Is the Watch Collecting Community an Iceberg? Talkin' Off the Grid Collectors.

One more thing - inevitably unless the heirs of these off the grid collectors are watch enthusiasts as well the exit strategy for many will involve getting on the grid - either through auctions or dealers most of whom have a robust online presence.

There were a lot of "interesting" things in that interview. I don't think I would want him administering the drugs during my surgery...

And who knew that we had him to thank for the resurgence of the mechanical watch! 🙄

Here's what you are up against, only with watches not lunch boxes. There are thousands of these guys out there. Their goal is to buy not to sell.

Hang around a lot of fishermen that have all the modern gear and new stuff that's only just been released and getting talked about on forums. More than 50% are not even on a forum or use a computer at all and would need there kids to turn the computer on. Pub, tackle shop and mates network works for them.

Chatting and fishing with these guys sometimes you start to understand that there has to be a good 30% of people that would not even log onto a computer more than once or twice a month. Fish with a guy that has to get his wife to get the pictures off his "new fan dangled camera" and email them to me. My age just different walk of life and jobs..

Indeed, the internet has brought out many watches and collectors, but there was already a culture there well before the internet, and those people do operate differently. Don't forget the trade associations like the NAWCC that holds "marts" as well as each chapter having it's own regular meetings.

BTW I watch this show often (and sometimes the Canadian version) and if you watch it long enough you get to understand what it is that people like and what condition, for some items, is still considered good or valuable. Things in a condition that I used to think were completely toast can go for a lot of money.

In the "Watch aesthetics and cultural shifts..." thread on the vintage forum people seem shocked at the (seemingly) poor condition of watches that people still like and collect. Some can't understand it, some deny it exists, but watching a show like this you can see it in action regularly.

I'm always a bit surprised at the angst the condition subject brings up with some. If you step back and look at the collector market for any "collectible" item, in a pure way none of them make much sense, so why get so worked up about watches that don't look pristine? If you don't like them, there's a simple solution. Don't buy them.

Did collecting Beanie Babies make any sense to me? No! Did I stress about it? No! Did I buy any? No!

BTW this episode made me wonder what my "Six Million Dollar Man" lunch box I had when I was a kid would have been worth if I'd kept it...