The Dark Side Of Watch Collecting No One Talks About 

In my 20's I worked for a few high end jewelers (including a Rolex & Patek AD) before going back to grad school. I always felt really guilty selling to certain clients who would feel like they had to take awful financing terms to buy something they clearly couldn't afford. I hated being in that position. Sparkly rocks and shiny metal aren't worth setting yourself up for failure. If you fiancée won't marry you when you're broke you shouldn't marry her. If people in your life judge you by your watch, they aren't a friend or ally.

Major respect for you, Teddy. Thank you for always showing the human side of it.

Isolation leads to addiction, speaking experience, going out and making friends helped me out a ton, even if they're watch-obsessed individuals like myself 😂

I bought my "holy grail" watch almost 2 years ago. I'm basically done. We all have to learn to enjoy our collection!!

This is the type of content that differentiates you from the average watch channels Teddy, thank you for this reality check and keep it up.

So much respect Teddy for posting such a video. Not a lot of people would be honest enough to post something like this. You’re in a league of your own in appreciating all aspects of watch making and collecting covering all budgets. Your integrity is really why I love your opinion these last few years. I hope you continue to share your passion and knowledge of watches with the world.

Well said, Teddy! The battle is real. It’s all about keeping things in the proper perspective. Buy what you like and can comfortably afford.

Well done teddy. This is important. It’s amazing how normal people turn into spending monsters when it comes to watches. Myself included. For me, an impulse purchase is the main one to avoid.

As someone who has bought 6 watches in less than 6 months, this is the advice and reality check that I needed to hear. Thanks, Teddy 🙂

This is a great illustration of the kind of guy Teddy is. Well done, sir.

Wise words. Since I got back into watches two years ago, Teddy is in my opinion, one of the best on RU-vid, and it doesn’t surprise me that he is strong enough to make these points.

Teddy, your store and your approach goes a long way towards pushing back against the problem. By offering and reviewing inexpensive watches you make the point that our obsession does not have to be at the expense of our livelihood. Thank you for that.

Such an important topic that's not talked about enough. Before I became financially responsible, this was me when it came to buying watches. It was one of Teddy's videos a few years back where he was talking about not going into debt to collect watches. That advice seriously changed my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but if you're a watch enthusiast, you know where I'm coming from. Thanks Teddy. The watch community is lucky to have you.

love this video Teddy, exactly what I needed. Been looking at an expensive watch that I can't afford at the moment, so going to save up and invest the money instead and then when I complete that major goal (graduating university) I'm going to buy that watch. Really helpful, thank you.

Well said Teddy. There are some watches that I know I will never own, but that I can simply enjoy from a non-owner perspective. There are much harder things in life to make peace with.

Perfect timing... I just purchased my first "expensive" watch from you 😂.... Longiness Hydroconquest But I did it responsibly and base on your thought process everything was in check for me. THANK YOU for creating this honest video, I know it was hard but this exactly what we need to hear. It's not only for watches, it's for fragances, clothes, shoes, or anything else. Very valuable advice.

Sir, you have garnered my complete respect! This is not a message I would expect coming from a watch dealer. Thank you Teddy for being forthright in being responsible and not being taken up in the frenzy, and guarding ourselves from excess and the desire to fit and be accepted by fellow watch enthusiasts. You have earned my complete respect, and my business! You’re a good man, Teddy!

Thank you for being a responsible watch influencer and address this hot topic. Once I was selling a 4 digit luxury piece to a young man, as soon as I heard he's a college freshmen and need to take a personal loan to cover the cost, I kindly declined.

Started RU-vid right on time :D

Brotha you spoke the truth and as a person who is now getting into the higher end Watches I appreciate you being real.

Unconditional respect for you Teddy, this is such an underrated important issue that we don't discuss and not in the context of just the journey of watch collection but also for the things like shoes, jewelleries, bikes, cars, or anything that can be deemed as collectables. As being the loving and appreciative individuals towards our dearest ones in life, the joy of having a grail of a timepiece is no where near comparable to having a great time with your loved ones even for a moment.

Yeah I have a watch collection of 2: a 10 year old casio Gshock that I wear to the office (warehouse) and a nice Bulova mechanical that I wear out. I will continue to live vicariously through you...

I love the message of this video. Fiscal responsibility may not sexy or fun, but an unhealthy financial relationship with a hobby will make it much more likely that you need to abandon a hobby due to the hardship it causes. That un-sexy fiscal responsibility will make it easier to enjoy watches, or microphones, or movies for our entire live. Great work Teddy.

