I resonates with me very clearly. After every week's 'what are you wearing this Friday', I have to stop myself from posting half a dozen WTB requests. Like a kid in a sweetshop at times.
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
I was busy lining up a sell and a buy this evening but came to a realisation: that I have got into the habit of buying and selling so frequently I never settled to enjoy the watches in my little collection. With a rather terse prompt from SWMBO I will step back a bit from selling and buying. I am sending an open apology to the last buyer as I had to back down on the deal. Nevertheless I hope to keep looking in on WT but will do my best to avoid SC for the foreseeable. Thanks for reading this and maybe it resonates with others?
Normal service may resume next year!
Martyn
I resonates with me very clearly. After every week's 'what are you wearing this Friday', I have to stop myself from posting half a dozen WTB requests. Like a kid in a sweetshop at times.
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
This really resonates with me Martyn, earlier tonight I was mm away from pressing “ yes please” on a watch on SC. I reflected Im not wearing the watches I own so why buy another. As had been said before on here many times its a disease, plus a bit of FOMO
Steve
Totally agree with you!
Earlier today I had several watches out I have not worn this year, tried all on and love them all but do not wear them!!
Mid week last week I nearly bought a cockpit B50, and why I do not know apart from liking the look, Already have a Areospace!
Over the past few months I have also had serious conversations with myself over selling the lot and getting the one I would wear day in day out, would make more sense surely?
I am at a loss!
Mind you, I think my collection still lacks a Speedy Moonwatch and a Sinn Navtimer and a Montreal and a...
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
Massively... having just listed another for sale because I have my eye on something else. Why didn’t I read this 15 minutes earlier!!!
Yeh right, you’ll be dragged straight back into SC if anything goes taste wise, thing is I have got into and gone for more vintage watches and to narrow that down a specific type, so this limits my spectrum and at the moment I’m enjoying it.
Edit - I think more nice watches will be posted as the market levels off, maybe not a good time to tie a knot in it :-)
Last edited by murkeywaters; 23rd November 2019 at 22:51.
I totally understand and good on you for taking a step back to reflect and enjoy your already lovely collection. Maybe just avoid TZ altogether for a while and see how you go. The temptations on here are crazy!
Just remove the sale element from the equation. Then you've still the potential to enjoy :)
I know what you mean though. Even with the above approach, I find that I don't have time to really enjoy a pocket knife before I have something else which thwos the latest arrival into the drawer. I've recently taken to not buying new watches (other than the incoming newmark 71) and just focusing on servicing and enjoying the hell out of what I already own. I rarely wear 1 watch for 12 hours, so I fancy trying one watch for a solid month and not giving in to flipping and switching and changing straps and all of that lot.
I've recently come to the same conclusion after selling another watch a week or so ago. Had to buy a replacement first though!
Leaves me with six which I plan on wearing and enjoying rather than searching for the next one.
One thing I've learnt over the years is the best deals or the watches you've been seeking for ages appear in SC right when you simply do not have money to spend. The problem is I can't help looking.
Never sold a watch. Never will. I think I understand the trading thing but it just isn’t for me I suppose.
You've also got to be strong and ignore the attraction of the Sirens that live on eBay.co.uk. When they act in conjunction with The Lords of Beer then abandon all hope.
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
I can relate to this in a modest way. My collection of more valuable watches - two IWCs, two Omegas and a Rolex - is pretty stable and I'm unlikely to add to it or sell any of them, albeit I did add an IWC this year. But I've been hoovering up inexpensive watches like nobody's business this last few months - a £50 Casio here, a £185 Seiko there, a Garmin just yesterday. My house is littered with them. It's got to stop.
There is a serenity that accompanies a settled collection.
I'm feeling quite smug here.
If I have a few bob to spare, I will consider purchasing a fancied offering from SC.
If I don't, I won't.
So it's not so much a fixation with must-having the current trender, it's a case of "shall I put it in the bank - no, where's the fun in that".
I have had some lovely watches that I have sold to release some funds, but that just adds to the enjoyment.
