Ok, it doesn't help that I make videos to entertain people myself but really, I find that this hobby consumes my every awaken thoughts and brings more so much more trouble than I ever bargained for.
My wife doesn't understand me, but I'm always in the trap of people thinking I am never happy with what I have, because I'm always talking about "the next one". When in reality, I love each and every watch I accumulate. It's not just watches, it's other things too, but watches are a big part of my life. There is no end, it's our personality - you'd have to walk away entirely to escape it. I think it's a balance between what this hobby is... the hunt and chase? Or the watches themselves? Know what I mean?
You get to the point man! When the hobbie obsess come i mean: you are thinking Night and day… youre done! Why other hobbies are more happier and Good to health? I think the problem is consumer habits, we got to be more strenght and inteligents ti golf ok and enjoy what we got. (Im a 40 year Watch collector with a massive robber) 😢 Peace and blessings!!! Enjoy 🤟🏼
I broke my addiction at daylight savings time, when I had to put the time back one hour on all my watches. I got to the tenth one and thought, for crying out loud, what am I doing? I already have too many watches to wear, most don't get worn and I was sick of winding and resetting them all the time so I found myself grabbing a quartz before leaving the house. I still like looking at them but the urge to own them is gone, almost!
I recently stopped more or less, in terms of not adding more pieces to the collection. I had 42 at one point and now I have 3, with no aspiration to buy anything else on the market. Of course, I worry if they will ever be stolen, however I no longer have a desire to collect, or aqquire. Never thought it would happen but it did.
@@Pakiboyo 1. Patek Philippe World Time, Platinum Green Dial with Mecca on the dial 2. Parmigiani Fleurier Hijri Perpetual Calendar 3. Mid Size YG Cartier Santos
I'm in the same situation where my enthusiasm for timepieces has become almost an obsession. I keep adding pieces to my now large collection but cannot bare to part with any of them.
Great video. While I am very consumed in the hobby, I am very considered with what comes into my collection. The big thing I promised myself very early on in the hobby - dont get into a habbit of buying, then selling to fund the next purchase. Consider your pieces carefully, try to find out quickly what it is you really like (style, complications, favourite brands, etc) and keep your pieces. Constant buying and selling is going to lead to a few things - buyers/sellers remorse resulting in re-buys down the line, and a lot of money falling into a blackhole which could be better spent on a nice holiday or some nice other essentials.
It ended for me after about 10 years of buying and selling in a completely irrational manner. Sold off 10 Rolex, a solid gold JLC, and a Glashutte Original to return to simple vintage Seiko and an entry level Carl F. Bucherer Autodate. The only watch I’d like to own before I die is a Patek Annual Calendar in Platinum which I would wear every day. Until then I’ll stick with my “affordable” wristwatches. Does this make sense to anybody else?
What puts a curb on my collection is the feeling of dilution. There are many attainable watches that interest me but then i remind myself that the ones that interest me would mostly duplicate better watches I already have in my collection. I have a couple in mind that I want in the future (one hasn't been made yet but will be someday) buy otherwise I'm quite happy with what I have. I'd rather spend my excess resources on world travel a few times a year.
I appreciate your thoughts, I think many of us are playing the same game. The Buddhists say that desire is the root of suffering, and I think our addiction is evidence of that. Paradoxically, we're attracted to what we desire and yet there are downsides that also torment us. It's a vicious cycle! ;)
Great video sir. The journey is the thing. That hole will never be filled, just need to realize it accept it and try to be in control of it , sometimes.
Several ways: -Money runs out -Storage box is full -You’ve got to Holy Trinity level (next watch should be better than previous, typically, so you’ve reached the top) -Get addicted to another hobby as a distraction. -Death* (*This one is really the only one that works 😂)
Somehow it feels better knowing I am not alone.. I have an addictive personality; I overcame alcohol additio, drugs, gambling, cars etc, I had been collecting watches for 20+yrs, however my watch addiction spiral out of control during the pandemic, and it has really affected many aspects of my life, I started travelling across continents just to get a watch, it is just recently due to health issues preventing me from travelling that I started to slow down a bit ( have watches paid in 3 countries at ADs waiting to be picked up). I have been thinking recently that it is not really the watches that I am addicted to, but more so is the chase, and that dopamine rush I get when the AD calls and when I know that I have that watch that almost nobody can get. I have 100+ watches ranging from rolex to PP and somehow think that I need another...it is really a sickness.. as of lately I resumed collecting cigars another vice of mine so I hope that keeps me busy and prevents me from buying another watch for a little while..