Really good topic for those starting out in watch buying.

As somebody who is just getting into collecting watches this is great advice. I started out wanting a Rolex but did some research and decided my first high end watch will be a GS Skyflake. Rolex will be a 2024 or 2025 purchase. In the meantime it is hard not to just impulse buy cheaper watches and jump in two feet first. I did just purchase a Seiko Presage SRPB77 from your website as I collect funds and find the right time to purchase the GS Skyflake. You are running a nice discount on the watch right now. But I find these sub 1000 dollar watches hard not to hoard because they are all so affordable and nice looking for the money. But hoarding them would prevent me from ever getting the Skyflake or Rolex and just fill a box full of watches I never wear and mean nothing to me.

Totally agree. I have my key watches that are worn all the time. I had an affordable collection that was massive and when I sold it all to reduce my clutter I lost a lot of money and that when it hurt. Keeping my collection small with ones I love has kept me happy and sane

You have my absolute respect for deciding to talk about a topic like this.

"A watch should be an extension of a life well lived". That is a well said, simple truth.

Hey Teddy. I feel like over the years you have talked about the ethics and responsibilities around this hobby. I've really appreciated that about your content, and it is why I've followed you. Thanks for being thoughtful and contextualizing our hobby.

Never borrow money to buy a watch!

A good subject to adress.I went on the watch journey from buying Stauer watches advertised in magazines to complicated JLCs.I realized each rung up the ladder did not bring a corresponding level of enjoyment.In fact the greatest rush I ever experienced in watch collecting was strapping on my first Swiss watch,a Tissot Visodate.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have experienced both sides of the watch equation as a consumer and as a dealer/accessory manufacturer. It gave me an emotional perspective that few can say they’ve experienced. Having said this, my respect for you continues to grow the more I follow your channel. Teddy; you’re truly a class act and a credit to the industry. Keep up the great work!

The eloquence of Teddy in talking about such a topic is really polished and clear. Great job!

Your honesty, politeness and integrity deserve appraisal. Kept up the great job, Teddy!

Teddy correctly iterates that you should only buy what you can afford. There is one other dark side to watch collecting : investors have come into the market to buy watches at profit to themselves and making many pieces unavailable and over list price. This is a relatively new byproduct from the easy money during the pandemic. I saw a video from another channel where an investor bought over $1 million of Rolex to hold and never wear with the intent of selling in 20 years from now! Karma would be if the S&P index will out perform his investment in Rolex!

This subject applies to everything in life. More people should talk about this.

I really do appreciate you posting this, Teddy. I've done far too much sprinting (though never in a way that caused financial hardship) and recently developed some bumpers similar to what you outlined in the video. It'll be a slower journey from here. Your moderating voice has helped me stay grounded as I've gotten into this incredibly fun hobby.

Teddy, I appreciate this effort that you made in presenting the reality of today's culture of instant gratification. RU-vid, TikTok and IG simply push false images of success and folks fall into the trap that having those pieces will bring joy. Very often, it simply means the very opposite when they struggle instead to find a watch that brings real satisfaction.

Teddy, this is TO THE POINT! ❤ I am going to save this video as my favorite.

Good on you for posting this, Teddy!

This is an interesting timing, because today I bought my first over $3k watch after weeks of researching and thinking and going back to research again. It really takes effort to find the right watch, find something you love and can effort without getting into financial hardship. I'm watching this video now and it completes what I've been thinking and glad to be on the right path in this journey 🥳 One thing I can definitely recommend to fellow watch enthusiasts, always keep an eye on the second hand market. You can develop skills to find out if something is fishy about a watch and shop only from trusted sites/vendors. I found my Tudor BB 58 in a local watch store as a used watch. It was super clean and only 5 months old. It had the papers, cross-checked the serial number and did other authenticity checks. I got it 18% less than retail. Always be patient and you will find a good deal. Good luck!

Well done Teddy. Good topic and sensible observations and advice.

I've fallen out of the line a few times. With a collection of 150... with more in boxes waiting to sell on ebay that I don't count as part of the collection... definitely been times I made poor decisions. Luckily, it's never set me or the family back or cost us anything we needed. However, there has been plenty of times I felt tight for no reason other than I bought too many watches I can't even wear... Seeing your video was refreshing. Very admirable.

Well said, collecting can become addicting and tuff to say NO. I have a watch savings account, That works best for me. Like you said, watch collecting is a life time adventure. Don't compare your collection to others we are all in a different place but in the same conversation ....

