"Buy once, cry once." I like that. When it comes to watches I always say, don't settle for second best. If you want a particular watch, save your money and buy the one you really want. I learned this long time ago, so now I don't waste my money.
Totally....and its a big deal (at least to a man of my means)...to spend the kind of money a decent watch costs...you need to make sure its the one you really want
That’s pretty dumb advice. If I wanted, I could save money for a long long time and I could buy Paul Newman’s Daytona for tens of millions of dollars. That would not be financially smart.
@@vishnupersaud986 Totally irrelevant conclusion. We’re discussing a hobby of watch collecting. If you can save tens of millions of dollars what do you care. Most of us here are just an average watch enthusiasts looking for that special watch we can afford without going broke.
I have found over time, I'm a one watch person. I do switch out to do yard work, etc. Everyday = Glycine Combat Sub 36mm Yardwork, etc. = Hamilton Khaki Mechanical 34mm (circa 2001) I also have a Timex Q 1978 reissue I rarely wear. Nice watch! I have owned Rolexes, Omega, other vintage Hamiltons, Certina, etc. sold them all.
The black bay 54 is the best example of the Instagram watch. I’ve seen it in person and it was almost disappointed because of how much I’ve hyped it up in my head😅
@@matthewjamesmartin I'm 6ft 1 & have a 19cm wrist. The case needs to be fairly chunky to suit my wrist...sure if you're an Oompa Loompa or Peter Crouch, then select something daintier.
The only thing I will disagree with you on is that you cheeped out by buying the Omega with Hesalite crystal. I don't believe you can cheep out by buying an original iconic watch.
Love the buy once cry once model - HOWEVER, on really expensive purchases, (like that Rolex Explorer 2 for example, my ex-favorite watch), sometimes it's worth the extra cash to buy a really cheap knockoff first to make sure you even like wearing a watch that looks like that before you dump a ton of cash on it! I bought the Pagani Design knockoff for 120 bucks (the most recent version) just to make sure I even like wearing the Explorer, and man, the thing is so good I'll probably just keep it and spend the 10k on a different watch! Or just not at all! Anyways, I totally agree with never buying the second best, because if you're gonna spend most of the money regardless, you might as well go all the way - but sometimes it actually pays to buy the cheapest first! If then you find yourself loving the look but wishing you had the real thing, you know it's worth it to buy the real thing! Plus then you'll have a great beater watch when you're done.
Thanks for a thought-provoking video. Buy what makes you happy. It is different for everyone. I have 37 watches in my collection. I have been collecting watches since 1974 and have never sold a single one. I think it is mainly because I buy a watch to celebrate a special event or occasion, and that watch is then part of my life. Each of my watches has a story. I spend much time planning a watch buy and then wait for a suitable occasion. When I do eventually buy a watch, I buy the best I can afford. Last week my wife bought me a Squale 1521 for my 64th birthday and, while it is not a Tudor, it is my Rolex. Yes, I would love a Tudor Pelagos FXD; but, for someone with my income, the price is too high for something that I want to wear while working, swimming, cycling, tinkering on my car, or gardening.
@@jasonwilson7674 Thank you, Jason. If you ask my wife, she will give you all the downsides to this logic: “Keeping photographs is much, much cheaper. Why do you have so many watches? You keep all the boxes and they take up too much space. You can wear only one watch at a time.” etc. 🤪😂
The one key mistake in watch collecting is buying what I call « validation pieces ». Under that category fall the Speedmaster, the Cartier Tank, the Daytona, any Royal Oak, ie Ben Clymer approved models that you think you need to own to be taken seriously in the community. The day you realize these watches are just not « you », flip them and buy this Oris Diver 65 you have been wanting for years, you’ll be an happier person.
Conversely if you buy the “ridiculously expensive” watch (we’ve become desensitised to the astronomical SRPs so that a basic Tudor costing 7 weeks mean net earnings is ‘good value’) all you will think about once you have it is how much it cost and where you have to be careful wearing it eg London. £6.5k for a Speedy Pro 🥴 buy once…buy a safe, buy annual insurance, take out a regular savings account to save up for the servicing cost, cry each time 😉 So, it does indeed depend on your perspective…and how much you make.
You dont need a safe for a 6.5 k watch your wearing, your wearin it when would it be in a safe? If you have multiple "K" watches you do, but than again you'lld have the money for it anyway.
