Watch people are, on the whole, good people...

I debated about posting this, as life seems to have an ironic way of undermining any convictions one harbors, when they are finally overtly expressed.

But, screw it, I'm going to take the risk: I've been watch collecting, in a disturbingly dedicated way, for over 30 years, and I was thinking about how, in general, the bad deals I've had in that time period are shockingly few. To me, that means that the folks in this hobby generally share some sorts of ethical conviction, a sense of fairness, and an urge to trust, and be trusted.

I've done things on paper (like that most of you have), that the average person would find unbelievably stupid. Like sending thousands of dollars to complete strangers. Not once, but multiple times. And in turn, I've had them send me watches worth the same amount, only to be told, "Send me the money if you like it; if not, send it back." Who does that? Most people wouldn't do it with $25. Yet watch folks do it every day.

I had a watch coming in years ago, and the box arrived empty, and the seller sent me the money back. And then there was the time when I bought a gold Omega chronograph and the dial turned out to be refinished, and the guy went radio silent on me. That's it. With literally hundreds of smooth transactions to the contrary. Really unbelievable, considering how the rest of the world routinely operates.

I know some of you have some horror-story deals, and I always feel bad about that, both for the person involved, and for what it potentially does to the unwritten decorum of the hobby. But in general, all you folks who participate in a way that keeps the the standards of conduct so refreshingly high, I give my thanks and appreciation.

Bob

When I told my wife and mother that I had bought a watch for a couple of thousand, made a deal with a forum member that the watch was to be sent to him, he would then take it with him across the Atlantic and I would fly to meet him in another country, they looked at me like I was a freckin’ maniac who had just given my money to some obvious scam. Had been on OF about a year at that time. But the most lovely birthyear Speedy came from it and I wasn’t worried a second 😀

I haven’t been in the game that many years but I could imagine that you need to be more careful and have your wits about you more today than before skyrocketing prices of vintage Rolex etc. and online scammers

I've seen things on this forum that I completely disagree with ranging from attacks on religion to between-the-lines political pandering, but that doesn't mean these aren't good people.

I think your assessment that the watch collecting community is "on the whole" good, based on your experiences in it, is actually applicable to any of several other communities.

Example: I work in aviation, a tight-knit community of dedicated professionals (and some yahoos). Some of the finest people I know are those I've met in the industry.

Same could be said for my church, my past classmates, etc.

What I'm getting at here is that the world is full of good people, and it's important to focus on that from time to time because we really don't get that much time here to truly relish it.

I'm glad to be part of the watch collecting community, and I'm glad that you've had a positive aggregate of experiences in it.

Thanks for helping to restore my faith in good people with your post!

In a world that seems to rejoice in put-downs, shock/horror stories and general negativity, it is good to see someone drawing attention to the underlying good qualities of most people, and watch collectors in particular. My experience over forty years of collecting is much the same, with very few regrets. If anything, my regrets are about the good watches I let go. Whatever reasons I had for parting with some of them are long forgotten, but the watches themselves are firmly fixed in my memory.

Despite the very occasional political sniping and grumpiness that @64Wing mentions, I really enjoy this forum for the gentlemanly (and occasionally gentlewomanly) conversation and abundant goodwill toward one another that people show here. I also have had good luck with my purchases, even with eBay (except for a Seamaster cosmic that fell apart soon after I received it, but at least the seller was mortified about that!). I can tell that the people here are from a wide range of backgrounds, countries, and belief systems, but we all still keep it very welcoming. Given the political meltdowns happening all over the globe, and movements on all sides of politics which are offering BS excuses to hate someone else, it's nice to have a reminder that it doesn't have to be that way.