Watches you don't wear

Dear OF members,

there are watches and there are watches.
When we hunt for a watch, we sometimes have to wait an eternity (at least it feels like that) until the right watch appears. So not seldom, we get impatient and just buy the best watch that is available at our budget. However, when we buy a watch, the best advice is to look at the three Cs: Condition! Condition! Condition!

But then there are watches also meeting the fourth and fifth C:
Condition! Condition! Condition! Condition! Condition!

Over the years of collecting, many watches crossed my way. Some I was hunting for, some I just liked immediately. And some were just in an incredible well preserved condition, like NOS.
After the purchase, I get my watches serviced in order to wear them. But there are some watches that I really hesitate to wear because I fear to damage them.

For example this Longines Flagship:

I wasn't after this model, but it was offered to me. I have never seen another one in better condition before. The case is razorsharp and I guess it has never been worn or only very very seldom.
So although I like it and usually wear steel as well as gold watches, this one remained in the safe since I got it. I have only put it on the wrist just to make the pics and then stored it away.

Another one is this UG Compax that certainly has been worn.

But the condition of the dial, the hands and the lume is great. It will be hard to find another one in this condition. So although UG is one of my favourite brands, I cannot wear the watch because I always fear to damage it if it is worn.

And finally, this Seamaster with cal. 321.

I was hunting a watch like this quite a long time and heavily wanted one. When I finally got it, I realized that it was most probably never worn having still its original, unworn strap. So although I really wanted that reference, the watch sits in the safe all the time, again just taken out for pics.

Maybe, "Condition! Condition! Condition!" is good, but "Condition! Condition! Condition! Condition! Condition!" not?

Am I mad? Am I the only one?

So what about you? Do you have watches you like very much but that you do not wear because you don't want to take the risk of damage or due to other reasons? If so, do you keep the watches or do you sell them?

That used to be my answer too.

But, if I’m honest, there are watches I’m reluctant to wear, due to their pristine condition. Like you @Oku , these were hard enough to find that would be very reluctant to part with them, even though I don’t wear them.

Two examples that I’ve never worn for more than an hour total 😲


(I have put a better bezel on it, but I don’t have a photo. 🙁)


So, I’m conflicted. I swore I wouldn’t acquire watches that I wouldn’t wear, but I’ve done that.

Maybe therapy would help.

I have two sets of watches... Omegas plus my father's wedding watch and a pink gold Lemania. The other set is rarely worn. A few of them I will keep but I'm hoping to sell the rest.

I certainly understand what you’re feeling.

A collector can certainly enjoy his/her watches by owning and keeping in pristine condition.

if I perhaps came across a pristine version of a favourite or iconic piece, I’d be in the same frame of mind.... but I don’t think I’d have the same discipline and wear them in certain circumstances carefully.

I used to go by the mantra of buying what appealed to me and then keeping a watch if it was in a condition that I knew that I realistically wouldn't be able to find again (at the price I had paid for it - for a modestly paid guy, cost matters). This lead to me having a fairly large collection of watches that I would rarely wear, but I was loath to part ways with. When I later changed my collecting ethos and started focussing on a specific model (Early and uncommon Certina DS variants), I was able to "let some watches go" and now I accumulate project watches instead and I probably have around ten watches at the moment which are in some state of disrepair or are spares watches only.

These are some of the watches that I have parted with:













The watches that have replaced these are largely undocumented - either with movement issues, dials or hands that need reluming or something else.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I have replaced one type of watches I never wore with a different type of watches I never wear. I am now getting work done on a number of those that are in need of it, so hopefully one box will shrink and another grow 😀

That's what I do. I buy what I like with the intention to wear it. And I wear most of the my watches with the exception of the few in like new condition.
By the way, you both have great watches! I still wonder how difficult it will be to part with some of my watches.
Because:
That's my concern. WiIl I regret selling?

I also have a classic car and I drive it whenever the weather is fine. It is strange but it is a different thing for me. The car will suffer when it is not used. The watch won't until it is used.

Ooooh, bad idea. I already have too many watches...

I bought a sports car a few years ago that I lusted for many years. I drive it every day. But I also respect those you build a collection of cars and keep in the garage. They take pride in owning them.
I buy watches that I like, and I have a modest number of expensive watches. I wear them. But I also respect those who want to build a collection.
The question is what will you do with your collection? Will you put them on display somewhere to share with people? Or keep them locked up?

As I get older, I wear and use my possessions that give me pleasure. I don't think anyone on their death bed has said "I wish I had driven that car less" or "I wish I had worn that watch less and kept it in better condition". F--- it: wear them all!

I wish I had the funds to buy the best vintage watches available and 1 thing that I would guarantee is that they would be worn and enjoyed without fear.

I can't wear pretty much any Omega - they are all too beautiful

It doesn't mean I don't enjoy them tho, they are like collectables

It's funny--I'm sure everyone who's bought more than 1 watch has had to reckon with this. I still happen onto watches that are more valuable than I'm comfortable wearing, but everyone needs to find their own threshold on that. I personally won't wear more than $2k on my wrist; the watch can be *worth* more than that, but I can't have paid more than that. Past that, everyone just makes up their own systems and tries to argue its coherency, but it's all just rhetoric+semantics (for instance: I personally don't think watches ought to be in museums, but I don't like museums, so.).

I couldn’t bring myself to wear most of the watches posted earlier.

my personal approach is to go for the watches which are in sharp, untouched condition but already show minor signs of wear. That combined with a rotation means I don’t have to worry too much about putting the first scratch on something.

ofc things being what they are now, I almost exclusively wear my swatch mickey mouse outside the house

This topic is definitely part of the collecting journey and no doubt there will be as many different opinions as people participating in this conversation.

My personal opinion on watches I don't wear changed several times during the last decade of collecting.

I went from :

- I am happy to own a couple of pieces, I will wear the hell out of them all.

to

- Found that rare bird, happy to own it but I don't wear it as if I damage it, I won't find another one. Wear the hell out of the rest.



to

- I am wearing everything except that not really rare but expensive one because I cannot afford a 5k scratch.



to

- This is a NOS 35 years old full set, I don't want be the one who unNOSes it 😵‍💫. Got enough to wear, it is okay to keep this one for the sake of collecting.



to

- Why the hell would I keep a watch sitting in my bank safe? Sell it, buy something to wear, enjoy !



to

- It's uncommon, it's in a great condition, it's got the tag, papers, box, sales ticket, provenance... damn, it's got everything !! I need it in my collection. If I let this go, I will certainly never ever find one that ticks all the boxes again. Got enough to wear, let's keep this one in the dark.



to

- Actually collection goes split in 3 categories :

a) watches I'll never ever find again if I damage them or let them go. They enjoy the dark and I enjoy knowing I have a solid core with real collector items.
b) watches that are rather rare (specific ref or common ref but collector condition) that I do wear, but with attention and on special occasions
c) watches that give me joy and I wear the hell out of them