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140dave
·PSA!! If you see “Dave” written in sharpie on the back of any of your watches- run! He has plans.
Now your making me look like a weirdo
Does having the means make collecting less enjoyable?
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nkhandekar
·I have to say for me, I like the watch. I don't like the process of getting the watch. Its really comes down to the rules you give yourself to play the game. You make the rules, and they are yours to change.
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TimeODanaos
·Darn it, the OP posted a simple question two days ago now, and it has been bugging me ever since. Of course I couldn't help applying it to life in general, hard not to. There are clearly arguments both ways, and I know how much I have enjoyed any number of hard-fought, long-desired, well-earned victories. But I also remember some of those sickening, unfair situations, when a little more green stuff sure could have solved some problems. So when I look at some of the more easily obtained fruits of my much better-off years, I find it hard not to enjoy them - a lot! Being short of cash but able to hustle some is a good place to start out in life, but it's definitely not where you want to be for too long. And that all applies to watches too, so... my A. to the OPQ - but a narrow on-points decision - is "no". 😁
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3nicewatches
·Mrs S would like to test the hypothesis.
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bradurani
·Darn it, the OP posted a simple question two days ago now, and it has been bugging me ever since. Of course I couldn't help applying it to life in general, hard not to. There are clearly arguments both ways, and I know how much I have enjoyed any number of hard-fought, long-desired, well-earned victories. But I also remember some of those sickening, unfair situations, when a little more green stuff sure could have solved some problems. So when I look at some of the more easily obtained fruits of my much better-off years, I find it hard not to enjoy them - a lot! Being short of cash but able to hustle some is a good place to start out in life, but it's definitely not where you want to be for too long. And that all applies to watches too, so... my A. to the OPQ - but a narrow on-points decision - is "no". 😁
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Barnaby'sDad
·Does having the means make collecting less enjoyable?
I don’t think so. However, for me, it does make me think
when I look at some of my settle/binge purchases. Nothing ghastly, but at some point, you could have paid for a nice watch with all of the money spent on the “affordables.”
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JwRosenthal
·Well put. The pieces I've bought since my windfall are great pieces. I researched them well, and I love them. I think you're right that the hobby is not spoiled when less sacrifice is required, I just think I'll have a clearer idea of how to continue after I've stopped, turned my attention to something else for a while, and come back with a new vantage point (IF I do come back). Right now the allure of things I couldn't buy before, that I now can, is leading to a place where the stuff I'm buying has diminishing returns in terms of the happiness It's bringing me, and that shouldn't be how it is.
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bradurani
·Which is why I think the main issue is that you aren’t “working” for it anymore. Being able to plonk the money down and buy something is not quite as rewarding to someone who was used to actually putting in the effort to achieve a goal- that was the fun part. It’s not about the money, it’s about the challenge and reward.
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JwRosenthal
·Exactly
Just because you can afford to eat at a 5-star resturaunt every night doesn’t mean that a cheeseburger still can’t bring you great joy…particularly if you make it.
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bradurani
·For reference:
Pre-windfall (a sampling):
1945 WWII Bulova Ord. Dept.
1999 Seamaster 300 Chronograph
1973 Seiko 6139 Pogue
1976 Seiko 06LC
1995 Zenith El Primero Rainbow
1976 Bulova Big Block LED
1979 Seiko 6306
1969 Seiko 6139-6020 Pulsations
1976 Seiko 0634
Post windfall (most of them):
1972 Omega Megaquartz Aventurine Stardust
2021 Grand Seiko 4 Seasons Spring
1967 Seiko 6159-7000
1972 Seiko 3823 Quartz V.F.A. 18k
2019 Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT (pre-owned)
1970 Seiko 6105-8110 Willard
1969 Breitling 2116 Calibre 11 L.E. 18k
1973 Accutron Spaceview T Double Cushion
1973 Omega f300 Cone
(I tried to do this by memory, I may be off on some years)
Pre-windfall (a sampling):
1945 WWII Bulova Ord. Dept.
1999 Seamaster 300 Chronograph
1973 Seiko 6139 Pogue
1976 Seiko 06LC
1995 Zenith El Primero Rainbow
1976 Bulova Big Block LED
1979 Seiko 6306
1969 Seiko 6139-6020 Pulsations
1976 Seiko 0634
Post windfall (most of them):
1972 Omega Megaquartz Aventurine Stardust
2021 Grand Seiko 4 Seasons Spring
1967 Seiko 6159-7000
1972 Seiko 3823 Quartz V.F.A. 18k
2019 Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT (pre-owned)
1970 Seiko 6105-8110 Willard
1969 Breitling 2116 Calibre 11 L.E. 18k
1973 Accutron Spaceview T Double Cushion
1973 Omega f300 Cone
(I tried to do this by memory, I may be off on some years)
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JwRosenthal
·I don’t see that being a collection of duality at all- you clearly have a “type”. Except that rainbow, I’ll dispose of that for you.
