Omega

SamJH
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The stars aligned?

A combination of:  

-- grief-driven obession, which has subsided:

-- of rewarded and returned passion, which has not (more of that below);

-- the death of other collections due to unrewarded and unreturned passion;

-- sharp improvement in my economic condition overall;

-- sports-related injuries and aging,

-- the timely rise of the internet as a shopping and information dissemination tool,
 
-- the recent rise of Omega as a brand (witness Omegamania) and

-- the support and understanding of my lovely wife. 


I no longer spend hours distracting myself combing internet sales sites and watch forums; now it is a pleasing diversion.  I believe that  popular culture is mistaken in the thought that great passion is the most important ingredient for long term relationships with other human beings.  Passion is key, but it must be a passion that rewards and returns something in the long term.  Otherwise, it burns out.  What you put in must pay a return to you for it to be sustained. 

So it is with our hobbies, collections and diversions.  Other collections I have tried on didn't pay a return.  Watch collecting has, due largely to forums such as this.  It fits my personality and inclinations, and complements my strengths. 

Frankly, the timing of my watch collecting beginning corresponded with a near tripling of my income and end of child support and college education obligations.  My lifestyle hasn't changed.  Guess where the money went?

I found that I could no longer be as physically active in the ways I once was, suffering from repeated instances of adhesive capsulitis (popularly known as "frozen shoulder").  I was unable without regular physical therapy to raise my arm above my head.  Exercise routines changed and golf became an impossibility (my poor game worsened to the point of embarassment).  While the condition is milder (I recently went mountain climbing), my routines and habits changed, opening time in my agenda for other pursuits. 

Since the vast majority of our collection is preowned pieces (we have purchased new 5 Omegas and 15 other watches, most of the 15 before the collecting phase began), if I had been limited to what I could see locally, I would not have the collection I do today.  There are simply very few storefronts with vintage timepieces.  The internet has been an absolute key part of my acquistions.  Have I been burned? Repeatedly.  Have I successfully returned unsatisfactory purchases.  Many times.  Have I made more good deals than bad? Yes. 

I have been fortunate in the attention (and price increases) Omega has recently seen.  Most of my acquisitions predate the current "mania".  Any additional purchases?  Well, I just will have to want a watch more than I used to, to buy it. 

My wife, despite her unfortunate posting habits, has been wonderful.  But we now are contemplating home renovations instead of watch acquisitions for a while.  (Which means I sell watches to get capital to acquire new watches . . .)

All of these things aligned to allow me the opportunity to create my collection.  Now, I will spend time to catalog and research what I have, and make a few judicious sales and acquisitions.

Thanks to The Purists for a place to have a higher level of conversation . . .