Your collections as an inheritance.

Canuck

I really don’t know how many watches I have. Shortly after I count them, I acquire more, and so it goes. But I question what will likely happen to my collection when I bite the dust. If my wife survives me, she will have the same question of what to do with them as I have. I count my lucky stars I won’t be around to see what our son is does with the collection! He has little interest in them! He told me recently that upon my parting this mortal coil, my Hamilton model 21 marine chronometer and my model 22 chronometer (for example) will be donated to our local Naval museum, probably immediately after my celebration of life! As to the rest of 125 +, I fully expect they will be liquidated when the first guy with a cheque book happens by.

What about the rest of you? Concerns? What do you plan to do? Will they be willed to someone who will appreciate them? The bigger the collection, the bigger the problem, as I see it.

Canuck

I really don’t know how many watches I have. Shortly after I count them, I acquire more, and so it goes. But I question what will likely happen to my collection when I bite the dust. If my wife survives me, she will have the same question of what to do with them as I have. I count my lucky stars I won’t be around to see what our son is does with the collection! He has little interest in them! He told me recently that upon my parting this mortal coil, my Hamilton model 21 marine chronometer and my model 22 chronometer (for example) will be donated to our local Naval museum, probably immediately after my celebration of life! As to the rest of 125 +, I fully expect they will be liquidated when the first guy with a cheque book happens by.

What about the rest of you? Concerns? What do you plan to do? Will they be willed to someone who will appreciate them? The bigger the collection, the bigger the problem, as I see it.

A AlanTexas

This is a very old thread, but I like old stuff, given that President Truman and I were around during the same era.

Given my age, my watch collection might need a new home next week (but twenty years from now would be fine).

No one in my family wants a watch or wants to be bothered unloading my watches.

SOLUTION: I am giving them away now. If someone shows interest in one of my watches, I offer them that watch or a similar one. Any quartz watch that is not getting wrist time goes to Goodwill.

Automatic watches are a problem because the staff at Goodwill don't have the experience to explain to customers how they work. Some pawn shops have Rolex and Omega watches and experienced staff. I am hoping that at such a shop, I can trade a boatload of my cheaper automatics for a nice older Swiss automatic.

CBM1590

Welcome aboard!

Tayne

My father was a clock restorer and dealer, evenings and weekends during his working life and it then became his second career for 10 years or so after retirement.
He had a house full of antique clocks, 70 full specimens, numerous parts pieces and a room full of parts stock (plus all the antique furniture).
However he no interest in watches and didn't engage with me about mine no matter how hard I tried.

At the age of 75, after a year or two of going downhill, the dementia and parkinsons kicked in.
He couldn't walk, didnt know where he was and would tell you a very different story of what happened yesterday.
My sister and I had to finance his care and look after his estate.
We got his phone book (paper only) and made some calls.
Most of the people in the book were dead or long since retired.
One chap was helpful but didn't want to buy anything, he agreed to come round and advise.
I don't think I'd seen him since I was 10 years old (and I thought he was old then), from his chat I deduced him to be a good 15 years older than my father, even if he was in better shape.

We ended up with a choice of two buyers, one was an auctioneer who wanted to charge us a fee to remove and catalogue with an expected (but not guaranteed) end number and the other was an antiques dealer who offered to clear the entire house for a number double that of the auctioneer's estimate. We went with the dealer.
Once emptied, we sold the house and put the money in a fund to care for my father.

Whilst he was in the nursing home, he decided he needed a watch.
With some guidance (it was during covid) my sister bought him a £30 Sekonda, he was very happy with it.
Until he decided it was broken and needed stripped down "to have new legs fitted".
I took it, cleaned it and fitted a new strap. Harmony was restored.
Its quartz, has a gold case and roman numerals and is the last watch I'd buy.
Becuase it was his, because I wore it to his funeral, its the last watch I'd sell and more valuable to me than the Omegas I own.


I'm not sure what the moral of this story is but my advice would be to catlaogue your collection, make note of the special features and give recommendations of where and how to sell.
My father did say he would do this several times over the years but he didn't get around to it.
Your beneficaries may not want the watch but if you care enough to leave them something at least ensure they won't get done over should they sell the inherited item.