All of my life, I've enjoyed mechanical watches and craftsmanship.

My watch collection is a mixture of two Omegas, two Seiko's (1 vintage and a SBDC 051 Diver) plus four German watches. (Two Sinn, Two Stowa) plus a Hamilton Khaki Automatic (beater) and a Timex Ironman for biking/gym.

Watch collecting seems to be a gigantic rabbit hole that could take loads of money and time - with that in mind, I am considering limiting my collecting to just German watches, selling off the rest and allowing myself a total of five or six watches that really speak to me and reflect who I am.

Curious of others have gone through a similar process of defining and redefining their watch collections and if so, their thoughts.

Thank you.

 

Yes, most of us have gone through a similar stage, before throwing caution to the wind and ending up with somewhere between 50 and 500 watches of disparate brands and types.

Seriously, though, I started with a focus on vintage IWC, but found that the hunt and associated learning process was a very big part of the enjoyment of collecting. So, I expanded my horizons considerably over the years, and ended up with a very eclectic collection.

I did maintain a certain focus (mainly '40s and '50s), and some rules (e.g. no Rolex ), but broadly speaking I have found the openness of my journey to have been very positive.

 

Thank you Tony -

Throwing caution to the wind is not what I would do. The last thing I want is too many watches. I understand how you started on IWC and followed that to vintage 40's-50's.

I am more concerned about watches that I will wear. That is why I am so interested in the German brands. The form follows function aspect of the watches draws me in.

Many thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate it.

 

Collecting is a journey. I'm an omnivore like Tony C and on hiatus right now to asses where I'm going with this hobby. Shopping my collection, servicing what I have, a new strap or three, is the order of the day. Its gonna take a while. I have a collection of modern and a wide variety of vintage. Each day I reach into the safe and pull out a watch to wear. I'm always delighted, which means nothing is getting sold. I'm very wary of the early 60's Chronograph and Rolex sport watch bubble (Even though I own several). The practical thing. Every once and a while I think darkly, "all I really need is my Timex beater and my 2014 Rolex GMT Master 2." but that would be boring.....

 

You are welcome, Cameron, and I do believe that confining your collection to those watches that you will wear would be a wise choice. German vintage, at least in terms of wristwatches, is a somewhat limited category, but that isn't to say that you can't find some nice ones. I once owned a classic Bauhaus Stowa from the '50s, and still own two of their underrated Seatime divers. I can also see the attraction to some of the Sinn models.

Please do post some of your collection when the opportunity arises!

Regards,

Tony

 

I have a very boring collection compared to many here. I limit myself to 10 watches as that is the size of my watch case. It's a completely arbitrary figure but it works for me.

 

I understand you're limiting your watch collection, but have you considered limiting it to just Seiko or Omega?

Seiko would be cheaper and they are heavily reliable and have a huge range of watches to suit your needs, or maybe even a single watch to work for everything you do.

Sane with Omega, except obviously it's more expensive.

Honestly there's a lot of brands to choose from to suit all ranges of activities and it takes a lot of thought to purposefully limit your watch collection.

Not sure if that made sense but essentially I'm saying to think it through, the German market isn't my forte but I would just go with watched that as you say reflect who you are.

Regardless of market or brand.

EDIT: Just like the gentleman below, one watch for all occasions is the best, although you'll very rarely find one that will do just that. But when you do, you'll form an amazing attachment to it and it'll essentially become an extension of you; it sounds weird but it's true!

 

I’m only in the kiddie pool for sure, although I technically have...over a dozen watches? Most of them just aren’t relevant and could honestly be trashed with no guilt on my conscience. But let me toss in my two brined pieces of eight.

You can only wear one watch. Unless you happen to be certain renowned members of this forum. Or you plan on doubling up an actual watch and a 38 Apple on the same wrist like me. But that’s not important right now!

If it’s your passion and your budget, the rabbit hole is a beautiful madness. My personal philosophy is to have essentially one watch for all occasions. I’m not nearly fashionable or wealthy enough to coordinate watches with outfits or anything of the sort. But I like the idea of wear it, love it, beat it, move on. Not as abuse, but as the Velveteen Rabbit.

 

Me too. Ten watches and the watch-winder does not count toward storage space.

 

Yes, for years I wore a Hamilton Khaki Automatic (38mm) it is pretty beat up at this point, but I have an attachment to it.

I have two Seiko's that I plan on keeping - one that I purchased here from WatchDaddy - a 1969 Lord Matic and a recent issue the SBDC051 (JMD) Diver. I plan to sell my Omega Geneve (1968) and another recently purchased vintage Omega. The Sinn and Stowa's just for my desire for tool watches that also look good.

I use the Sinn 104 when working- the reverse bezel is perfect. My 556 ib is a dressier watch. The Stowa Fleiger I just love for its looks and the Stowa Partitio is so 1930's cool.

 

I like limiting the number. It is like pacing myself so that I don't overshoot a situation. (photography) Better to be a bit more refined and clear in my purpose.