have any of your progeny expressed a serious and sincere interest in your watch collecting habit? I've a 19 year old who appears to have a genuine interest in mechanical watches which makes pop very happy. He seems to have take a particular liking to big old tool watches like Seiko divers and Swiss made supercompressors. How about you? Any budding watch enthusiasts living under your roof?
We have two sons. Thankfully they are no longer living under our roof. One's 32 and one's 36. Both have an interest and a few vintage watches.
I have two daughters, ones 30 & one is 28 ,& they have absolutely no interest in watches of any kind. But if there was a handbag & shoe collecting forum , they would both be all over it like a rash . But I have been blessed with 4 grandchildren & you never know ,one of them might show some interest in a few years but I'm not holding my breath waiting
I have two sons, 18 & 20, neither thinks that a wrist watch is worth having, let alone using and they are happy with their phones. They get the collection thing, but still don't understand why you'd necessarily gravitate toward wrist watches as there are so many more 'exciting' things you could collect! Not that I'm a collector of watches, but I am slowly clearing my stash of other things I've collected over the years with perhaps a view to getting a few nice timepieces in the near future. Paul
I think the youth today understand a watch is useful at times, but they do not want the costs and burdens that go with ownership -- especially when it comes to things like winding. And that is why I am excited to see the upcoming UberWatch service. With the phone app, you can have a watch at your door in a matter of minutes. Just need to tell time quickly and cheaply? Then pick the Economy class (Timex). Got a friend or two with you? Then go Standard class (Seiko). Heading to a business meeting? Then pick the Luxury class (Omega, Rolex). Got more dollars then sense or want to impress your friends at the 'reserved table'? The pick the Ultimate and Obnoxious class (Richard Mille). The app shows the watches in the neighborhood, and how long before each one can be at your door. And for a few dollars extra a chronograph can be delivered first so you can time how long it takes for the ordered watch to arrive. The IPO hits on October 10. I strongly suggest you talk to your broker about getting in on this before it takes off.
I'm 24 and very deep down the rabbithole. Grew up wearing watches and last year or so got my first vintage watch. Started reading old posts on forums, bought books to learn more, and after that... I realized I had a lot of wants. So to focus I made a list and stuck to it (for the most part). One more to go. My friends think I'm nuts, but they kinda get it. Although they'd never collect vintage (but maybe buy one to wear, if that). I do get a lot of looks when I'm on my phone, and check my watch to figure out what time it is .
One Christmas my dad gave me and my mom matching C-case Connies and I was hooked. He knows his transitonal 145.022 isn't getting buried with him either (many many years from now).
I'm the opposite. Parents are on the fence about the watch thing but they don't mind because their money isn't involved in it. But, I don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse to have been bitten by the watch bug this early (20s)... However I did gift my dad a nice DeVille Coaxial (4832.31.32) and he was happy with that.
My sons (ages 22 and 15) realize that a watch is an essential element of dressing well. My older son is a newly minted Army officer, so he has to be careful what he wears in the field (Shinola Runwell chronograph). For daily wear on post, he has a 1966 C-case Constellation that I gave him a few years ago. My younger son wears a Seiko 5 automatic ... that thing has taken a beating but it runs like new. My parents, on the other hand, have degenerated in this area to an alarming degree ... for their wedding decades ago, they got matching Constellations, which they wore for years afterward. On my most recent visit, I asked them what had become of those watches. Apparently they're gathering dust in a drawer ... and they've been replaced with Invictas.
Our sons are 20 and 22 years. The 20 year old has no interest at all. He wore a timex digital for years, but it broke a couple years back and never had a desire to replace it. He says a cell phone is more than adequate to use to tell time. The 22 year old is more accepting. He has my blue dial Seiko sport, and wears it periodically. He really likes the blue AT I own. But he really loves the gold speedy I own. We have been looking at watches together and he very much is into gold dress watches. More of the modern gold slightly blingy dress watches.
Daughters (3) have an interest but mostly for fashion, one wears an Apple, one a Tag ceramic for dressup but otherwise uses her phone, and and the third has a few but mostly wears a Bulgari quartz that she got for a graduation present. Stepson had a keen interest in mechanical watches, started off with a Tag/Mercedes SLR chrono but this has fallen by the wayside going back to school/got married/baby on the way. Oldest grandson however has started looking at all things mechanical, mired in a bit of a train phase right now. Starting to be interested when I am working on car stuff. I asked him about watches and he said, "I have a million....well really three" and proudly showed off his Fitbit. I gave him an old hand-wind Mickey Mouse watch that was sitting around and if he can take care of it for a while (something that I couldn't do at his age) will consider this for later on. BTW he lives for the colour orange.
My 8 year old is interested... less because of watches specifically, and more because he is interested in all sorts of mechanical stuff, mechanisms and tinkering. He also has been known to secretly take apart things like old walkmans to take a look inside. I’m a little afraid