The gatekeeping and elitist attitudes can be detrimental - and can lead to unnecessary peer pressure to stretch one's budget - but I think a key element when it comes to spending is: keep an eye on that steep drop in diminishing returns when it comes to watch prices. This is true in a lot of luxury/enthusiast markets (including electronics and fitness equipment, which I unfortunately have all too much experience in as well.) If you're looking at a $500 watch and decide to see what doubling your budget will get, the difference in quality between a $500 and $1000 watch can be extraordinary. Take that to the next step, however - comparing $1k and $2k watches, and you often won't see nearly the same difference. With that price difference, it usually comes down to nicer finishing and maybe a nicer bracelet (heck a lot of $1k and $2k watches carry near-identical movements.) Bottom line: when you start to think about increasing your budget, take the time to really examine what each additional dollar is buying you.

Respects to you Teddy. Not a lot think they have the moral responsibility to address this issue, and to hear it from you whose business revolves around watches is really encouraging.

Great message! This has to be reminded once in a while to the masses.

I really appreciate the transparency Teddy! It keeps you and this hobby down to earth when oftentimes, it feels really superficial and materialistic. Nobody should go into debt for a watch. Also, don't be ashamed of your collection. Everyone has to start somewhere. Appreciate with what you got because watches are an extension to one's personality and lifestyle. You don't need a certain watch or watches to be in the club.

Something I have been thinking about a lot recently Teddy. So glad you made this video. I have an $18,000 watch collection paid for with cash that I can well afford, but I still feel guilty about having so many sometimes. I am definitely going to hit the pause button on spending anymore money on watches and just enjoy the things I have instead of trying to find “the perfect watch”.

A very interesting topic and thanks for doing a video about it, Teddy! I started on the slippery slope of watch collecting in 2015 with low-key watches and ended up going higher and higher up the chain towards the luxury end of the market. Now, I was VERY fortunate to have had a salary that permitted me to buy watches without compromising (too much) elsewhere. Oddly enough, my life has now changed a huge amount after I quit my well-paid job last November and moved off-grid where I am doing up a house I bought. I'm now able to FUND that renovation in no small part by selling off those watches that I was able to wisely collect and take care of. As someone who finds it impossible to save money, I had a (frankly silly) amount of money tied up in watches and now that I no longer "need" those watches with my life having changed so much, I'm able to sell them without remorse, and put the funds towards what is important to me now. If I wouldn't have started collecting watches I wouldn't have saved anything CLOSE to the amount that is stored in them now and they form a (admittedly finite) source of additional funds now that I am letting them go. But this is my experience and vastly different to what many others will have gone through :)

This is a great video! I'm glad you made and released it.

Thanks for this Teddy. I always come here for your content because it is accessible and so well produced, but most of all it’s because there is a genuineness that I don’t see on other watch channels. And this video just exemplifies it.

If we own more than 5 watches, we can consider ourselves as watch collectors so, from that point on, one should start drawing a collection plan based on introspection, personal preferences and more importantly, monthly budget to spend. Having a plan like this will take all out remorses and give us the joy of knowing our planned collection is going in the right direction.

Teddy, seeing this video shows you are something very rarely found: An honest salesman!

Well done. Courageous and honest.

Appreciate you talking about this! It deserves respect!!

Have been collecting for over 20 years and have 30 watches in my collection. I follow the 10 and 1 rule. My watch collection and luxury goods should never go above 10% of net worth. Annual net purchase should never go above 1% of net worth. Hope this helps.

Teddy, this isn't the first time you've broached this subject. You have brought up a taboo topic in the hobby world in general, and it's about time it was discussed at length. I went off the deep end with another hobby, several years ago. Ever since then I have exercised restraint exactly as you put it. My watches are mostly cheap vintage Swatches in absurd colours and Casios. The only expensive watch in my collection is a Rado Diastar because I love that shape, and that's it. If acceptance in your community means that you need to bankrupt yourself in the process, then you can do without that toxicity.

Great video , your perspective is spot on

Very well said!!! Its always good to have a reminder. Thanks Teddy!!! Kudos!!!

