Like many Americans, I have collected many "things" over the years. I was looking at one of my photo albums one day and thought to myself, this us probably going to end up in a land fill some day, right next to my championship baseball trophy.

I was already quite disenchanted with the watch hobby. I started collecting in the early nineties. The community was small and the man who serviced my watches was from Switzerland. He was also a good friend. More concered with my well being than selling me a watch. Today, constant flipping, speculation and greed have made the hobby quite expensive. Don't get me wrong micro brands are wonderful and entry level watches are a terrific value, but they don't quite have the same magic as a Rolex or even a Tudor.

I posted previously on another forum that I have lived through the 1989 earthquake, 1990 recession, 2000 dot com bust and the great recession of 2008. I learned a lot from thise experiences.

One thing I learned us that when you see people buying things WAY over MSRP it is time to sell. I knew that the watches were terriby over valued. In 2008 I sold my collection of Vintage Heuer Carreras. I did not lose money but, but a few years later they were worth three times as much.

Not going to make the same mistake again. Buy low sell high.

So in the beginning of 2019 I began to e bay and craigslist seriously. AJ3 FROM 1987 BOX AND MANUAL 1400.00. Sold. Shoes. Lionel trains. Rare hip hop / rap music. NOS 80' clothing. You name it.

I had so much in storage. What was interesting was that people were buying. Old Playboy magazines. Car manuals. Car parts. Old toys.

I sold all my watch catalogs from the 90's on ebay. There was no going back.

Sold my MOTM. 1861 hesalite withe the big box. Glad I sold it when I did. Seikos sold. Kept two Seamasters that had 2500 D movements and a lot of sentimental value.

So I feel less constrained now. There is a saying do not let your possessions determine your happiness, and there is some truth to that. Yes, I kept all my vintage mid century modern furniture.

Now we have Covit 19. This has been a terrible crisis for the world. My tenets cannot afford to pay the rent. The economic recover will last many months if not years. We need speedy and accurate testing. A safe vaccine. We need to examine our medical supply chain.

Watches on tbe seconday market will ho down in price. You will see ceramic Submariners for 8500 or less. There are just too many of them bought by credit card sitting in a safe bought by a young person who has lost their job and cannot pay rent.

There will he fantastic deals available for watch collectors. I most likely will not be participating. I will not chase the 25k Daytona or whatever limited edition 321 ULTRA SNOOPY TUESDAY watch Omega as cooked up. No, I am content with my 2500 D and being thankful I have a home, food and a new black lab puppy.

Take care everyone. Thank you for reading my rant.

 

Some more photos ...

 

Everybody has to do what they feel is best for themselves. Personal possessions should never constrain you, if they do they have been bought for the wrong reasons. Good luck going forward.

 

You have to do whatever you feel is the right thing for you. The most important thing is that you are healthy and happy. Best wishes from the Richmond District!

 

Things that I can relate to in your rant: Baseball Cards (overpaid when collecting), Vintage Magic The Gathering Cards (undervalued when selling)...lol.

As far as watches, I've learned to like what I purchase and not let the market dictate my taste.

 

I like the watches, but my favorite of your photos is the pup.

 

Keep the puppy.

 

Dibs on the puppy

I like having things that make me happy, but the monetary value of those things (or lack thereof) isn't what drives my enjoyment of them. A brief fling with Beanie Babies in the late 90s taught me that early on.

 

I’ve been through the same hobby soul searching over the years. I collected vintage audio equipment for many years- even did repairs and sales for a while for the local record shops- I stopped about 3 years ago when the stress of working with clients became a headache (it was my hobby that became a source of extra income, then a source of stress). I found myself looking at my basement workshop this week- shelving packed to the limits with audio gear- much in working condition, some not- many unfinished projects.

My need to reappropriate the room for newly re-found interests outweighs my desire to keep the gear and selling audio gear online is a nightmare (too fragile, too many unrealistic buyers- it’s a 50 year old tube amp- yes it is gonna have had the tubes replaced at some point or have a scratch on the chassis).
I called my friends who owns the local hifi shop and told them to clear some space, I was bringing a car load of stuff over...and I just dumped about 15 pieces on them- for free, their problem now- not mine. Yes, I just gave away a few grand of stuff, but the amount of work it takes to sell the stuff outweighs the value in selling it.
I, of course kept the primo stuff for myself- by doing a hard purge (no emotion involved- do I intend to use this or is it worth more than the headache of trying to broker it), I reduced my footprint by about 400lbs of stuff and bought back a huge amount of workshop real estate.

I feel lighter, freer, more empowered....I had a moment last night when I thought that maybe I should ask for the Nakamichi cassette deck back....but this morning I don’t feel any regret- I still have a studio Denon deck and haven’t listened to cassettes in years...so why?!
Maybe I’ll look at my watch collection next- I have found that of the 50+ I only wear about 20 on regular rotation....some hard choices there.

 

If it stops bringing joy, then sell or give (amazing!) it away. Just make sure you are in a good mood when you let go of things.

 

Absolutely! If it brings stress (financially, emotionally, mentally), then it’s not an endeavor worth pursuing. Stress is different than challenge- I enjoy challenge in my hobbies (working towards a goal or learning new skills with trial and error), but stress is a killer- not worth it

 

Time to move on to something that still brings joy. Looks like you will have lots of free time to spend with the puppy.

 

I gave away a couple watches and sold some at my cost when I could have gotten a bit more. The ones I gave away were to friends who were injured or in a bad spot. It was cool to put a smile on their faces. The ones I sold at cost were to a couple people just stating out in vintage watches. Mind you they were just some basic vintage seamasters and such, no big money watches, but it was cool to be able to do. I don’t want to obsess over watches, takes the fun out of it.

 

It is usually a poor time to make consequential decisions, like getting rid of a lot of stuff that previously gave you joy, because of a current situation that upsets you or gives you grief.. It is always better to stop, take a deep breath, and put the impulse on hold. This will all pass and we will get back on track. If at that time you still feel the need to lighten up then go ahead and do it. Never act in haste.

 

I agree about not making decisions in haste (particularly out of fear or desperation)- yes, take a breathe. But times like these, when we are forced to stop and look around, makes for a great opportunity to take action and not just deliberation. If there was ever a time to evaluate our values, interests and priorities- this is it....even on as small a scale as the direction of our hobbies.

 

Thanks for sharing. I bet it felt good to pen all this down, and even better getting rid of the clutter. It is amazing how much stuff one can accumulate through the years even without consciously collecting. The puppy must be a keeper though.



Chye

 

I recently sold two watches. These were watches that I bought right, in 1990 and 1991. Brand name and model specifically omitted on purpose. I sold those two watches over the last three years, and made enough to more than cover the total cost of the rest of my collection. I’ll let my heirs decide what to do with the other 125 odd watches, and the clocks. Actuarial tables tell me I will likely live for another 12 years. So lots of time to enjoy what I have kept.

 

Damn when you say 12 years that doesn’t sound very long. Throw away that actuary table and give yourself another 30

 

I dont own my watches. I take care of them for the next generation. Just like my father did before me.

But getting rid of stuff is good. It makes your head more empty. Enjoy

 

That’s the way I have always thought of my collections (cars, cameras, watches, vintage stereo- even my house), we are just stewards of finely crafted objects. It’s our job to make sure they are well cared for during our stewardship. When we no longer feel a connection to them, it’s time to pass them on to someone else who will appreciate them.