Excellent advice. You’ll eventually forget exactly what you paid for an item. You’ll always remember what you bought because you’ll be reminded every time you use it and enjoy it.
I apply the same logic to all of my purchases. I'm a picky person who pays attention to the details in everything I buy, be it a new car or a bluetooth speaker, and always do my best to decide what do I really want among the options I'm considering, even if that involves deep analysis. As I am a "keeper" I am a faithful defender that the price is soon forgotten but the satisfaction remains. I have a lot of examples of "expensive for me at the time" things that looking back in time I'm thankful that I took the choice of stretching my budget or had the patience to save the extra money and went for them instead of having settled for "second best" or "good to go" alternatives that in the long run would bring remorse.
One of the best watch related videos ever! After 20 years of collecting/obsessing, I can confirm that you speak the truth, in its purest form, no fluff, I love it. You just got yourself a subscriber :)
That's why I went to Cartier to check out the new Santos de Cartier and ended up buying the Santos Dumont with a rose gold bezel and leather strap. It just looked on my wrist in person and I don't regret it.
Another great video. I have found I have lost more money settling and selling at a loss thinking I was getting just as good a watch as I ultimately wanted only to eventually get it in the end. you said it best, Buy once cry once. Keep up the great content!
The hesalite Speedmaster may be cheaper but it’s closer to the OG Speedmaster than any other Speedmaster. That’s why it’s in my watch box. I don’t value the sapphire sandwich version because I have other sapphire crystal watches I wear.
See, now, I’d be interested in knowing if you stayed happy with your initial purchase if you _didn’t_ keep watching the videos. It’s no secret that the majority of the watch YT space is pushing a narrative; buy big or stay home. It’s incredibly influential, and even manipulative. Human memory being what it is, how can you be sure you weren’t perfectly happy with your original buy & just talked out of it over time?
The last point you made is the best piece of advice I’ve heard in a very long time and it is 100% true, buy what you really want, buy once cry once. EPIC! 😊
@@Stanjara typically the watch you really want is most likely expensive and it hurts a little or maybe complain to yourself it was expensive but you’re happy with the purchase, on the other hand if you compromise you kinda complain every time you look at your watch then sell that watch only to repeat the cycle
Good points ! Another "issue" is to buy a watch thinking of a collection. Will it fit with my other watches ? When will I wear it ? Not the good ol' plain "do I like the watch". However despite all the internet advice, I think we somewhat have to go through those rookie mistakes to realize they *are* "mistakes". As Bruce Williams would say, it's building _an experience_ :P
I stumbled onto my favourite watch by accident. It was a "freebie" I chose on ebay as part of a buy one get one. It feels and looks so good on my wrist. It is so thin for a mechanical watch and light. The generic leather band looks really nice. Of course being an obsessive collector I scoured ebay and now have several of this watch in different colours. 😂
Go for the dial. That’s what you look at once you’ve purchased it. I have a gold Cartier tank with date and a Navitimer both about 12 years old. Still love the looks of them both.
You were spot on with the Speedmaster example. I also went down that path and bought a Speedmaster automatic thinking it would suffice. Nope. I sold it within a year and eventually bought a Speedmaster Professional. The Speedmaster Professional is the only watch I've owned that lives up to the hype. I think it's so good that I sold most of my collection and only have two other watches.
Your last point is spot on. I've bought the Tudor BB58 twice because I wanted to save money. I've already sold it once at a $700 loss and now I'm gonna sell the second one at a bigger loss of probably $2k. I have no idea why I didn't get the watch I originally wanted, a Rolex 14060m, but now I'm going to buy it--it's steep. Currently around 10k-11k but "buy once, cry once". Also, your point about the Polar 16570 is salient. I own one as well. It was my first Rolex. I purchased back in 2019, but I think it's time to let it go. It never gets wrist time and I feel it looks better in photos than on my wrist but the emotional connection keeps me from letting it go. This hobby is frustratingly expensive.
Yeah I love my Tudor BB GMT S&G rootbeer but always desired the Rolex version...I don't own a Rolex because I refuse to pay more for a used one mundanely delivered by Royal Mail than frikkin Rolex charge with full boutique experience. I've been at the point of buying on Chrono24 twice & stopped myself both times
@@ph8077 I hear ya. The GMT Rootbeer is an amazing watch. It looks like they go for about 3 to 4k over retail on Chrono. If it's your grail and would be your "one watch" in the collection, I'd pull the trigger. I recently purchased a Submariner 14060m at 2k over due to AD games and lack of patience. Finally told myself I wasn't going to wait any longer. Life is short and I'd rather be putting in wrist time with my watch than waiting to purchase it.
