is an enthusiast who buys watches based on a theme. The theme could be as generic as "watches", which makes everyone here a collector, or as specific as you want it to be. 2) This one is completely up to the collector, the only rule is to h...
Collector vs speculator vs hoarder
Collector builds memories and keeps what is meaningful. A hoarder can’t recall and for him or her it’s compulsive. A speculator has no interest in the object or his or her speculation the sole goal Is to transact profitability.
A collector is..
1. a person who does not buy a watch on the idea that the watch is an investment for profit 2. a person who buys a particular watch because of pure horological passion 3. a person that would never sell a watch unless it is for an upgrade to a grail piece ...
I rotate maybe 10 watches these days...
and I've had up to around 30. But I don't call myself a collector because I don't "collect". I'm an enthusiast who loves and wears watches. That being said, I don't really care what anyone thinks of my watches, and I certainly don't want any sort of theme...
thanks Blansky, for your answer
I'm not so much bothered by others' opinions. Here I'm more asking some questions to help find inner peace and also to refine my style/philosophy/collection. I think asking these questions might be part of my journey
Collectors cannot just enjoy, they have to understand, categorize, catalog, refine and torment themselves
Making spreadsheets, storing watches in a certain order, wiping them down after use, counting the number of turns when winding, noting timing variations and comparing from watch to watch or month to month. Raise your hands, if this applies to YOU
To care
Care watches like it a living creatures. I never overwound a watch, but what shall i do when? So if the second hand start to move, it is good to put the watch on my wrist.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts. Some thoughts below from a man who fell to earth
I've been a collector of things for more than 40 years. In so doing I've merely exhibited a behaviour that's been a part of humanity for tens of millennia. Human beings collect things for a whole bunch of reasons that for the sake of brevity I won't theor...
This is a beautiful answer - i think you gave the solution here ---
If I understood you correctly, collecting is a means to seeing your own reflection in your collection. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. Once you see yourself in the collection, you won't need more. All this without loosing yourself in the collecti...
Hi…
If you no longer consider a professional buyer and seller of watches a collector (IMO a somewhat dispassionate exercise of buy low sell high) then price alone for the most part is not a factor. Having removed price we are now into history, brand, personal...
Titles are meaningless. It's just an opinion.
The collector title is just a title. A title that one can bestow upon himself or on anyone. Speculator is the same thing. Furthermore, if someone calls you a speculator, you're still an "alleged speculator" meaning they haven't proven you're a speculator ...
😉
I got no trophies on display I sign them away I mean what the heck Chrissy Hynde - The Pretenders
great question Hugo...
what others call, doesn't really matter...as long us you gain joy in what you do & you feel it is correct for you. I tend to believe, we collect pieces that reflects one-self...naturally, our tastes evolve, so does our understanding & knowledge as we inte...
There are no real answers to your first two questions. A collection is very subjective. For example, I love themes, and I turn around themes. GMT / WT/ Military watches / Alarm / Chronos / Diving watches / Chronometers are my main themes.
In vintage and moderns. Do I act like a collector, or do I feel like a collector? I am not sure. I think my best idea is to get what I really like. But here again, tastes change and the truth of today is maybe not the truth of tomorrow. Even if things are...
Thank you Nico! I am very happy to see your name appear on the list of answers. For a moment I thought I was being too dramatic.
"The truth of today is maybe not the truth of tomorrow" - that resonates with me and makes complete sense. It explains that rotation in the collection is normal given that the journey to finding oneself is long and tortuous. I like your metaphor about the...