What Mistakes Did You Make As A Novice Collector? What Did You Do Right?

cakey007 · Nov 1, 2023

As with most folk, I’m sure there are plenty more but three that stick to mind are :-
Buying a Breiting 809 cosmonaute and not realising it had a 24 hour hand before the seller told me- it was an eBay buy but condition was extremely nice.
Selling an Omega Speedmaster- should always have at least one. Cost me twice as much to rectify that wrong and won’t happen again.
Concern moving my brother to buy an effectively new Omega Speedmaster Apollo 35th anniversary for £2750 and opting for a Rolex Sub one hungover morning- he did very well when he sold it recently- me not so much and I preferred the Omega .

Wryfox · Nov 1, 2023

#1: What I though was wrong but was actually right: Buy what you will wear. I obsessed over finding good investments and good deals over wearability. Consequently I have many watches that just don't fit me, so I don't wear them. Nice to look at though, but so what?
MORAL: LEARN WHAT MEASUREMENTS FIT YOU. Band width, lug length, case size, actuators, crown size/shape. Got to walmart and try on a bunch of gaudy cheap watches, focusing on the fit and WHY it fits well. Wear clothes you usually wear, including a sweater(which I find to be worst case in terms of watches 'fitting' and wearing properly). You won't like that fat chrono so much if its catching on every shirt & sweater cuff and pants pocket.

#2: Buy what you LOVE, not just like. My drawer is full of watches that look 'nice'. The watches I wear regularly are the watches I LOVE to wear. I have 65 watches. I wear only 5 of them regularly.
MORAL: LOVE vs LIKE. It matters.....

Bernhard J · Dec 29, 2023

Right: among others, Rolex 16710 Pepsi, bought for 2900 €, 20 years ago. Back then I thought this is expensive, but look at asking prices today.

Wrong: I forgot, of course ... 😁

ttt2k · Dec 29, 2023

Wrong: Bought the wrong watch size for my wrist. Was a bit too large and although I loved the watches themselves in the end, I sold them at a loss and reevaluated what works best for me.

Right: I did purchase watches that I truly enjoyed wearing not based on an investment and enjoyed every minute (no pun intended) I wore them. I also realized that I enjoy the history of a piece and so the journey down the rabbit hole of vintage watches began. I've also realized that much better to save up for the piece that you really want in the end it might take longer but you will enjoy it and want to wear it for years to come.

SydR · Dec 29, 2023

Wrong: Bought a couple of vintage watches without appreciating their smaller size. Fortunately was able to shift them quickly with little or no loss. Bought a Rolex 114060 (bought from an AD after a 2 month wait) without ever having seen that model in the flesh, and never bonded with it.

Right: Bought a Patek backwinder Calatrava, at a good price, that needed work. Sent it off to Patek for service and wore it to a few special events, then sold it for way in excess of what it owed me. Sold the Rolex 114060 after 4 years and replaced it with the 16610 which I enjoy so much better.

Taddyangle · Dec 31, 2023

Wrong: trying multiple times convincing myself the the blue dial Planet Ocean is comfortable on my wrist. I have since given up hope that Omega will produce a blue dial Planet Ocean that is wearable for me.

Right: Accidentally buying a 3572.50 with tritium. I bought 12+ years ago and really wanted the sapphire case back. Back then , I had no idea there was a tritium version and a luminous version. I still own this watch.

Somewhere in between: taking on the challenge of a project watch. Time drain and money drain. A mix of right and wrong. Won't do it again, but love the results. Project Ploprof. 8+ years ago took a chance buying a Ploprof that was converted to wear on right hand and had super luminous hands. Fortunately the extract confirmed movement. Had luminous hands "aged" to match dial. Still own this watch.

flw · Dec 31, 2023

Wrong: Waiting too long to buy a Speedmaster. Passing up a chance to buy a Planet Ocean Liquidmetal LE at a reasonable price. Going initially for the popular stuff and not taking sufficient time to think carefully about what I would really want over the long run.

Right: Getting my wife interested in the hobby and getting her a couple of nice watches too. Recognizing that my tastes evolve over time, and being willing to sell some pieces to acquire others I prefer. Two cases in point: I sold my SM300 Master Co-axial, which I owned and enjoyed for seven years, to make room for the SM300 Trilogy. I also got tired of the cyclops lens on my Submariner Date, which just started looking like a wart after a long while, and replaced it with a 114060. I used to insist that I needed a date function, but now I have only one watch I wear regularly that has it ... most of the watches in my daily rotation are time-only.

STANDY · Dec 31, 2023

Funny as I chat to a few mates on Instagram that are teetering into watches and they are happily still in the wrongs many have written about here.

Sometimes your wrongs lead to your rights.

With so much social media nowadays the new watches and brands these guys uncover is keeping me on my toes keeping up with their latest want list.

What Mistakes Did You Make As A Novice Collector? What Did You Do Right?

cakey007

Wryfox

Bernhard J

ttt2k

SydR

Taddyangle

flw

STANDY

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