Hey guys, i am curious what was the one watch that got you all going down this dark dark rabbit hole haha.
Mine is a Tradition Panda watch. It's not in the best condition, but definitely has a special place in my collection.

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Thanks for your time

 

This Oris started it off for me

 

I was hot and heavy for Seamasters for a while, but what piqued my horological lust was the Rolex GMT Master BLRO.

 

My father's IWC ... redialed.

 

I've had a thing for watches since my age was in the single digits.
One of the first watches I remember owning was one of these:



More recently, the watch that got me into the "nicer" watches was a Hamilton that was given to me by my Dad seen here on a leather NATO:

 

Collected in 1975. Not my first watch, but the first one that I consider that started me seriously collecting. I am the second owner. My late father bought it in about 1930, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he was plying his trade as a watchmaker. Rolex Prince Observatory duo-dial “doctor’s” watch, before centre sweep seconds hands were common on wrist watches. Adjusted to 6-positions, temperature, and isochronism, rare 18-jewel model.In other words, a wrist chronometer. Typical of these watches marketed by Rolex in Canada at that time, it is a gold filled case . In later years, he used this watch as a “loaner” when he was repairing a customer’s watch. So I guess I can be thankful that it has survived. Runs beautifully, but I rarely wear it. I believe the movement was made by Aegler, and it was this movement that was also used in an equivalent model, by Gruen.

 

I guess this model Seiko (7A49-7009) started me down the path . . . but my interest was dormant for a couple of decades until a photo of someone's grandpa's JLC triggered me!

I don't normally wear my watches this way! ;-)

 

My story is more like an ignition sequence to vintage obsession. These were bought close to each other in time
The first mechanicals:

Two informed decisions: 7 hour layover in Frankfurt on the Rolex but I got a great deal.

Business and holiday trip to Paris yielded the Master Moon. The RGM had been on order for 8 months:

Another trip to Paris, a visit to a colleague’s bother’s shop and the vintage watch that stared it all, 2998-6.
View attachment 635570

 

My first vintage Swiss mechanical watch was this one, from 1955:


A week later I acquired this one, also from 1955:

 

This was my first, bought when I was 19:

While I always wore a watch my daily one was a quartz LIP. About 10 years ago I really started to get into vintage mechanical watches and I've not stopped since I buy more than 100 watches a year and probably keep one in four. This was the one that started my headlong rush down that rabbit hole:

 

I don’t have photos for these because they’d be embarrassing. I did some fruitless Googling nonetheless.

I really took to watches young. The first one I distinctly remember was just some Timex I got around...nine? Field-styled analog, basic design, beige and cloth strap, and big-ol’ bright Indiglo that, being around nine, I used frequently as an emergency flashlight to find doorknobs and lightswitches. I remember it distinctly because everything before had been decidedly Cheap and quickly smashed to pieces against a wall, it lit up so nicely, and I ended up having it for around a year and a half. At which point I promptly smashed it against the corner of a wall one too many times, or maybe it got splashed and wasn’t water resistant, I don’t really remember.

After that I had a series of Walmart budget specials that lasted all of Not at All before meeting a grisly corner-of-something Fate, and there were several years after my late teens that I gave up having things last only six months and my wrist felt awfully naked for a few years but I wanted something that was actual quality.

And at some point that became this Citizen:


So in terms of at least kinda-sorta actual watches that’s my genesis, and seeing as how the mechanical watches I currently own are a bit problematic and haven’t been worn, that’s about it.

 

@Vitezi can you please tell me the model number or reference of the Tissot that looks so much like a Universal Polerouter? Thank you for the info.

McK

 

Did a lot of research so I wouldn't pay the noob tax and I think I got a good deal on this one. It's got some gritty patina but I love it just the same. It's my brother's daily wearer now. Kinda on permanent loan.

 

Bruges, Belgium 1997 …Pre Euro currency, was the Belgian Franc…and the cost then, was less than £250

 

A good friend purchased an SM300 that has aged to an electric orange patina on the dial, and I had to have one! He guided me to the informative sites and cautioned me on fakes and frankens, and the hunt was on! Remarkably it only took a couple months of searching, and then this one popped up on eBay, and I jumped on it! My first expensive purchase online, through PP, and PP held back my payment for what seemed to be an eternity and the seller almost canceled the transaction. . . Thankfully all ended in my favour! I’m apparently the 2nd owner, and it came with box, and 1506/16 bracelet

 

Wow!

 

It’s not automatic, hell its not even mechanical, but this is the watch that got me hooked on watches.

 

With me it was this cal.89, bought in Vienna and still a favourite.

 

I've related this story before but I'll always do it again:

My late mother found this watch, head only - was probably carried in and lost from the pocket of running shorts, at a running track back in the 1970's. After a fruitless attempt to locate the owner it was forgotten in a drawer and eventually given to me. At the time I had quartz and digital watches and found this too big and heavy and relegated it again to a junk drawer. Never threw it away and it came with me through many household moves. Finally one cleaning day I decided to pitch it out but thought I should check eBay to see if such a thing had any value.

Imagine my surprise when I found they were worth between $2,000 and $10,000 US! I started to research what I had, co-incidentally finding this EXCELLENT fora, and in the process fell in love and lust with mechanical time pieces.


145.022-68

 

Great story!