I think it's a very interesting topic. For various reasons I've become very interested in and reading a lot of psychology and philosophy the past bunch of years. That book Dan posted looks very interesting. I'll probably pick that up. I think collecting can definitely stray into hoarding/unhealthy obsession territory and there are various tendencies of the human condition that play into it. The thing I try to be mindful of is I've been working to adopt ideas like non-identification and non-attachment in my daily life. There aren't many things more materialistic than an expensive luxury watch (I understand most collectors are into vintage and history not luxury and status). Most of my watches primarily have sentimental value so I find myself being quite attached to them. I try to be okay with the idea that if I had to give them all away today it would be no problem for me.
I'm not a collector. I've just accumulated a handful of watches over the years. The end-goal I had in mind was around a 3 watch rotation of robust modern watches because I like to wear the hell out of them and not worry too much about them. Hanging out here has started to change that a bit. Also, I've just acquired a couple more vintage watches that are just super cool. The things that got my into watches in the first place is learning about the history and engineering. I like learning how things work and these tiny intricate machines are beautiful works of art and engineering. Bonus, you can wear them around and admire them all day, everyday! I also like researching and learning about the history of horology and timepieces. That's the fun of it for me.
I like some of the points above about how it can bring people together. This community is a good example. Another thing extremely fresh on my mind is the potential to share that enjoyment with others. The thing that really got me deep into watches was my grandfather in-law (Opa) gave me a complicated watch out of the blue. Trying to figure out what the hell that thing was brought me down the rabbit hole. Opa started it all for me. Opa just passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 93. He still had about 50 watches and all of his children and grandchildren got a watch or two, including myself. Everyone in the family has a direct reminder of Opa they can wear around and see every day. I think that is awesome. I'm doing my best to pass my love of watches to my kids. One day, they'll get Opa's watches. That's multiple generations of watch lovers all because Opa was a collector and freely shared his watches and passion.
Looking at Opa's collection definitely gave me a bit more of the vintage bug. There is time for me to become a "collector" yet. Thanks for reading my rambling if you've made it this far. Have a great day all! -Alex