Watches and cameras are my two obsessions. Fortunately, both are sufficiently expensive that I can’t justify spending on one obsession - I have to balance my spending between the two.
As I relate to and reflect on your experience I am reminded that as I am vainly trying to fulfill a God shaped hole in my heart, that I’ll never be truly at peace until I’m united with He who is beauty and Truth personified
The question is…..why stop it,why not accept it and fully indulge until we are satisfied..enjoy the journey..the journey is the happiness..the journey is the joy.
I find this topic very interesting. It seems very few hobbies are inexpensive these days. I’m quite early in my watch collecting and have put a loose, mental cap of 4-6 models already but who knows. Buying fountain pens was my previous addiction, though I managed to get it under control. I have a nice collection and spent a fair amount of money that I see as an investment of sorts. Monetarily I lose but they enrich my life in a way that has become priceless. I doubt watches will give me the same satisfaction but fortunately when I die I won’t be around for the final tally.
You are not alone. “A Blog to Watch” had an article stating that most collectors top out at 30, and then slowly reduce that number to the low twenties. This is true for a lot of collectors. For me, it is better than golf. Some of these watches will increase and you can sell them as an asset in the future. Of course, true collectors do not care about this for the most part, but it is as added bonus.
I resolved the watch issue on my end. For automatic watches I don't like complications and I only buy modern watches with enamel dials. That limits the choices to a few watches, which are unfortunately also very pricey.
Thanks for the video. After 33 years of marriage, my wife and I are currently separated. I have accumulated a ridiculous number of watches, partly out of a desire to soothe and distract myself from the heartbreak of my current situation, and also because I frankly have never been an single adult who has managed my own money before (my wife and I married young and she has always been the money manager). I am now in an uncomfortable amount of debt, and most of the watches I have accumulated are not easily sold off or won’t move the needle much. I’ll be spending rhe next year trying to dig myself out of the hole I’ve dug. An unfortunate intersection of hyper focusing behavior due to ADHD along with financial inexperience and emotional trauma. Hopefully I have learned my lesson and will spend the next couple years appreciating the watches I have.
Hey man, I can sympathise with this tendency to fill an emotional void with watches. They're such attractive endearing personal gifts to ourselves. My wife isn't easy to live with and often times I look at my wrist and feel I deserve some satisfaction for having to endure the everyday couples' inconveniences. Having said that, I've always worked and been quite careful with money so on that aspect, you don't need me to tell you that you gotta do the effort of making some excel sheet of your budget. Watches are not wasted, they are some sort of asset but you gotta buy them right. Slowly sell a few and direct your focus on other great things like family, pets, fitness, sports, anything that cost nothing to enjoy. Take care
Nah, you gotta keep pushing. You will know when it's time to hold. At the moment you haven't reached that point. Don't add guilt to the equation. Remember, watch collecting is a wonderful journey; we kid ourselves it's a destination - that there's a Shangri-La just around the corner. You will know when you are home.
I collect watches and I have lots mostly casios. I dont feel guilty nor is it problematic for me. In terms of cost the casios are fairly cheap, equivalent to a couple of bottles of wine. Your watch collection is insane!
HaHa! I can definitely relate. Like you, watches aren't the only thing I collect or am interested in but they are the thing I think about the most at least for now.
I am now in my 70s. When a preteen many years ago I grew up in a small California city and recall walking into a jewelry store to admire the wall and grandfather clocks. I also aquired a hobby of motorcycles and cars which I still enjoy but this watch sickness has been a lifelong hobby that went away for years then covid came along and now the struggles came again. I am grateful that it is not a substance abuse issue or I would probably be six feet under. 😂 Also along the way I placed self-imposed expenditures on watch purchases price but to no avail. The one thing is that I enjoy my one $20 Casio as much as my Tudors, Omegas, Grand Seikos, etc. At the end of the day my family wants nothing and I am grateful .
