The Cost of Collecting

Well this is a very naughty question ! 😗
Maybe your psychiatrist has the answer ? 😉
There are 3 distinct aspects in collecting (watches) : hunting - "killing", and possessing/owning; the percentage of each element may vary quite a lot depending on the person; with regards to me, I would say : 50% - 10% - 40%

Some are dedicated to collecting nothing else but variations on the same model (e.g. Connies) ; I so far was absolutely not that type, and have built a small collection of totally different watches, different brands, different styles, one of a kind: but since I have put my head into the "World of Connies" about a year ago, this could change... the amazing aspect of Connies is the stunning variety of models produced over decades ! Seems endless !

No, you are just acting tough for the newbies.

I have one rule. The money I use to buy watches comes from me buying old watches and restoring and selling them. I have been successful doing this over the years. What I would say, is buy what you like. Don’t worry about others opinions.
You are the only one wearing the watch and it has to look beautiful to you not everyone else.

I have an omega seamaster unbranded that’s similar to your watch.

I like the car rationalization myself. I drive a sub-$30k car. If I wanted I could’ve afforded payments on a much more expensive luxury type car. Let’s say like $50k. For something that depreciates almost to nothing over time, gets totaled the next time some ding bat cuts a left turn in front of you, and possibly only purchased to impress others. Or I can take that $20k and get watches that last forever with proper maintenance and probably get more personal enjoyment.

People pay $100k+ for single trading cards that released within the last 10 years

The only reason I believe watches don't have decent trading value is that they can't easily be graded

Same for diamonds, if they are white, there's some artificial+scarcity based value based on grading, but even staying within the diamond family, introducing colors etc. - not so simple

Unless someone solves this problem I think it's 70% of paid value at best if you sell in a panic, but it's still a good value, and there are worse ways to spend money, I used to have a gambling addiction, this is definitely a better addiction

Definitely more draining though, I'd never sell a house etc. to gamble, but I will sell a house to buy more watches 😁

I seem to have run through the gamut of many perspectives raised in this post other then the addiction factor.
The odd thing is, I don’t really wear watches, even having given my engagement present (from the now ex) to my eldest son a few years back after I heard him talk animatedly about the topic. I thought it would give him a head start into the collecting world and a near-unworn 40yo ss Omega Seamaster seemed a decent entry point.

This was easier than one might think. The Seamaster was a bit chunkier than what i would have personally chosen and in stainless steel, both preferences of my ex wife who is (still) into chunky jewellery. But mainly it was because my early experience with a cheap watch was that I banged them into things. Doorways mainly! Pianos too of course.

The change was inheriting my late dad’s Rolex, dropping a couple of $k getting it properly serviced (which dad hadn’t done in 50 years of ownership) and in the process having a couple of great conversations with horologist Rory McDonald here in Melbourne. And after reading online and learning a little I decided to dip the toe into the water, having already decided I wanted to go the vintage route, I bought my first ‘real’ watch on eBay, an Omega Driver chronostop. And I fluked a good one, serviced, in very nice condition and with a brilliant blue dial.

And that’s where it started. I don’t have the wherewithal to buy anything or everything and I have digressed many times, sometimes impulse buying things best left alone (like putting in a single bid for a Seiko bullhead in Ecuador just to “see who was serious” and being woken at 4:00am by my eBay app notifying me I’d Won! But, Covid was what really set me off. Isolating, unable to work every day I discovered OF and spent hours here, and bought and sold plenty. Lots of mistakes, a few gems, and now finally, with two businesses, working most days, rarely seem to have the time to check in here, and haven’t worn a watch of any kind for over a week.

Which is probably appropriate as I cut back on the pieces I’ll never wear. The Pierce chronographs, the one remaining quartz watch I own (Montblanc chrono), a couple of ss Grand Seikos and maybe even (shudder) my totally schmick Bullhead Speedtimer which really deserves wrist time with someone who appreciates it.

I played in the market and had a little fun, got involved in various interesting conversations and learnt a lot. There’s an incredible knowledge base here and most are happy to share. The bottom line is, it kept me sane in difficult times.

In answer to your question, which needed none of the above, your personality type and the depth of your pocket will determine your path. Your collecting can be addictive, compulsive, calculated or entirely random. All of those types and more, can be found here. Just enjoy it and don’t bankrupt yourself over a piece of men’s jewellery.

A few months ago I bought a watch I had been seeking for several months, and I felt like my collection had reached a nice steady state. I felt like I had rounded out my small collection to my satisfaction. I was content. I considered deleting the eBay app from my phone. That feeling lasted no more than a week, and here I am 4 (pretty minor, mind you) watches later.

I have a medium sized collection (when compared to other members on this site). I could probably pick a dozen that I would never sell. All of various price points from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand. For me whilst a higher price can be daunting I'm comforted by the knowledge that I generally buy at fair prices that I am able to recoup should I wish to move them on. As such, I could own a watch for a couple of years, have some enjoyment and then pass it on to the next custodian without actually having spent very much at all. Of course we all make mistakes but with practise and experience we can all better judge what is a fair deal and what isn't, and as long as you don't over pay and you have the money to spend, I think it's all fair game.

I started my watch collecting in 2016 when for some mysterious reason I was browsing one German watch auction. Didn't know anything about watches. I can't remember why I visited that site. Anyway, made some bids on 2 1950s chronographs. I won. Total cost 600 EUR. For me, those were expensive watches. They were generic design chronographs, but I didn't know that yet. My previous watch was a Fossil from a local store (100 EUR). And then... never looked back. Now, anything under 2k is cheap 😀
And now I have these beauties: https://www.instagram.com/wa666ou/

These were the firestarters.

Lots of interesting points made in this tread. I got over collecting many years ago when I was collecting records. I had to have every single LP and first pressing of certain bands. I found out that nobody, not even me cared about what colour the vinyl was or if the sleeve had a certain texture, all we cared about was the music. I moved a lot and soon got tired of dragging a 300+ collection up and down stairs. In addition my local records pusher always told me that "there was great demand for and very hard to get This Thin Lizzy record" that made me wonder if I should spend less on him and more on other stuff that made life better or more fun.

I have never tough of collecting watches before buying my Seamaster and going on the net to find out if it was real. That gave me an interest in watches and I have since bought a couple of cheap watches (Citizen, Casio and Lorus), that have gotten no wrist time at all. So I am satisfied with my Seamaster as the " end of my watch journey " and my " grail watch ". (but that Globemaster look mighty fine though).

On the other hand, I am glad that someone still are buying watches and someone is still restoring and preserving these important pieces of cultural history for posterity. Just don`t let them get in the way of your life. I am content with admiring them here on OF, so thanks to everyone that posts their collections.

@hen We need a picture of that Seamaster! I don’t know how you can hang out here and not at least have plans for future watches. Incredible.