I saw this neat watch the other day, with its uncommon combination of blue bezel and chocolate dial, and it got me thinking of a joke I heard years ago:


A young, buff guy is on a cruise in the Caribbean, and the ship hits a reef and starts to sink. He grabs a piece of wood from the wreckage, hangs on and washes up on a small, tropical island. He staggers up the beach, looks down the shore a ways, and sees what looks like a woman face down in the surf, covered in sand and seaweed.

He runs to her, flips her over, and it's Jessica Alba! She's unconscious, he gives her mouth to mouth resuscitation; she comes to, she looks into his eyes and smiles, he looks into hers...

The scene goes ahead a few months. She is frolicking in the waves, wearing practically nothing, her caramel skin covered in little beads of water. She dries off, and walks a short distance up the beach to the small, make-shift hut they constructed. When she walks in, she finds him sitting in the corner, dejected.

"Honey, what's wrong? We live in s tropical paradise; the food is fresh; the love-making is stratospheric, what could possibly be the matter?"

Well, this does not cheer him up. He slowly arises, and glumly goes over to a steamer trunk that has washed ashore during the wreak. He pulls out a man's business suit, and hands it to her. He asks her to put it on, along with a hat, and finally, requests that she takes some mascara and paint a mustache on her upper lip. She is confused, but shrugs and complies.

"Do me one more favor," he asks. "Walk out of the hut, go down the beach and make a right, and keep walking."

She is again puzzled, but follows his orders. In a minute, he also leaves the hut, walks also to the shore, but makes a left, and keeps walking. Because the island is very small, in a matter of minutes, she is within eyesight. Excitedly, he runs towards her, and when he gets there, puts a hand on her shoulder, barely containing himself, and says, "Hey buddy, you're never going to believe who I'm screwing!!!"

Which brings me to my point: are you content to have that universal grail all to yourself, with no need to share...or is most of the fun showing other fellow collectors?

 

Well, both of course.

Good joke BTW...

/thread

 

Did you say Universal grail?
Just came back from service...

It's a grail because of a quest, and hopefully I'm sharing my joy.

 

That's a great question. I'm thinking the answer is as subjective and individual as each or our choices on said grail. Personally, I do not have or have not yet found, a watch I would call a grail. There are watches I own and enjoy along with other watches I may like to have. Then, there are watches I appreciate but have no interest in owning myself.

As to sharing with others, I am of the mind that I enjoy sharing this hobby/passion with other like minded individuals whom share the same enjoyment. However, for individual preferences on a specific watch, I'm okay if someone doesn't like my choice nor do I feel compelled to like another's. At the end of the day, the point is that we all enjoy watches en masse.

 

Great joke. I'm gonna use that one someday. So far this hobby is like peeing your pants in a dark suit. Gives you a warm feeling but no one notices. It's always a shock when I get into a conversation about a watch I'm wearing.

 

I'm somewhere in the middle on this. I think it's important to wear and enjoy all my watches because otherwise what's the point? I realized this with my Railmaster; I haven't worn it in a few months and realized I'd rather it spent its time on the wrist of someone who will truly enjoy it fully instead of squirrelling it away, never to be seen.

On the other hand, it's not about showing off. If it was, we'd never wear our funkier pieces, only ever wearing tropical-dial 2998s or 5512s. But when we wear our lesser-celebrated models, we increase each other's knowledge base and aesthetic sense.

 

I personally collect for my own enjoyment. I don't care that other people like my watches. If someone notices and comments, I'm happy to have the conversation, but I don't generally talk about watches in my personal life.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I do it for my self. But at the same time love sharing my finds. When i found my old longines legend loved to share the find with my fellow friends and this forum.

 

Those who are completely honest with themselves admit that if you're on any hobby / collecting forum, there is a certain amount of showmanship / showoffedness involved. It's human nature to not only be excited about a killer item you just found, but to also want the approval of your peers.

Don't deny it.

 

I started off buying everything that everyone else thought was a great watch. Probably a bit of hubris involved, but more an exploration trying to learn what I liked. At this point, I am coming to the conclusion that I don't necessarily like what the watch collective would have me like. Or what would impress a WIS. I may post pics and threads in an effort to justify the stupid amount of money I have spent in this exploration. But none of that matters when I flip the watch box top up and decide what to wear.

