Musings

[tiny73]

Well here we are, I’m turning 50 in a couple of weeks and have built up a nice collection that, in principle, I’m happy with but there’s a niggling desire to cash it all in and either cash out or put it all into something like an Urwerk. So given the collection below what would stay and what would go in your opinion. Totally appreciate this being subjective and everyone will have an opinion but am interested in your views. (Not a sales post by the way, chances are I’d P/EX in a bricks and mortar store)

Rolex 1680 single red Submariner (birth year, 1973, appreciate some members will have a problem with this )
Rolex SD4000 116600, usable, everyday Wearable, robust, a watch for all occasions.
AP 26300ST blue with silver sub dials, 39mm, serviced this year with a dial swap back to the original from a white dial. Lovely, elegant, maybe too elegant for me?
AP 15710ST, Royal Oak offshore diver, the third or fourth of these I’ve had, finally got used to the size and comfortable with it.
JLC Master compressor diver GMT 44mm, engagement present and in principle safe but doesn’t get anything like the wrist time it deserves. 44 mm but titanium so wears light.
Atowak Cobra, wandering hours complication, a bit Urwerk like but a fraction of the cost. Bit of fun really.
MAD 1 green (on the way), will keep for a while but it may go depending on how big it wears and what happens with the rest. Like the idea of it but who knows?

And there we have it. I’ve no idea what I’m going to do and well aware of the perils of asking strangers on the internet for their opinion but in the absence of a strong view either way I have nothing to lose… Right?

[Ikincooper]

I must say OP, what a lovely collection you have and early congrats on your upcoming milestone birthday. A photo of your collection would be awesome.

If I had your collection, I’d probably want a little more colour but that depends on your AP Diver dial colour also? Maybe something dressy but then you find one of your AP’s perhaps too dressy for your style. I’d probably find too much overlap between you sub and SD4K so one of those would have to go.

Do you enjoy wearing all your pieces or tend to mostly wear one? If mostly one then perhaps consolidating down isn’t a bad idea.

Good luck with whatever you decide and hopefully some of the above questions/thoughts might help you out.

Niki


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[ryanb741]

Nice collection, I'd be tempted to cash in the APs and go for something like a Credor Eichi II. I'd never let the birth year sub go though.

If the Credor is too dressy (certainly in comparison with the APs) then maybe a Laurent Ferrier Sports Auto.

[earlofsodbury]

First four are mugger-bait, the JLC a safe queen, and the rest novelty watches.

I'm not dissing any of them, but aside from the second Rolex, I'm guessing they don't get much wrist time.

Consolidating all of that into one novelty piece seems a gamble on bonding...

I guess if you can be sure not to take a giant bath on it if you need to move it on - well, life ain't a dress-rehearsal... Go for it.

Otherwise, perhaps give some thought to buying something more lastingly-wearable. Prestigious, but not so much so that someone either:

a) wants to stab you for it

or

b) you can't bear the thought of it acquiring a bit of wear-and-tear.

What that is, I have no idea, your tastes are certainly diverse! Blancpain or GO diver perhaps?

Spend some time browsing C24 and see what tickles your fancy.

[Top Cat]

Simple answer. Sell all the Rolex and AP buy a Moser Streamliner flyback. Under the radar, fabulous fit and finish and you won't get mugged for it. Job done.

Or take the brave pill and buy a Singer Reimagined track 1 flyback. Just Lovely.

[tiny73]

Had the Moser streamliner centre seconds and regret letting it go to be honest. The Singer is lovely but not sure it’s totally my thing.

[Fullbreakfast]

The thing is, you don’t have to do anything.

Speaking as someone who recently had a 15 year hiatus in my active interest in watches, but didn’t sell any of my collection, I’m happy that I didn’t. If I wanted to get them back now then either I wouldn’t be able to find them, or it’d cost me a lot more than I paid for them. And with a couple of exceptions the attraction I originally had for them still holds. Plus some of them have memories of specific events or periods in my life that would make me reluctant to part with them.

I do understand the attraction of just having one really stunning piece like the Zeitwerk, but if you were the kind of guy who’d be happy owning just one watch, then how come you have as many watches as you do now? And what happens when you want a watch to wear at the beach, or feel like having something with understated elegance on your wrist? It’s personal of course but I really want to be able to change what I wear depending on my mood and what I’m going to be doing. There is no one watch that could ever do it all for me.

So I vote for the status quo unless you have a reason to change things that is really compelling to you, not just a niggle.

[learningtofly]

First four are mugger-bait, the JLC a safe queen, and the rest novelty watches.

I'm not dissing any of them, but aside from the second Rolex, I'm guessing they don't get much wrist time.

Consolidating all of that into one novelty piece seems a gamble on bonding...

I guess if you can be sure not to take a giant bath on it if you need to move it on - well, life ain't a dress-rehearsal... Go for it.

Otherwise, perhaps give some thought to buying something more lastingly-wearable. Prestigious, but not so much so that someone either:

a) wants to stab you for it

or

b) you can't bear the thought of it acquiring a bit of wear-and-tear.

What that is, I have no idea, your tastes are certainly diverse! Blancpain or GO diver perhaps?

Spend some time browsing C24 and see what tickles your fancy.

Some good points, actually, and I can identify with moving from high-end "treasures" to very good, but very wearable watches.

I have to say that I'm far more into a kind of gentle, ongoing collection husbandry than I am major and irreversible changes of direction. Evolution rather than revolution, as they say.

[earlofsodbury]

... Evolution rather than revolution, as they say.

Very much with you one that