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repoman
·You do know boat stands for ……Bring Out Another Thousand
Fishing boat nowadays but used to have Ski boats, and took a mate out for the day and after putting $240 worth of fuel in the boat and the car the mate slipped me $20 for fuel when I got back in the car. 🤦
(20 years on I still give him stick for this regularly)
So true; although most of us say we don't collect watches expecting to make money, the fact is, most of us have collections that are worth way more than we spent to acquire them... not true of boats and NEVER will be. I sold/traded several prized watches to get the boat below knowing it would be a massive money suck for years to come, I had to accept the painful reality of that decision. So far, I'm at peace with it. Check back with me in a few years as depreciation continues to take tens of thousands out of the value, plus the thousands more I put in every year in maintenance, storage, and operating costs.
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pdxleaf
··"I cut it TWICE and it's still short!"OP, try finding a 1962 Bulova Astronaut. It's not expensive but doesn't matter. Good luck finding one.
The most expensive watches are not always the most rare, or even desirable.
I think you're over playing the money angle. It's okay if you're no longer into watches. But it can't be because money can buy whatever you want and you're bored. That's not possible.
The most expensive watches are not always the most rare, or even desirable.
I think you're over playing the money angle. It's okay if you're no longer into watches. But it can't be because money can buy whatever you want and you're bored. That's not possible.
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bradurani
·I don’t see that being a collection of duality at all- you clearly have a “type”. Except that rainbow, I’ll dispose of that for you.
I think I labored for a year and flipped 20 watches to get that Zenith. I didn't do that for any of the bottom watches. Glad you like it!
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bradurani
·So true; although most of us say we don't collect watches expecting to make money, the fact is, most of us have collections that are worth way more than we spent to acquire them... not true of boats and NEVER will be. I sold/traded several prized watches to get the boat below knowing it would be a massive money suck for years to come, I had to accept the painful reality of that decision. So far, I'm at peace with it. Check back with me in a few years as depreciation continues to take tens of thousands out of the value, plus the thousands more I put in every year in maintenance, storage, and operating costs.
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Dan S
·OP, try finding a 1962 Bulova Astronaut. It's not expensive but doesn't matter. Good luck finding one.
The most expensive watches are not always the most rare, or even desirable.
I think you're over playing the money angle. It's okay if you're no longer into watches. But it can't be because money can buy whatever you want and you're bored. That's not possible.
I can relate to this. I often put just as much time and energy into finding the right example of a 3-figure watch as a 5-figure watch. And I get pretty much the same amount of joy from both.
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PATRICK JP
·Hi all, I started this journey 3 years ago trawling eBay for deals on vintage Casios. I learned to repair vintage digitals, and stated buying lots of them and flipping the ones I could rescue. I moved up to vintage Seiko, canvassing pawn shops, flea markets and antique malls. I spent hours sifting through sites, matching disparate parts and reuniting long ago separated bracelets with the cases they belong to. Every purchase took time and care and research, but since I had a lot of time, I made a lot of purchases. I built a collection of 70+ hustled-for pieces, and even added some well-deserved 90s Swiss chronographs I picked up well below market price.
Then fortune smiled on me, and years of hard work at my job brought me some life changing liquidity. Now if I want something (within reason, I mean, I'm not Producer Michael), I can just buy it. I've done just that a few times, but it's not as rewarding as hustling. I still love watches, but it's too easy when it no longer demands a sacrifice of time and diligent budgeting. Has this happened to anyone else?
I know, I know, poor me, #firstworldproblems, what a ridiculous thing to complain about! I deserve the scornful scoffs you're all making right now. It's just weird when your hobby loses its appeal so quickly and unexpectedly. I guess I need to buy some golf clubs or something.
There's satisfaction to be had in starting small, evolving your own tastes, & curating a collection that's then your own individual expression.
And I'm now happy with my collection of reasonably priced watches. But, it would feel like "spoiling the batch" if I were to now go & drop in a 5-figures jewelry piece... Would I just wear that one $fancy$ watch & ignore the rest of the collection that I've created a history & a story with? Do I wear the old Seamaster Cosmic (that I love!) & leave the one $fancy$ watch at home on the bedstand?
I collect & wear the (modestly priced) watches that I like & that interest me, & none of that leads me to want to flex out with some heavy hitter that's out of place in the collection I really like.
My take is that your new found affluence should allow you to pursue your hustling journey p, should this remains of interest, but with rarer and more onerous pieces. Money brings us some freedom but it is up to each individual to react to it and use it in the best and most sensible way… There are no rules.
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rcs914
·My problem is that even if I find a good deal on something, I still have a hard time justifying the cost right now. I mean I can easily swing buying a -67 Speedmaster if I were to find one at a flea market for $2K, but I wouldn't be able (allowed?) to keep it. It would definitely be about turning it around, which is absolutely not what I would want to do.
But if you give yourself an unobtanium goal, it makes the hunt more interesting. IE I will only buy all stainless steel vintage dive watches for less than $75. Have I gotten lucky? Yes. Does this happen frequently? No.
But if you give yourself an unobtanium goal, it makes the hunt more interesting. IE I will only buy all stainless steel vintage dive watches for less than $75. Have I gotten lucky? Yes. Does this happen frequently? No.