I was actually talking to a friend of mine and was shocked to learn he was a big watch guy 5 years ago. Rolex's, Omegas, etc. Then he lost interest in the hobby and sol all his pieces off. He now wears a plain Tissot watch daily. I was surprised since I have not heard of that before. Do you know of anyone who has done that as well? I always thought once bitten hard to permanently lose interest. I myself have gone through dry spells but have come back.

 

Perhaps he discovered a normal life?

 

Maybe he had to sell off his pieces to fund a new hobby

 

Or his wife finally lowered the boom.

 

It can be quite an addictive hobby so perhaps some people try and cure their 'addiction'.

 

I go through phases where I want to sell off my collection too. But there are one or two pieces I'd never get rid of due to sentimental value of them.

 

I think two things:
- One can enjoy reading and participating in watch related discussions while being on acquisition hold for a while. (I HOPE )
- Selling is a good thing for the right reasons. (I just wish I could think of some. )

 

Perhaps…He just got laid more often ?

 

haha I spat my drink out a bit!

 

So you are saying that 20 seconds of pleasure once a year can replace all countless hours of "fun" spent on EBay and various forums???

 

That often ????

 

Judging by the number of members who no longer post here anymore, I would say quite a few.
Then again, they may have just lost interest in this forum for one reason or another.

 

I’m sure Bernie Madoff has.

 

Years later, many would be envious of his enlightenment...

 

As vintage sports/tool watch collecting becomes more and more the exclusive domain of those who are able to pay well into five or six figures for a watch, I find myself losing interest gradually. Fortunately there are more interesting new vintage-style offerings coming out each Basel these days than there were only a couple of years ago.

 

That long?

 

I lost interest for some years in the early 2000s simply because I was tired of hunting all over God's green earth looking for watches. Ebay was useless because all the best watches were outside of Canada and many sellers wouldn't ship to Canada and I didn't feel comfortable buying without being able to handle the watches. Then in 2005 Kijiji started and suddenly there were piles of watches available to buy locally so I stared collecting again.

 

I have not lost interest in the hobby but there has been a shift within the interest. After a 10 year buying spree I have not bought a watch for more than one and a half year. The quest continues and the thrill of the hunt is still there - but the urge for "the kill" seem to have stopped.