One of the main reason to go with the AD is for the luxury experience, or availability of new models. If you’re not getting that go pre owned , so many good local shops around the country happy to have our business!
Agreed, life would be a lot easier if we learnt from other people's mistakes, unfortunately life doesn't work that way, we only learn when we make these mistakes ourselves.
Good advice. I’ve had a slightly different journey : After over 7 years of being a watch geek and frantic collecting, last year I ended up buying a watch that was very similar to the very first watch I bought in 2016 (but sadly got rid of because it was a quartz) - a beautiful green dial, Seiko chrono quartz that cost under $250. I’ve more or less stopped wearing all my mechanical watches as a) aesthetically I prefer the quartz and b) after 7 years or constantly resetting mechanicals and getting annoyed with their lack of time keeping precision the mechanical/auto magic has worn off a bit now and I just want a ‘set and forget’ watch!
Collecting watches hurts (sometimes). I love watches and I have cheaper watches and some heavy hitters, but I always want what I cannot afford in this life. It is good to have dreams but choosing between two watches is difficult and the battle between ratio and feeling is annoying. I wish I could buy them both at the same time.
Great video. I’d disagree with one of your last points thought. I regularly look at my Christopher Ward watch and think how was this only £600. Especially when I see watches 10 times that amount with a similar level of finishing.
Agreed.. I have a Christopher Ward GMT 600 pro on a bracelet, Blue with ceramic bezel, kwik fit bracelet with easy adjust.. 600 m. So much watch & so little money!
Really good content and valuable lessons for majority of watch enjoyers. The value trap is so easy to get suck into when looking at watches. I always have to take a step back and keep telling myself to aim for the watch I really want.
I don't have a money tree in my backyard so the next tier down is often the more reasonable option, not just for the purchase but also for the eventual maintenance cost. Instead of a Junghans, I bought a Sternglas. Since I know I'll never be able to afford an Omega Seamaster Professional 300M, maybe one day I'll get a Glycine Combat Sub (for now I'm happy with my Citizen Promaster Automatic NY0040). The one watch I like that I will get and not settle for a lower tier for will be a Hamilton Khaki Field Auto (with a silver dial).
Your last comment is totally true, to buy the one you really want and not a cheaper alternative. The problem with this hobby is that money is always an issue, which I hate. It’s always an obstacle in buying what I really want. It’s hard to wait several years to save up for an Explorer, example, when a Hamilton can do the job now. I love the Hammy but it’s not the same. I really want a BB58 but have to settle for a Seiko 5 because everything is so expensive and it’s only getting worse over time. Watch gecko did a good rant video on this last year about how even 20 years ago, with inflation, Rolexes should be in the $2-4k range and not $10k.
Good video. I used to buy cheaper watches and had plenty but most of them didn't fulfill me, I used to pick one of those any day to wear but in the end after five minutes I changed my mind and put them back in the box to wear instead one I really liked. Sold many of them and now prefer to have fewer watches, more expensive but that I really enjoy to wear.
First advice is try the watch on your wrist in person and second advice is don’t rush the buy. If you really like it it will be on your mind after you try it for at least a year or more. Then if you have the money saved then buy it.
that is true, I started collecting watches 4 years ago and probably had like 120 already (the most together was 20) So I learned the hard way going for value instad of the real one. Now I have 6, and very happy with my selection at the moment. A good tip is don't have a huge slot box because you will want to see it full.
Had that same experience with the Explorer II. Absolutely loved that watch, black or polar dial, until i saw one in the flesh and tried it on. All I can say is I felt very meh! To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I was absolutely gutted😢
The insta photo is the best example I’ve heard in a long time. So many times I am blown away by the look of a watch on social media only to feel deflated when I see it in the flesh. It’s not the fault of the watch but expectations have built to an unrealistic level
Love it. I’m a value guy 99%. But buy once cry once yes, which is why I bought an aluminum Rimowa suitcase and not another Samsonite! (After 10 years thinking how it wasn’t a value buy lol)
I used to think I wanted a Submariner, but my Tudor Pelagos and Certina dive watches have pretty much killed my desire for the Submariner. I really don't know what I would be gaining with the Submariner.
