Invicta's Impact on Watch "Collecting" In Retrospect

I was recently thinking about how watch "collecting": has changed over the years and it dawned on me that Invicta has had a significant impact on the hobby. Back when television shopping channels were powerful retail channels, Invicta sales show tapped into a market hole for watch "collectibles" which was so successful that it spawned tremendous interest in a basically a new way of "collecting" watches. Prior to Invicta and television home shopping, watch collecting for the most part was defined by people collecting vintage or haute horology watches, not affordable current production "limited" editions. Although Invicta did not succeed in building a brand reputation equal to major Swiss brands, it did build demand for equivalent watches (ie. this and that Limited Editions) from major Swiss brands and "collectors" of them.

Unlike traditional collectors, the new type of collectors spawned from Invicta's legacy, collect watches to wear and rather than collect based on horological historical significance or mechanical complication, they are more inclined to "collect" on the basis of the latest and greatest, limited production and whether a watch covers a style or category that they don't already own. In other words, "collecting" watches for different wearing purposes. To these "collectors" a watch isn't worth owning unless you are going to wear it, whereas the nth degree traditional collector is oft times likely to pursue watches with no significant intent of wearing them (eg. if you paid $17+M for the Paul Newman Daytona sold in 2017 wearing the watch likely did not heavily factor into your decision).

Comments?

I’d argue that it was happening with Swatch far before Invicta. Just look at the current AP CEO, who was at one time the owner of the largest Swatch collection in the world. He certainly didn’t buy them all to wear.

The AP CEO is an example of a traditional collector. What Invicta brought forth was "collectors" who only "collect" to wear.

What Swatch brought forth was Happy Meal toy collecting to watch collecting. Inexpensive attractive variety that people could afford to collect and not wear. You look at "collector" who owns a DSOTM, ceramic Daytona and Hodinkee Hermes. They buy to wear for different purposes and call themselves a collector. This is what Invicta started.

It's a struggle .... If only watch were as visceral in use as motorcycles ...

Hmm, I don't know. I think I'm kind of in the middle here:

- I do collect with the intent to wear.
- I do try to close gaps in my collection, based on both styles and complications (e.g., I'm more interested in covering the diverse aspects of the Seamaster line than I am in owning a number of Submariners that differ only in the color of a single line of text or the exact shape of the coronet). My small collection includes both modern and vintage watches.
- I am, however, interested in neither Invicta nor Swatch and do not consider myself influenced in any way by their release policy, marketing or collectors.
- I do not care if a watch I like is limited or not.

What defines a collector? Having a collection of something? I have bunches and bunches of Starwars toys but I am by no means a starwars collector. Seems like a self-proclaimed title to me.

Speaking from my own experience, I think the initial motivation to acquire the first few items would heavily impact one's collecting behaviour.

There are three things I collect - vinyl records, fountain pens, watches.

Vinyl records - I started collecting vinyl records because I was intrigued by the fact that music in these black beauties has a limited lifespan. The sound of music on each LP is a collection and reflection of its history, from birth to present. Therefore I collect artists by artists, as the change in pressing, recording, and surface wear reflects the history of LP and the artists.

Fountain pens - I started getting fountain pens because I need to use them. The collection expanded because I needed multiple colours to be present at the same time. Therefore my fountain pen collection always remains in a limited size, and all pens are frequently being used. The exterior and nib are the most important things to me.

Watches - Motivation came from my fascination over horology history. Therefore watch movement and historical significance would always play important roles when considering what to purchase. Coming from the background of vinyl collector, I am collecting from brand to brand, through the brand's history.

For me, I use and wear all the things I collect. What fascinated me was history, and I would love to imprint part of my history on my collections. That being said, intention to use won't be the top consideration. The storyline of the collection is far more important, at least in my vinyl records and watch collection.