Thank you so much for this video Teddy! This isn't just something with watches but I've noticed this is the case with any 'hobby' that is really just based on consumerism. A lot of people may start out because it's something that intrigues them and is a way to learn about something they didn't previously know enough about but very quickly these types of 'hobbies' can turn into addictions/retail therapy where the hobbyist begins to pursue the dopamine release of acquiring a new piece. The high only lasts a few days and then they want to experience that rush of getting a new piece all over again. It's really unhealthy and very destructive. Loads of respect to you for talking about this even though you're a watch dealer yourself. Also I'm guessing Teddy listens to Dave Ramsay since he used that set fire to it analogy 😂

Just because you can buy a watch doesn't mean you can afford it. So far I've only purchased one watch after months of research, and I haven't experienced the urge to buy more watches yet but we'll see where it goes in a few months. Which reminds me, Teddy your customer service team is incredible. They're very knowledgeable, and super patient with me being a first time watch buyer. My first watch arrived a week ago and thanks to you team I found a good starter watch in the Tissot PRX Powermatic Ice Blue. Thanks for all the hard work you and your team have put into watches!

Great video Teddy! Keep it up ❤

It speaks volumes that you're so invested in our well-being and that you put that above business! Thanks for that, and thanks for sharing your insights. Keep up the good work, Teddy!

This is a topic that is discussed too little. For me personally: I like a lot of watches that i "could afford" but then i couldnt safe money for a couple of month or would have to downgrade on vacations. Its hard to say no to something that you really like but KNOW, that logically it has to be low on your list of purchase prioritys.

This is why I think Casio is GOD tier of watches. You don't have to break the bank to have great watches. Also they aren't thief targets. The more expensive the watch the more security is needed to protect them from theft.

So true. I know someone who spent 10k on a rolex, when he still had 30k in student loan debt and barely any furniture in his apartment. Its wild.

This was very classy of you, Teddy. It's a discussion that needs to be had, rather than just joked about. Well done.

Your advice applies to all kinds of addictions. You are always passionate, knowledgeable and entertaining about watches but you are also a most humane man.

FANTASTIC video! This needed to be said and you have a large audience, so good for you for making this video!

Great video, thanks for this. It is an important point and something we all need to be reminded of ever now and then.

Great video on a topic that no one really ever addresses. Everyone's collecting journey is unique and it's hard to lay down rules about it that would apply to all collectors - but these are all great thoughts. Always appreciate the content, Teddy. Thanks for sharing!

This was an absolutely refreshing change to most of the watch videos we consume on YT, well done!

Love every single thing you said. Great thought process. Everyone needs to hear such things.

Kudos on this Teddy!!!!

Your honesty and grounded consideration of this wonderful and amazing world of watches, and crazy prices, is what makes you different and the reason wy I follow your content more than any other watch related channel. As a student in love with watches I've just discovered that what truly amazes me is watch mechanics, so I decided to get a starter tool kit for my birthday and some broken movements to get started. I already have a favourite whatch though, I hope I can afford it the day I graduate 😌

Great video Teddy! Message perfectly delivered

Best watch video I’ve seen in ages. Great perspective and context. Thank you.

A good input and reminder Teddy!

Teddy, this video sets you apart from the rest. You made some very important points and you did it so honestly and eloquently. This applies to everything in life, not just watches. Thank you for this video.

Well said. I’m glad you made this video, it’s a good reminder to keep watch enthusiasm in context.

Great video Teddy. Well done! 👍🏻👍🏻

Great point Of view teddy!

appreciate these insights, thank you Teddy!

Great Video Teddy. This was a great topic. My collection took me 15years!

This is an outstanding episode, Teddy. So much said that needs to be said - and said so very well, gently and respectfully. Thank you for telling it like it is. A great reminder to many of us and a great heads-up to others.

I don't think many people in any retail sector would have the decency to share sometbing like this about the risks of overspending. My positive impression of you grows with each video! What a great guy!

This really helped me! Thanks for you honesty

Thank you for making this video... I really needed to hear it. I really needed to hear it a couple weeks ago, but better late than never.

Thank you for making this video. People often don’t stop to consider their deeper motivations for collecting watches.

Excellent advice. Thanks!

Teddy, thank you for having the courage to make this video. It is the best watch video I have ever viewed. You put things into perspective. As is said with motorcycles and guitars, the perfect number to have in your collection is always “one more.” One needs to find happiness in-and be grateful for-what one has. Thanks, again!

Very good advice Teddy. Definitely an important subject to cover regarding sometimes can be an addiction 🤔

I love it when you wax philosophical. Teddy. Indeed, I think the most interesting conversations around watches happen only when they branch into deeper questions about life and the meaning of our time here! Well done.

Incredibly well said Teddy. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Great job, Teddy. Thank you!

Well put Teddy, as always your content is on point. Bravo👍

Important reminders. Thanks!

great sound advice Teddy. Well said!!

Well said, great video