 

I personally come for knowledge.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I think that a combination of factors may motivate a luxury watch purchase within the watch forum crowd, these factors can come together as a superimposed wave and finally make you pull the trigger

Some suggestions below:

- Heritage story associated with the watch.
An obvious example: the Speedmaster is clearly an excellent well thought out functional design for a chronograph...but would we be infatuated by it, if it was not THE "Moonwatch"? When you look at a Speedy dial on your wrist, by its mechanical nature and the fact it was used as a tool on the Apollo missions, it functions as as a perfect symbol of all the outstanding technical effort that went into getting a man on the moon. Wearing a Speedy you are indirectly making a tribute to the better side of humanity and one of the key areas of progress achieved in the 20th Century. It makes you feel good and aspire to a better future

- Aesthetics
...certain mechanical designs (dial, case, bracelet) just look downright beautiful and we feel pleasure in looking at them, similar to any form of visual art: paintings, sculptures etc. An appreciation for the craft involved in making the watch is also part of this "artistic" pleasure.

- Technology show case
...this does seem absurd for something that clearly has become obsolete in today's world as an accurate time tracker, but the mechanical precision, manufacturing precision, new technology in materials etc. can generate (certainly in the tech/engineering crowd) another component of pleasure in owning the watch. This has led to some rather unfortunate consequences of the exaggerated perceived value of industrial finished "in-house" calibres versus third-party calibres....but I think that pendulum is now moving back to a point of equilibrium (see how many prefer the ETA versus in-house Tudor Black Bay).

- Watch purchased as a celebration of a key emotional event tribute in your life.
A wedding, birth of a child, grandchild, a key achievement in life, a special holiday etc. The watch will offer that emotional recall.

- Oooh look what I found....
as @ulackfocus very well put...quote:

I think this is one of strongest factors in the vintage and also modern LE edition purchases, where the rarity of the watch + the actual hunt generates significant pleasure.


- Pure professional / social status posturing
Something which many will not want to admit to as it is not exactly a very noble part of our primate nature. I do think this is increasingly losing force with the new tech business casual code, but certainly in specific business/social environments the luxury watch can still be a subtle symbolic statement of prestige, elegance and refinement.

Of course wearing a Gold Hublot, AP Royal Oak Offshore will generate a very different vibe which I think many in the OF would not feel comfortable with to put it mildly. But there is clearly a path that some will take between this extreme gangster posturing and absolutely no concern in terms of what you should be wearing to an industry event dinner where you are a keynote speaker.

 

Personally, I only buy watches that I really admire. The only time that someone has made a comment about a watch that I wear was to mention that he had a similar one and really liked it. I don't encourage long conversations in those situations, but I always thank them for noticing.

 

Even though I read daily about watches and visit forums, I've always liked the idea of being a "one watch" guy, and I've gotten rid of everything else, including several Rolex watches. I wear this watch everyday in all occasions, and I don't feel like I have to own something to enjoy it, so I love seeing all the cool watches you guys/gals own.


Whenever I get the urge to buy another, I read this article, and it sets me straight. https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/opinion-being-one-watch-guy

 

What a cool article, thanks for sharing @Df13

 

I'm content sharing here. Not so much outside this message board. No posts on FB, IG or anyplace else for me.

Omega flies below the radar. My Ed White could just as well be a Timex to the average Joe. I prefer it this way. If I wanted to "share" I'd wear o Rolex.

 

When I see a Rolex watch I am always impressed. I know they are expensive. I know they are desirable. I know they are wonderful... but for me Omega watches just seem to have an element of 'cool' about them that is difficult to explain. (Just look at the Seamaster in the post above) pure class... and very 'cool'.

It's similar to the way a Bentley is cool in a way that a Rolls Royce can't be.

In my rather odd mind, it's as if a watch such as the Omega Speedmaster has been far too busy getting important stuff done over the last 60 years to worry about being 'the centre of attention'. That's very cool!

I see the collectors on this forum as sharing classy cool watches as opposed to showy, expensive 'bling'.

 

I would agree with you, with the exception of one specific collector on the OF for whom exaggerated ostentation apparently knows no bounds and even associates himself with a superhero

He does provide wonderful insights though as to what might be happening at Omega HQ, so I suppose we all forgive him for his eccentric ways and value him as part of the OF

 

Ahhh...splendid! The Elton John of the Omega Forum amongst a multitude of George Harrisons! (And one or two Keith Richards)
I shall go in search of his 'showy' contributions.

 

Wow. Even my wife isn't that harsh with me.