At what point did you - or will you - scale back or sell your collection?

I need to downsize, and finally got round to delivering four watches to an auction house last month, but in general the neurosis around setting a fair price, putting up with the tyre-kickers and conmen on Ebay, and the multipe openings for banditry as the watch travels from me to the buyer fills me with dread.

I'm not quite ready to retire, but I've been seriously considering a career downshift, which is becoming a recurring theme amongst my colleagues.

In that thought process, I started thinking about all the watches I have, all the money sunk into them, how I could have used those funds more productively and finally, how many watches do I really need. I've been at a point where they have to share watch pillows. For me, I don't think it was ever a status issue, but at the same time I have nothing to prove nor am I looking for someone to tell me how nice my watch is. I just want to enjoy looking at it myself.

I have no regrets over my collection acquisitions but I did eventually realize it's superfluous. I've noticed that there's watches I really enjoy wearing and others that I'm really careful about when and where I wear them. A few of my true joys are worth a fraction of what other of my gems are worth (think quartz).

Thus, I have been thinning down my collection lately. I have let go of several POs (including my LMLE) , several SMPs and ATs, my Speedy Racing and the one that hurt the most (and still stings) was my AT Skyfall 41mm.

It's not a money issue - I have given people incredible deals on some very nice and we'll-preserved watches, just because in communicating with them, it reminds me of how bad I wanted that watch when I bought it.

Yet I have no regrets - they had mostly lived in a case or watch winder. I want to believe they're being worn daily, while I enjoy the features of the ones I've held on to.

I still have plenty of room for downsizing. At my age I've learned to recognize certain priorities and a pile of fancy money pits is very far down the list.

Yet I still catch myself occasionally browsing the classifieds...

Probably later when I stop feeling cute.

How many divers watches do I need?
None, i don't dive nor do I have any intentions of doing so, but that doesn't stop me from having them!

What will bring you happiness? At the end of the day, they are just, ‘things’ with value, that brought you happiness, in the journey to achieve them. What happiness, do you envision you’ll find, as you part with your collection? The older I get the less regrets I want.

My thoughts, on anything I collect, is what is impact, to my wife, should I die first, and she needs to sell them. My firearms collection concerns me. My watches, not so much.

I feel personally attacked here!!!! 😗😗😗

The devil made me do it.

I retired from my corporate life about 10 yrs ago. I own a small online retail business and still consult a bit when asked, and COVID killed most of the various charity and civic orgs I was a part of as they mostly all meet virtually now. The only problem with this new world order is that I rarely have occasion to wear a watch. It's sad to look at those little fellows with no real purpose anymore. I very much miss wearing them but can't justify just bouncing around the house with them. I really should sell them but each has their own story, and how could anyone new appreciate the life they've led? The mountains and ships and foreign lands, many have been around the world. Oh sigh, so many things around here should go but I can't bring myself to do it!

I wrote this here on OF in 2017:

"The likes hoarder
Composes a collection that appeals to a wide variety of people. Has a (first) strategy to manage his post to like ratio by only posting in the WRUW-thread. Takes measures to post and place his watch first on every WRUW page.

His (second) strategy is to get everyone to like his watches and dibs them. Last (third) strategy is to sell, all but one watch, and use the money to stay drunk for ages on grappa while sitting in the galleria in Milano. Smoking a cigar, wearing a Panama hat and a wrinkled up white linen suit - while telling the story about how he played the watch collector scene on OF in the early 21: st century."

I was describing myself... ;-) but I have been a bit lazy the last couple of years - not posting very often. I retire in less than two years - at 62 and will start to slowly sell most of the 60 watches that are in the collection. Using the proceeds to finance some really lewd living.

One theory I have - is to sell a watch at the time and then, together with my wife, go to the country/city where the buyer is. To deliver the watch, meet people and enjoy new places.