PERSPECTIVES ON THE WATCH HOBBY / COLLECTING / WIS / STATE OF MIND PART 2

Before reading this, I would suggest reading the first part here
With that said, let's move on and continue from where we left...

This whole collecting hobby starts when you have the financial capability to indulge...
Now it could start with any brand and any entry point.
I have friends that starts with Seikos and still stick with Seikos...
Some move up in terms of value... I call it quality over quantity (value and quality is subjective to specific individuals)

I remembered fondly buying my first "Swiss" watch...
A Tissot T-Race.

I bought the watch when I received my 1st bonus cheque...
I still have this watch with me today.
Some occasional battery change and still running strong.

But as with all WIS... I also suffer from a deadly virus called "itchy butt syndrome"
But to be honest, I didn't get another watch until 3 years later.
Maybe it was a combination of good economic times and major priorities were handled first eg. House, car and safety net.

More "disposable income" was available.
And as a guy, there is not much to go into... Video Games get time consuming, electronic gadgets are fast to go outdated.
I don't have the body to go into fashion and style.
So watches is all I can go for... (sounds like justifications?)

From then on, the floodgates sort of just opened.
With multiple purchases of watches from the likes of Maurice Lacroix, Hamilton, Glycine, Omega, Sinn, Damasko, Longines, Laco.

It does seem like purchases are made based on current whims and fancies without any knowledge or due diligence being done. As fast as the highs come after purchasing, the "impulse buy syndrome" will come soon after... I am sure many will understand what I am talking about.

Long story short, one day... I just decide to sell the entire mid range watches that I had to fund one piece... a Rolex Explorer 2 16570 Polar... Once I did that, I though yes... this is IT... the end game... Satisfaction finally achieved.

It is basically ALL the watch I ever need to be honest...
Late serial with Caliber 3186... It was a thing of beauty...
And I gave it to my Dad... the black markers and hands on a white dial provides excellent readability for his aging eyes...

And after gifting it to him... I got ANOTHER one for myself but in black dial configuration. Yup... My Dad wearing the Polar while I am rocking a Noire... 

Until the itch comes back. The closing of the mid range collection just opened the door to a more upmarket luxury collection...
And it just kept coming...
More Rolexes...

Yeah... see what I mean about floodgates opened again?
By this time, I also managed to get some ladies watches for the lady in my life...

Times are good for awhile... until the next itch comes along...
And with it... the high prices too...
It is around this time that the thirst for watches seems like an unquenchable thirst.
I must get myself something less common I said to myself.
And then...

These 2 behemoth came... and I was suppose to have reached Nirvana...
Unfortunately... the experience with these Haute Horology pieces did not go too well.
In the end... I made a U-Turn and went back to Rolex with what I call the end game piece...

It is by this stage that I realized what a reliable, bulletproof, problem free, well made watch can mean to an owner's peace of mind...

And it is here that I took a long hard look at the state of the watch collecting mindset of mine.
I used to feel so excited on "The Hunt", "The Search", The staying up all night checking updates on Baselworld and SIHH releases. The eventual pulling of the trigger.
But after some time... It just feels stale.
New releases just fail to ignite any passion.
Brands just keep rehashing old designs with new colours.
Beating the same dead horse so to speak.
Coupled with the in-availability of stocks to meet demand.
The releases at Baselworld and SIHH reaching retailers sometimes 6 months later if at all.
And if it does arrive, I would have to fight tooth and nail to acquire one... Because stocks are prioritized for "Big Spending" clients...
Well... In all honesty, I don't know what constitutes as "Big Spending" nowadays...
All these just add to the diminishing feelings towards watch collecting.

This is just a personal thing of course.
I am blessed with some great friends thru watch collecting.
They are still in the "Game" but as for me, I am just taking a backseat to see if there are any changes in the future.
Brands taking more chances, risks... changing the way of distributing the watches and also addressing the shortage of supply issue... not artificial shortages meant to boost a product's sense of "exclusiveness" but genuine shortages.
While they are at it... maybe they can spend some time really testing their products to make sure they work flawlessly rather than breaking down every 6 months and the repair work will take another 3-4 months.
By the time the 2nd or 3rd warranty claim, the warranty period would have run out and I am left holding what I felt is a timebomb... not a good feeling at all.
Which is why I now covet watches that are built properly... the "Peace of Mind" which I spoke of is indeed priceless.

With that said... Sometimes I still find myself browsing new releases every now and then.
Hopefully something will reignite the flame that once make this hobby so enjoyable and fun.