What is / would be your One Watch Collection?

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First thought: I had "one watch" for something like the first forty-five years of my life.

Second thought: just think of the time spent over the last twenty-three years fiddling about with multiple watches, buying, selling, researching, forum activity: all time that I'll never get back.

Third thought: If I sell everything in a controlled and planned manner I should get most of my money back whereas if I die with my boots on and it falls to my heirs to dispose of all these watches there's no telling how much they'll get back.

Fourth thought: If I go slowly gaga I should plan on having one watch, a watch that'll take care of itself, no require winding, not require the date to be flipped over when there aren't 31 days in the month. On the other hand would I even know or care at that point?

Conclusion: it's all about now and I'm not going to put myself through the angst of choosing one watch to rule them all. Unless it's my Seamaster Regatta Chrono.
 
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If it's the right watch, it might...

By definition it cannot. It’s one watch, not a collection of watches.

You can certainly live with one watch, but that’s not a collection.
 
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I would have hard time choosing from these 3, but i guess one of these, depending on circumstanses and mood.



From aesthetical point of view it would have to be the Speedy.
From functional point of view the Seamaster.
And from wearing comfort the Explorer.
Go figure...
Edited:
 
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By definition it cannot. It’s one watch, not a collection of watches.

You can certainly live with one watch, but that’s not a collection.
We all understand the definition of the word "collection." We don't need a useless semantics lesson. I'm not sure what you think you are contributing in any positive way.
 
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Not possible for me, I enjoy variety
I'm the same way. But still I sometimes wish I could do it.

I would go back to my old faithful- been with me 20 years, my first nice watch and daily for over a decade in semi-annual rotation with a Speedy.



It gets little wrist time these days as I have so many choices, but it has been to the farthest reaches of the US and subjected to some of the most extreme conditions, and never missed a beat. It’s basically an extension of me.
Great choice! Sometimes I wish I still had my Submariner that I took all over the world with me. None of my watches have significant sentimentality to me, so I'm going purely on love of the design/function.
 
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We all understand the definition of the word "collection." We don't need a useless semantics lesson. I'm not sure what you think you are contributing in any positive way.

Fair enough, and point taken. To answer your original question, no i could never be a one watch guy. 3 is my minimum.
 
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First thought: I had "one watch" for something like the first forty-five years of my life.

Second thought: just think of the time spent over the last twenty-three years fiddling about with multiple watches, buying, selling, researching, forum activity: all time that I'll never get back.

Third thought: If I sell everything in a controlled and planned manner I should get most of my money back whereas if I die with my boots on and it falls to my heirs to dispose of all these watches there's no telling how much they'll get back.

Fourth thought: If I go slowly gaga I should plan on having one watch, a watch that'll take care of itself, no require winding, not require the date to be flipped over when there aren't 31 days in the month. On the other hand would I even know or care at that point?

Conclusion: it's all about now and I'm not going to put myself through the angst of choosing one watch to rule them all. Unless it's my Seamaster Regatta Chrono.
Those are some serious thoughts!

Your second thought is a reality for me (and I suspect many others). Lots of us enjoy "the hunt," but we should also acknowledge how much time it eats up. Are we spending more time on the hunt than we are enjoying the watches we already have?
 
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Fair enough, and point taken. To answer your original question, no i could never be a one watch guy. 3 is my minimum.
I can see that. I don't think I could realistically get down below 3, either.

Do you know what those 3 would be for you?
 
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I would have hard time choosing from these 3, but i guess one of these, depending on circumstanses and mood.



From aesthetical point of view it would have to be the Speedy.
From functional point of view the Seamaster.
And from wearing comfort the Explorer.
Go figure...
Those are 3 great ones! I can see why you'd have difficulty choosing.
 
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I can see that. I don't think I could realistically get down below 3, either.

Do you know what those 3 would be for you?

If I never bought another watch, I would be very happy with my PO 8900, Seamaster 300MC, and the Aqua Terra 8500 in 38.5.

I would replace the 300 with a CK2913 in the dream scenario though.
 
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If I never bought another watch, I would be very happy with my PO 8900, Seamaster 300MC, and the Aqua Terra 8500 in 38.5.

I would replace the 300 with a CK2913 in the dream scenario though.
Those are beautiful. They are also surprisingly close to my 3 piece:

 
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…so I'm going purely on love of the design/function.
I am too. When I bought my GMT, I had a Swiss Army watch, a Gruen bumper and an antique Elgin conversion. The GMT became the most practical watch I owned (well, the Swiss army was incredibly dependable). It was sporty enough for jeans and short sleeve short, dressy and slim enough for office attire (not a suit of course), pretty indestructible (I took many spills down mountain ravines, creeks and culverts with it), and the GMT function was handy fir travel. If I was going for one watch that could suit my lifestyle- that was it. Of course variety is the spice of life, but to answer your original question- yes, the Rolex GMT is about as practical as it gets for people who travel and work outdoors in fairly extreme conditions. Unfortunately, the current market prices preclude most who would wear them for their utility- I doubt many newer GMT’s see more outdoor activity than the country club.
 
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It would be something like this for me. I have hankered after a 1016 but the value of such a watch would inhibit the enjoyment of wearing it for me. I often consider selling my modest collection and cashing in for one of the above but haven't yet been able to bring myself to do it. What I will say is that due to my job I often leave home for a week or so at a time and take one watch with me. Its usually a modern watch with a level of water resistance on a stainless steel bracelet, 38mm or under. I never pine for my other watches when away. Maybe I could become a one watch fella after all.
 
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And my Uncle John's 992B pocket watch that got me into this hobby when I used to sit in his lap as a 3-4 year old and he would help me wind it and I could handle it.......a bit.


 
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And my Uncle John's 992B pocket watch that got me into this hobby when I used to sit in his lap as a 3-4 year old and he would help me wind it and I could handle it.......a bit.


Those old USA - made Hamilton pocket watches are incredible. That one looks in amazing condition.
 
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I finally picked up a speedy earlier this year. It gets about 90% of the wrist time right now.

 
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I finally picked up a speedy earlier this year. It gets about 90% of the wrist time right now.

Sweet. Could you live with this one as your only watch?
 
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If for whatever reason that was the reality. Of the watches I currently have...
This one:

Or this one:
Maybe. But only maybe, this one.

let's hope it doesn't come to that.

have fun
kfw