To me it's a hobby; maybe I have made a bit on some, maybe I have lost a bit on some; but I have enjoyed owning them all at the time and no doubt will enjoy owning other models as time slips by.
This post is sponsored by Gwatkins Cider.
Same here, quite over flipping and selling. Have these three and hopefully resist the urge to sell.
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I've never been affected that way. I tend to spend a long time thinking about a particular model before buying, which will be at least months but often a year or two. Now with a dozen or so watches I wear them in rotation for 2 or 3 weeks (although some stay out for longer) and it's almost like new watch day at changeover time, especially when going from a small watch to large or vice versa. The last incomer was the 36mm Everest a year ago, and I've been mentally wrestling with my "sell most and buy a Dornblüth" dilemma for 4 years now.
F.T.F.A.
I can’t see SC yet,but I fear for my wallet when that time arrives .
I generally hover around 4-5 watches and I will sell one to buy another that I prefer. I like to have at least one example of military, pilot and diver and have swapped the applicable content around quite vigorously over the past few years.
Nearly all have been bought second hand and losses through selling on have been minimal, I avoid buying new as this was too was costly on resale.
These small worries happen from time to time but we’ve just got to man up and get through them. Perhaps a new model or change of type can help us forward.
Ps on a more serious note I have slowed down although I too have a Newmark on order and couldn’t resist a nice 16610 earlier in the week!! 😂
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I must admit that I was on the merry-go-round for some time when I joined TZ. These days, I'm pretty happy with my lot and tend to wear a couple of watches for a week or so and then pick something else from the box. Changes are more driven by what I regard as real opportunities and/or the enjoyment of a little watch husbandry rather than uncontrollable desire. I can go months without feeling any need for change, though.
To me it’s a constant battle, there have been watches this year I’ve bought to try them and they haven’t even stayed 24 hours before being back on SC, I’ve now been about 6 weeks since I’ve bought a watch, I was very tempted by marcels ORIS, but withstood it, going to try and get to March next year without a purchase.......
As I said before I have concentrated more on a specific vintage and ended up buying 3 in one day last week which is not the norm, but in doing this I promised myself and other half that lots of other watches would be sold...
I still haven’t listed any? Look out SC, I will man up and start the cull!
not so much selling but bought a cheapy yesterday purchased within 7 mins of the ad been listed, and instantly regretted it, I have no need for it , I could have used the money elsewhere, it was one I have missed out on early on in my collection as it got discontinued , it will probably go straight out the door and I know I will make a small( hopefully!) loss on it.
I did say in your SOTC Martyn that it maybe time to enjoy your collection ;)
Since I downsized jobs a few years back, I made a decision to simply enjoy and have not spent much all. Nowadays I'm more driven by the thought of either reducing my collection due to just having too many or by serious moves in reshaping and going up a notch in the quality I have. Neither have happened yet and so I continue to just wear the great pieces I already have!
Not easy to do but i have reached my three watch rule and have starting selling off the ones that don't count...g-shocks.
However yesterday i was out shopping and found an Omega Seamaster pre ceramic that was NOS and told them to hold it until Monday.
I must resist.
I buy a stupid amount of watches but where the motivation is typically driven by a fascination with trying out something technologically new and different. I'm happy with what I have in my collection (apart from the Rolex Root beer - I absolutely hate that and am awaiting the warranty card from the AD so I can rid myself of it). But when something like a manual wind Grand Seiko is released or some new fangled movement then the inner geek in me is unleashed. It does mean I then need to flip some of my existing watches to make room (typically at a sizeable loss). I have tried to curtail this but there are just so many cool watches being released. Thank G-d I never got into vintage- I'd be bankrupt
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Less is more....it’s true. Wear one good mechanical watch, Use it to the full.
Sell the rest. That way lays contentment. ‘Stuff’ just slowly clogs your life.
Last edited by paskinner; 24th November 2019 at 11:33.
