I have been going nuts this past 8 months getting into this hobby and buying everything I liked. Last May, I only owned one watch, a Casio WaveCeptor. Next thing you know, I've bought and sold so many watches I can't keep track and my wallet is $50k lighter. And I have a Speedy Tuesday reserved. This morning I almost bought the 5512 that's listed on here. So, I'm thinning the herd down to 4 and reassessing where to go from there. Just thought I would share this so you knew where I was coming from. This is the silliness that has ensued and the 4 that made the cut:



So, if I'm quiet for a while, it's not that I don't want to participate, but I may stop visiting as much so I don't impulse buy.

Corn

 

That 5512 is a stunner alright.

Sorry, did you say something about selling?

 

Damn ... new computer and I just managed to delete my entire text ...

So, I was trying to commiserate and console while giving some of my perspective. It's easy to buy a new grail. You just go to a watch shop and give them the money they're asking. The thing is, I don't find that particularly pleasurable and reading your post, I'm not sure you're finding it all that pleasurable either. For me, the real buzz comes in the hunt. If there is one particular watch I want, then I can spend months - hell, years - looking for the exact example that calls out to me or is as original as I can find. Alternatively, I have a number of watches that were sadly neglected and in dire need of love (and a talented jeweller) and were begging to be made right again. Finding the watch, or breathing life back into one, gives me more of a buzz than simply buying one ever could.

I wasn't sure just how much I've spent on watches but did a little mental arithmetic going through my current "watch box", and figure I've spent about £14000 on the ones I currently own but they have a (conservative) value of around £26000. I can't think how much I've spent with watchmakers but there are a couple of pieces in there that have each had £1000 spent on them while most of the rest have had nothing more than a service.

Bottom line is this: if you're finding that you're buying lots of watches but quickly flipping them (and worse, at a loss), then maybe you should think about re-focussing what you're buying and why. Two watches that give me most pleasure in that box: one has cost me less than £200, the other over £8000 ... I don't think it's down to money, cost or value, but it's all down to the feeling.

Edit: that 5512 gilt is really gorgeous, though.