Dan S
ยทIn my view, auctions are reserved for the most serious of collectors, who care deeply about condition and are only looking for the best of the best.
This is definitely not the case. Tons of people buy watches in auctions, and quality ranges the full gamut. You may be thinking about a few big name auction houses. You just need to know what you are looking at, and be a little less risk averse.
As for AQ specifically, I think that many serious collectors are still actively avoiding it.