Indeed, enough is enough. Too many watches bought and sold year after year and it doesn't really bring any fulfilment. It just becomes the urge to chase after the next bauble and then ponder on it for a little while before selling it. Complete madness, but as others have said the Friday thread and SC are clearly controlled by the devil himself 😂
I have never been satisfied with 'random' watches sitting together in a box. As someone who has always had the urge to collect I need a theme, the collection has to have a purpose or meaning. I can see from many SOTCs on here that others clearly think or at least act the same way, a box full of divers or several watches by the same maker or even different generations of the same watch.
I also found myself going back and revisiting previous collections, sometimes it works, but in the main it does not. You buy back what you had previously owned then realise why you sold them in the first place.
Then budget creeps in, sometimes you sell to free up cash for the next purchase, but that is also a slippery slope as you then realise that your money is tied up in the next new watch and so it goes on. I learnt the hard way on that one and that it is better to drop to a level that you can afford to keep what you have and be able to add to your collection with new money thus removing the need to sell all the time. Common sense seems appropriate here, but we don't always utilise it.
I wanted something that was within my price range, a watch or brand that wasn't simply a series of homages or direct copies of other people's watches, had some history and originality of its own and contained different generations of watches that gives scope for collecting the older models when the opportunity arises.
I have settled on the Seiko Alpinist, a watch with a rich history dating back to 1961 with several different generations, sizes and even movement types given that there was a range of Quartz watches in the early 2000s. I even have the challenge of a birth year watch if I ever stumble across a first generation 1961 example.
I have seen some lovely watches on SC in recent weeks that don't fit in with this, but have resisted which is a start and been very pleased when the magic OHPFs appears.
So at this point I have nothing to sell, I am happy with the 7 watches that I currently own and there are a couple on the wants list, but they so infrequently appear for sale that I am learning to save up and wait which is a new experience for me. I have also discovered that 42mm is not my sweetspot as I thought and that 38mm is perfectly adequate.
Yes, enough is enough. Apologies if this was a bit long and rambling, but given that it is Sunday morning a confessional is good for the soul 👍
Completely with you Martyn.
I've backed off and accelerated at times. You may recall when I dropped from 42 to 4 then ultimately 3. That lasted a while, then became 4 and then escalated again.
Currently back down to a core of 4 plus a prospective incoming. A few sideshow pieces as a result of trades or being tempted, but should soon be out of those and then I intend to PAUSE. Planning to wear the incoming as a default and rotating the others for variety. I will only have two out of safe deposit at any one time so that forces me to wear the same ones, and then when I go and swap over its like being reunited with an old friend, and the 'new' ones lead the next phase rotation.
Re the Forum, I went properly cold turkey c10years ago for a number of months (might have been 6), but that was really like a starvation diet, as once I was back I was back with a vengage and that preceded the growth of the collection to silly levels. So best to realise it's a hobby, and enjoy the information and interaction, but just try to have self control.
Good luck - we're here for you :)
Contentment is the key to happiness......or maybe I’m just boring!
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I agree wholeheartedly with that, well the underlying message at least. Just haven't managed to get into single figures yet..., though still considerably more focused than it was 10 years ago. In fact, apart from a vintage chrono earlier this year, and a little vintage Seiko off of here a couple of days ago, I've managed to resist adding anything to the collection for almost five years now. If I exclude the four pieces that have sentimental value to me, I'd like to whittle the remaining pieces down to say, three or four over the coming months. Possessions can be wonderful, though I find the journey often more rewarding than the destination.
I’m including myself in this.... don't need anymore watches, don’t want anymore watches. Got one more nice one to sell, and after that I’m done..👍👍
I'm done and comfortable with what I own. 12, and that number is not going up.it would have to be 1 in 1 out. I still look in SC regularly but rarely see anything that Tempts me away from anything I already have. Mind you , that Blue DJ II is lovely. If I didn't already have one in black etc etc.
The problem is, there are so many nice watches out there that it’s impossible to own them all unless you are a billionaire. So the opportunity to trade means you get to try a few more out.
Understand where you are coming from though Martyn, it’s sometimes best to enjoy what we have rather than chasing the next thing... and the next thing!