Collecting Strategies

I have a list of omega watches that I would like to own but only limited funds each year to buy them. My original plan was that I would buy the ones that are oldest and increasingly difficult to find, first (late 60s and early 70s) and later models in the future.
Some of the watches that are more modern, like the yellow speedmaster Schumaker,the speedmaster mk40 triple date and the third generation dynamic are relatively speaking, cheap so in some ways it makes sense to buy those while they are quite cheap, I am sure they will go up in price sooner or later.

I wonder if it is better to buy the old ones first or aquire the cheaper modern ones while they are still reasonable? ( I only have about 3-4 thousand pounds a year in my watch fund so cant buy everything at once)

My own take is that older 60/70's references are much harder to come by in a condition that I'd like to own. As such, I'd keep a watchful eye on the market and if one comes up that checks all the boxes, pounce on it regardless of whether you bought a more modern one already. If you have, just sell the modern one at cost to "even up" for the year and then re-acquire it later.

IMHO, I don't see a ton of price appreciation in all the special variations of Speedies (like the Schumachers), so I wouldn't focus on snatching them up now and making a ton on the back-end. They're much easier to find in the market than good examples of vintage ones, so unless you care about the new references more, I'd focus my energy and funds on the vintage refs. Just my ten cents.

Having learned from experience, my view is that you should really figure out what you want the most and do your best to understand the watch and the market. That way, if that piece becomes available at a fair price (if there is such a thing any more) you can jump on it. Getting distracted and buying things that you might not really crave could hinder your ability to get what you want.

agreed with ChicagoFrog. While it makes sense to buy the oder first in paper in reality it leads to rush decisions. What I would do id focus on the "best" you can find on any category....Don't buy a pre-moon speedy because it's its turn on your calendar....buy the pre-moon speedy that you absolutely fall in love with and is a must have....and have the strength to let others go by, and if at that point you cannot afford it have the fortitude to look the other way. sooner or later the right thing always appears and I have learned by experience that being on a "timeline" makes me impatient and I loose a ton of money getting the second best, only to find out the dream watch I wanted appears on my horizon a few months, weeks or sometimes years later. You don't collect only a specific model and year...you collect a specific watch! That's why some people end up with 20 speedmasters; to them they are not speeds, they are specific single watches that are as different one from the other as an apple from an orange. The specific choice is what makes collecting, even as a hobby, such a joy; because when you get that one watch...there is nothing like it.

I've gone where the wind's taken me. Don't see that as a lack of focus - my tastes have changed; new models have been released which I've really liked; and I'm still discovering watches I never knew existed..

But that's taking the fun out of the first few years in this hobby. Gotta taste a lot of different stuff at the buffet!


You guys keep calling me the last few days. 😜


Bingo! There's nothing wrong with meandering through decades, sizes, metals, and styles. This should be a journey, not a destination.

A bit of a similar problem exsists for me as with gee_cee, I keep finding watches that I have not seen before. I think a sensible move would be to buy AJTT and get a good over view of watches and to see them in their original condition. I bid a watch on ebay yesterday that turned out to be a pile of crap when I cross referenced it with other sources. Luckily I was out bid.

I wish I had the discipline to just focus on models I really like.... every shiny thing gets my attention... I guess I am a barracuda 😒. To the OP, I would try first to learn as much as I could about the group of watches he is interested, that way when one comes on the market there is no problem..... one thing I have learned since starting in the journey of "collecting" vintage watches is patience is key!