Yes, I love watches. Women love bags and jewellery, so I don't feel any shame. Love the Reverso you have and I hope to grab one soon. I only have one serious watch, once I get my next two I will be more than satisfied. I have friends who spend more on crypto and lose more on the stock market, but yet they would never buy a nice watch.
I have a limiting rule that I only can buy when the price of the watch is over 10k unless it is Rolex. When you are to shell out for anything over 10k, you would spend it a bit wiser. Not always 😅 Btw I play tennis too. Hope we could hit at some point.
Collecting is at odds with enjoyment for me. I cant find wrist time. It’s not even about the cost. I have watches in the thousands and some that i like more under $500. I pick one for the day and switch at night. Sometimes 2 and 3 times a day. It really is an addiction. RU-vid and social media just feeding the beast. My family and friends couldn’t care less what it is- I just hear “another one?” I have just rambled on… 🤯🤯🤯
Yep , that's a great topic. When you begin to think like that, I presume the hunt phase where you have to buy everything you fancy is done. It's like moving in with somebody a bit. Sometimes it ends and a new hunting phase begins. And sometimes you end up with this person until the end. I quite enjoy that, maybe the best way to manage it isn't to search actively for something new to add but simply wait for a good opportunity and accept i in your collection when it happens. Both for buying and selling. When you build a community around watch nerds it does happen. Enjoy the trip, not the destination more or less.
When i can't fall asleep, i think about consolidating my 12 piece collection. I start with, "what if i could only keep 6", then 5, 4, and so on. Works every time.
My theory is boys are given watches on significant occasions and we pursue the dopamine hit ever after.Not the most expensive addiction however and after getting the Cartier de Santos medium blue I'm done.Ten pieces that all hold memories enough for me and I have become disenchanted with a lot of the industry.A physiology paper could be written on this subject.Regards.
to be fair, i found my grail in the Day-Date; got a nos 18238, had a Rolex service done and swapped the dial to a deep black with gilt tone lettering. i find myself not wanting anything anymore- feels like i'm in sort of a watch nirvana (for now.)
After buying 60 watches I started to feel a bit sick. Now I'm selling 10 watches. I have about 10 watches that are rare, not even available on Chrono24. So that fact helps me to not buy watches online or from boutiques because owning a rare unobtanium watch is very special. If a watch is available in a boutique, it's an ordinary watch and I'm not interested anymore. So all watch stores are boring to me now, but I still love the look of watch boutiques. Out of my current 50 watch collection, ($600,000+, no Patek or Lange because I only want the $300,000+ models), many other watches look too similar, so I'm not interested. Owning high-end watches helps to feel I have (mostly) arrived and it helps me feel super fortunate to be able to have them, which attitude helps me to not buy more watches. It will all end when some robber steals all my watches.
luckily I convinced myself that having many watches is like having no watches at all. Like when they say that having too much choice is the same as having no choice. If I wear a different watch each time, they may seem like temporary or "borrowed" watches, I'm not really identified with anything. It's like having no watch at all. I don't like this idea, and I don't want to own more than two watches. Ideally one with the bracelet and one with a strap. I have an Aqua Terra, a Bremont Pilot, and I would like a Breitling. But if I had to get it I would give the Bremont away.
Im a 69 yr old former d 1 tennis player it was a good addiction i have over 30 watches l love this addiction maybe hobby lol i know my time on earth is limited but getting watches is not
The world is a chaotic place. Perhaps its a small measure of control that we have in our perfect little watch boxes with all of the perfect strap choices, carefully curated, that only we control and have the power of life and death over each watch. Its to be considered that perhaps its cheaper than actual therapy...
Big caveat here - everyone has their own budgets and priorities. It’s first world problems to be able to collect watches. That being said, one piece of advice from this video that really resonates - “get the substantial piece before you find yourself with ten Longines or Hamiltons with the same ETA movements inside…” it’s in the same vein as “get the watch you really want.” The compromise piece or getting the fun watches “in budget” has yet to satisfy the itch for me in the long run when I know I really want a specific watch. My experience has been that it’s better for me to be patient and save for that one watch I want so that I don’t end up with a handful of stuff over a couple years that could have been used to get the one. Have a plan. Get the fun or affordable stuff too if you have that itch, but my experience has been that if you have a watch you want nothing else is going to be able to satiate the hunger for it.
