So if you guys would have started your watch collections now, would you have done anything different to what you actually did?!

On a personal level, I bought my first Vintage Omega 10 months ago through the forum and in the next few weeks ended up buying another 3 vintage Seamasters, I was desperate to start a collection, in fact if money had allowed I would have bought anything that had ‘Omega’ on the dial!

Now in hindsight I wished I’d taken my time, looked around more and maybe spent a little extra on rarer pieces or even had looked at offerings from other makers.

It's still quite new to me and wondered what the more experienced collectors have learnt and perhaps would now do differently if starting to build a collection again?

 

I think you do yourself a great disservice, from your pieces that I have seen you achieved the quantity quite quickly but with a quality way above what many new collectors achieve.

Focus is probably the main attribute to a good collection followed by patience. Sadly doubt i'm blessed with either

 

I don't consider myself to be a collector, just an enthusiast.
Many of my buys are opportunistic and more than a little impulsive.

I am having fun & learning along the way (much of both due to the great members here), following no particular path.

As I said on another thread - enjoying my personal journey through time.

For now, wouldn't change a thing!

 

Well if I did manage to do ok on these first pieces that’s only down to the help and advice from kindly souls such as your goodself, Dennis etc etc..........

In this cut throat world that we live in it’s still gratifying that you can come on here, message someone miles away who you have never met and they are welcoming and helpful with advice, I appreciate it and I’m sure all the other new guys do as well.

Perhaps one day I’ll be in a position to offer advice to someone although don’t hold your breath, can’t see it being for a while!

 

Well if you wan't to start afresh i'll give you £300 for three Seamasters

 

The way your good lucks going at the moment, I'm surprised you'd want to pay that much

 

The best advice I got ( beside the famous condition, condition, condition that I fail miserably) is focusing on certain theme and go deep. It is difficult to be expert on all line so few focused will enable you to come out in better collection. I know several guy here who has excellent collection of just cal 321 speedy or seamaster chronometer or 30 40 era or early period gold connie.
Like you, I tend to hurry at first with many mistakes. but it also let us to know which ones we really like and want to focus, then sell the rest to let other enjoy them better than us (which I also fail miserably). Enjoy the process as much as the collection itself.

 

+1. Having good and bad experiences is part of the journey IMHO. Hopefully more good than bad, but with so much variety it's nearly impossible to start this hobby and know what you like. Patience is definitely a must and extremely difficult to maintain at times.

I will also add, I started this journey focusing solely on Omega and through this forum have come to appreciate other brands such as Longines, Lemania, etc. This thread for example turned me on to the Longines Legend Diver.

http://omegaforums.net/threads/will-you-buy-a-re-issue-or-re-edition.2433/#post-27574

The journey will never end, let's pray the watch fund doesn't either.

 

Focus on quality, don't buy projects unless very cheap and not sell my snowflake

 

Boy, my name keeps coming up a LOT in this thread.

I'd like to say I'd do some things different, but the butterfly effect states that I'd not end up the same way as I am today - and I like where I'm at now and the knowledge I've gleaned from learning the hard way. As stated above in several replies, this is a journey and not a destination.

 

I'm hardly an experienced collector but in these 2 years, the things I've learned are:
1. buy the seller (esp fellow forumers). Not just for the quality of the pieces, or the smoothness of the transaction, but for the pleasure of interacting with enthusiastic, passionate fellow collectors who really really know their stuff.
2. making mistakes (big or small) is part of the process. And that allows you to converge / zoom in on your area of interest or your preferred type of watch. For me, the gradual realization was that I really liked mid-size watches, and that 42mm and above was starting to look a little too large on me
3. perhaps I was too conservative, but being naturally cautious I bought less expensive watches at the start so my mistakes wouldn't cost me so much (plus my budget was smaller!). It took some experience before I dared to commit to buying a more expensive watch online, and even then only after lots of advice from Spiki.

But ultimately, as many have said, it's a journey, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

He's led many of us astray.

 

Astray? I beg to differ - he's helped lead you down the righteous path to WISdom. Without veteran assistance, many n00bs (okay, a vast majority) would have made costly mistakes. So don't consider it 'astray' because you've gotten so absorbed into this expensive hobby with him partially helming your course, consider it a blessing that you didn't waste nearly as much money as you would have.

 

I would have stayed away from a few quartz watches that were sold later at a loss. :-(

 

I think there are about 3-4 schools of thoughts for me when it comes to collecting anything.
#1 Perfectionist: Guys on this forum would love and pay a decent chunk of cash for rare untouch piece or buying something for a big bargain.
#2 Hobbyist: Folks who like the watch, because of brand, history, color, designs and god knows what other reason.
#3 Investment vehicle: I am sure most of us collect watch love the watch. Even bigger kick watching the value of our portfolio mushroom up unlike our recent stock market.
#4 Missing out on what we could have brought when we were too young or lack of money due to whatever reason.

For new comers it will be like #2/#3 you buy high and end up getting some medium or low grade stocks.
As experience and knowledge goes up, you might end up thinking #1/#3 where you know what you want and picking up bargains in the market, we all get a kick from it don't we?
There are so many reasons for collecting but buying something you like its like buying a pet, don't just buy it for short term, keep and look after it for life. Enough said

 

Astray, away from the path of having any extra cash !

A blessing, yes indeed, this hobby combines art, history, science, fashion, world culture and brotherhood into one enjoyable activity and having exemplary role models definitely is a blessing.