Great video and some really good advice there, especially for people starting out on there watch collecting journey, I wish I could have watched this video 10 years ago it would have saved me a lot of money 😂
Good talk! Recently I bought Tudor BB58 because I found a better option for it then the one which I wanted (pelagos 39). Then I regretted it. I knew I won't like the fake rivets on the bracelet. So I sold it (happily on a good price ( and bought the pelagos 39.
For The Insta Watch, I always try to scour reddits like r/Watches to see if anybody took any candid, unedited photos of the watch. This way, I can get a realistic idea of what it'll look like.
I like "buy once, cry once." I'm of the opinion that a watch purchase should hurt you a bit without harming you (or at least require delayed gratification). Seeking out accessible watches especially as substitutes leads you down the road of accumulating pieces that have no meaning to you at the added peril of eventually costing you as much as a possible dream watch, at any price range. 'It' watches are also the devil to me. FOMOing into a watch the Internet is clamoring over because you can't hear your own desires over the noise is a miserable spot to get stuck in. I'm happy I'm on a list for a piece that was ridiculed nearly everywhere I looked because I know it's what *I* want.
For me value is important. Like the Aquaterra but not enough to pay retail. For me it is over value. BB58 I love and I feel it is worth the money. Nothing comes close for me in terms of looks, quality and value. Still looking though. Of course this is entirely subjective but surprised that the BB58 has killed watch collecting for me. Hope it doesn't last😮
I bought a crazy bomberg bomberg thought it was cool to have I had realized it was too big and completely outrageous to wear. I also wanted to purchase Longines pointer green edition, after going the store trying it out 4 times finally, I decided not to take I felt it was too thick for me . My only regret was taking a montblanc timewalker , I didn’t feel the watch
Buy once, cry once --- YUP. I've bought the good enough/close enough watch before, and I'm usually left wanting the "real deal." Just learn to embrace the journey and resist shortcuts, you always appreciate the destination more. That's just good life advice in general!
I totally understand….for so many years I longed for a Rolex. To actually afford one! I finally made in my personal life to own a Rolex, and yet, I keep buying Seiko. It was my first mechanical watch company, that I could buy. Still, Seiko holds supreme in uniqueness and style. It’s a watch company that’s a real tool watch. IMPO
I have or had 4 Watches in this category which i regret buying , 2 are already sold , one is for sale and i probably keep the fourth a citizen "C7" Re-interpretation because it has a day and date function , the case height and the cheap looking dial was the Problem for me , that is not a big issue and i got used to it . The Other ones were either to big in Size , had strange looking lugs or a very uncomfortable leather strap , i could have changed the strap but naa i have enough other watches. Don't keep them , F the money , i knew i wouldn't wear them , so better you get rid of them before they stay in your closet like forever .
As much as I want a Moser, there is no universe where I'll ever spend 40k on a watch. My next watch will be a Citizen, which I think is beautiful, and I'll happily wear it and keep it. You people are nuts.
My Omega NoTimetoDie Titanium. Looks amazing. However, the contrast between face and hands is non existant in low light, almost illegible. I wish I had tried in non Jewelry light environmnt!
Really , my speedmaster is probably the one watch I have where the reality is more impressive than the idea in my head. Mind you , I’m not a photography guy.
Love your Explorer on the strap! How do you manage to not scratch the strap (as the lug wholes are so close to the case)? I tried myself with a few but always damaged them...
And that’s why I never understand the videos titled “best substitute for a X”. If you buy any watch as a substitute for another one, you have already admitted you are not satisfied with it, you will sell it at a loss and be right back where you started.
Regarding the instagram watch. It's hard to understand that someone would be so weak, that they would buy something because they saw a nice picture on the internet. Be your own man! Be real. Be aware about what you want.
Unfortunately I would say as much as 75% of the time, having isn’t as pleasurable as wanting. Human beings love the chase, acquiring what they don’t have. Having said that, the White Rolex Explorer 2 is Beautiful. If I bought a Rolex, that would be the one. I had the chance but chose the Seamaster Professional. It was gorgeous.
Sometimes you dont like your watch anymore because you have watch fatigue set in. Rotate your watches every week and see how you feel. Men used to own only two now they average like five. So down size your collection.