BTW, also consider vintage pocket watches, only the 21j or better and don't forget the fobs. As for another addiction, dig old vintage model kits, it's a real blast from the past which would take the watch edge off a bit.😂😂😂
Personally, I think if this gives you pleasure and even more importantly, if it does not negatively affect your lifestyle, both financially and terms of your free time in general, and on top of that if your spouse/partner does not mind, then sure.... keep doing it. ps. My kids could not care less about my watches. I think the current young generation, at least in the US, simply views wristwaches, at least mechanical ones, as most of us view antique cars - they are interesting, but ultimately who cares.
Mon Ami, your annual lamentation and then you carry on. But be careful, don't want to lose your job to your daydreams. But that may stop the addiction!
I couldn’t agree more with everything you say. My way of exiting this crazy rabbit hole is to limit myself to 3 great collectible watches, one for each of my children. It’s meaningful to me as far transmission is concerned. And, in the meantime I can enjoy wearing these watches and make them an intimate part of my daily life.
Yes, slow down. I have a watch box with room for six watches and have a rule to never own more than I can fit in the box. That helps with any hoarding tendencies that may pop up. If I haven’t worn a watch for months on end, and I’ve seen something else I’d like, I’ll do a sell and buy. I’ve only bought one watch at retail: my Speedmaster bought in 2009. All others are pre-owned, and I’m at break-even after all the buying and selling, so essentially it’s a free hobby. I enjoy following the market and RU-vid channels like yours, but will only buy if I see something I’d definitely like more than what is already in the box. Recently sold my IWC Regulateur and am now very much enjoying a pre-owned 40mm Zenith Pilot Type 20. Don’t see any trades on the horizon for several months, but will do it if I come across something that really gives me the itch. Watches are a bit like clothes. You can have a favourite jacket for years, but then you see a nicer one in a window that makes the old one feel stale. And then it’s good to trade. I agree with not falling into a trap of buying multiple cheaper watches that may actually not satisfy you. Buy fewer, but buy the ones you really want. Fight hoarding at all cost. Imagine all those watches piled up in a heap somewhere, and suddenly they seem less magical. It’s just stuff, after all. It’s the whole theater of presentation that makes the watches so desirable. Final word: I’ve never owned a Rolex and never will. To me they are so clichéed as status objects that they don’t give me any horological joy. For me it works to focus on something a little more special. It limits the range of what you’d actually like to buy. Thanks for the videos. Adios.
The first step to solving a problem is admitting there’s a problem. In the last year I‘ve very much pulled back from obsessing about watches and just enjoying the assortment I have. I still enjoy looking at Hodinkee, threads on WUS, and youtube videos but I‘m just not compelled to buy buy buy. Having said that, I finally got the opportunity for a M.A.D.1 so that‘s coming, but otherwise I‘ll just enjoy without buying. Have you read Jack Forster‘s substack article „It's 2024. Is This The Year Everyone Gets Tired Of Watches?“? I think he‘s on to something.
To possess a thing to be its master to flaunt one’s possessions. Then one day the realization that IT possesses you and IT is the master and you its slave. It is the genies trick to offer opulence and wealth, but with it NEED. A need which will make one a beggar in their own kingdom
Bonsoir, si après les plus grandes marques suisses vous commencez à vous tourner vers de beaux indépendants comme Garrick ou J.S. Elliott, j'ai bien peur que tout celà ne s'arrête jamais. 😅
By this token, how long will it take you to put the newly acquired 321 on Carousell? Do you collect (buy in fact) for the RU-vid video - monetisation - or because you actually like the thing you just bought? Cut the crap mate. P.S. said by a veeery happy owner of a 321
What else US gentlemen's can have apart from the wedding ring? Yes! Watches! It's a never ending loop and for us who are immortal financial reason will stop us from buying the next piece. I used to have 14 timepieces and now down to 6. So if I have to add another one, one has to go its sad but it's a happy ending at the samentime.
