Jay (Eire)
9156
Hump Day - Some ramblings about “The Chase”
Hump day with what is one of my most satisfying purchases.
I’ve mentioned before that this Urwerk was an extremely satisfying acquisition. But thinking about it again over the last few days as I contemplate a potential new acquisition, which for me will have some parallels in terms of decision making and uncertainty, it makes me wonder if it’s not really all about the chase.
The chase, as I would define it, pertains to something which has some level of difficulty in acquiring. Most often that difficulty relates to availability of said watch versus a monetary difficulty (although the latter could apply too). In the past that would have been an older vintage watch, a reference which maybe had a limited run or a slight variation in production, or a truly limited edition. But these days that same chase seems to be associated with high volume regular production watches too.
I’ve chased some of those watches. And yes, it may have been satisfying in the end once the watch was on my wrist.
But, I think the same satisfaction can be garnered from purchasing a watch that’s not hard to get, and while like the Urwerk may be limited in numbers is not really limited (for the most part) in terms of availability. (Yes, there are not many of this Urwerk, but they were freely available when in production and continue to be easy to find).
So the pleasure was more in the back and forth of decision making, the research, looking at countless pictures online, asking peers for their opinions of the brand and maybe the watch. And then, going to a dealer or borrowing from a friend so that one could get wrist time with the watch before making a big commitment.
I took many trips to the dealer before I finally committed to this Urwerk. And I’m going through something similar now with another watch. I’ve also begun to reach out to people to ask their opinions. And of course I’ve started to think of what needs to be sacrificed if this watch becomes a definite target for me.
It’s fun. I’ve not really been in this process for several years.
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Hump Day - Some ramblings about “The Chase”
Hump day with what is one of my most satisfying purchases. I’ve mentioned before that this Urwerk was an extremely satisfying acquisition. But thinking about it again over the last few days as I contemplate a potential new acquisition, which for me will h...
First of all congrats on the new piece!
Second, very few people here are willing to admit that one of the most pleasures in buying a watch is the hunt - chase, not even the actual owning. I’m on a few waitlists of watches, the excitement of knowing by the end of the year I’m getting a new piece...
Thanks for replying.
A couple of things; the Urwerk I’ve owned for about 5 years. But I am in the decision phase about a new watch currently, sorry if my post was confusing. Re the retail price of a watch; I think there is an initial awareness which goes away after time. Like...
I got in trouble at work once, for asking our company's owner how he decided on buying a certain painting (watch/car/etc.)
It seemed like a reasonable question at the time (I was young and naive). The only problem was the context ... read for yourself: LONDON (AP) Nov 21, 1986 _ John Constable’s landscape ″Flatford Lock and Mill″ was bought at auction Friday for more than $3....
That reminds me of the Rothko discussion in Mad Men.
I’m not sure if I would have felt commensurate satisfaction if I had paid full price for an original🤣 ...
Maybe.
But for me what I am realizing is the obvious fact that the more engaged the process the more satisfaction I take from the purchase. This is totally unrelated to scarcity/hype/value.
That’s exactly it.
It’s the doubts, reflections and decisions that comes with some watch purchases, it’s not the chase of something hard to get. That’s the distinction I was trying to make. The process of acquiring the Urwerk, as the example I’m using, had all of that and t...
Well, I’m now about three to four weeks in to considering a specific watch.
And I’ve had it on the wrist in real life too. So far so good. But there remain some miles to travel yet, and many questions to ask.
Very satisfying to see this on your wrist!
It's definitely the coolest watch from Urwerk in my book. My favorite Urwerk ever!
I think it’s a nice midpoint.
It’s an Urwerk for sure. It’s more refined than the 103 and even most of the 105 that went before. And it’s more broadly wearable. Perhaps this is why you take to it so strong too.
Confessions of a recovering collector.
Like many here, I had a number of collections. Pens, cuff links, carpets, antique furniture, old manuscripts, icons, etc. I had an urge to acquire and complete collections for the sake of having achieved a goal. With that mind set the chase was the adrena...
Thank you for that concise summary!
Yes! It's a madness and a disease. Hopefully one that we grow out of one day!
Agree with you about the chase . Its def half the fun imho
And sometimes with the chase there are some great memories that make owning a piece even more special. Curious to know what your current chase is 🙏🏻😉
It may be more an evaluation than a chase at present.
Something sporty, casual and independent. I seem to wear the “easy” watches a lot these days. My Journe CTS gets a lot of wrist time. There’s a lot to be said for comfort on the wrist, and for those watches that don’t attract all the eyes.
Your assessment is accurate
The research phase adds spice to the experience and is a great learning opportunity.
