I haven't posted here in a while, but I've been on a quest to reduce the collection to one watch and, now that I'm there (or as close as needs be - more explanation later) I suspect I won't be posting very much in the future either. As a farewell I thought I'd share some of the notable hits and misses of my watch collecting journey over the last 7 years. I'm only focussing on watches that would be of interest here - there were numerous dodgy Russians, a couple of Orients, a Laco and and Archimede (as well as the Sinn that never was) plus one or two others, but let's focus on the highlights....

HIT - Breitling Navitimer



This was the watch that started it all, and was the last one to go (handed over to its delighted new owner just this morning). I know not everyone likes Breitlings, but the Navitimer is a classic to me and I've loved it all the time I've owned it. However, as I've decided to return to my first love (clocks) and have recently bought myself a Marine Chronometer, this had to go. Plus, it's had hardly any wrist time since "the one" pitched up (more below).

MISS - Rolex SeaDweller 16600



This was my second 'big' watch purchase. I was nervous about buying a second hand Rolex, convinced that I'd end up with a knock off (I know now from experience that I'd have done far better getting one from Sales Corner - you live and learn). I ended up buying from a dealer in London and paying much more than I should have for the privilege. Never mind, it was a cracking watch and I loved it dearly. Why is it a miss then? Sadly, despite paying in excess of £1,000 to have it serviced by Rolex themselves, it subsequently became the only watch I've ever had that went wrong. It just stopped one day and refused to go. Also, it was very recalcitrant about letting you set the time - sometimes it would simply refuse to allow you to pull the crown out into the setting position (and yes, I did unscrew it first). Rolex did repair it, then it stopped again but seemed to self-correct the second time. We never got to the bottom of the time setting issue, even though it did it for around 5 minutes in the shop after collecting it from repair. In the end I couldn't trust it any more, plus it attracted more attention than I was entirely comfortable with, so I decided to sell it. I didn't feel happy about selling it in Sales Corner knowing that it might misbehave for its next owner, so I sold it back to the dealer I bought it from, taking a thumping loss in the process.

EVEN - Zenith El Primero



I bought this around the same time that I sold the Rolex. I had been after one for a while but wanted the 38mm and not the 42mm so I had to be patient as the 38mm doesn't come up that often. This one came from Watchfinder - I was pretty unimpressed with them but bought the watch anyway because it was the one I had been looking for. I enjoyed it for a few years, but the design wore off on me surprisingly quickly and I sold it on the forum in the end.

MISS - Nomos Tangente



Don't get me wrong, this is a properly gorgeous watch. The design is something else and it's actually still in the family as I gave it to my eldest son. In reality it didn't get worn that much. It's a fairly austere looking thing, and was made even more so by the black cordovan strap. I did have another strap made for it by Camille Fournet, which (to me) warmed it up a bit, but the lack of a quick set date made it a faff to get set up compared to some of the others, and it spent more time in the box than perhaps it should. I think I'm also a bit sad that the 3/4 plate means that you can't see as much of the movement as you'd like to given that it's hand wound (so no rotor getting in the way) and has a display back. My Strela (not mentioned in this list) really held the crown there.

HIT - Tudor Heritage Ranger



This was a bit of an impulse buy, and is also still in the family; I gave it to my younger son, who loves it to bits. A good, no-nonsense watch with reasonable water resistance (I did swim with it), great lume and superb timekeeping from the ETA movement. I know Tudor are gaining in popularity and, based on this, they deserve it. A great holiday watch as it lacked bling so didn't attract attention, could go in the pool/sea so you didn't have to leave it in your shoe and hope it didn't get whipped, yet solid and classy. Only its lack of a date prevented it from becoming "the one".

MASSIVE HIT - Girard Perregaux




Two pictures of this - it still makes me happy to see it. Just stunning, the way the light catches the hands and numerals, the blued hands for the chronograph, even the little red 60/30/12 on the subdials and the 60 on the main dial. I bought it off the forum after a few glasses having just cancelled the order for a Sinn UX that never seemed to be going to arrive. What a lucky escape that was! I feel very lucky to have owned this one but it couldn't be "the one" as I couldn't have subjected it to everyday wear, with the knocks and dings that would have come with it. In the end I advertised it in Sales Corner, only to be met with a feeding frenzy. The guy who bought it was similarly delighted, and I hope it's delighting him to this day.

The One

I've been very lucky to enjoy these (and many other) watches over the years, but I'm done now. One everyday watch, and I've kept a few that I don't wear but wouldn't be able to replace, such as my original Sekonda Strela, and my WW1 Trench watch. So, what's "The One"? Is it something exotic - perhaps a birth year watch? Maybe another Rolex but without the temperamental issues? Nothing so exciting. One of the other downsides of owning reasonably expensive watches is that they are reasonably expensive to service. As well as the Rolex, both the Navitimer and GP needed services - and neither of them came in cheap. So I've got something as waterproof as a Sub, with a date and a little bit of bling (got to love the blue dial), but a bog standard ETA movement that shouldn't cost the earth to service. If it does, it'll be cheaper to bin it and get another one. However, I've had it since mid last year, and it's hardly been off my wrist since - it's not perfect (screwing in the crown is tricky) but it's all the watch I need or desire. A Longines Hydroconquest - who'd have thunk it eh?



I ought to finish up by saying I've really enjoyed my time here - I expect I'll lurk periodically but won't have anything to say. I've met some cracking people who've given advice, or I've bought from and sold to. I've had some great reads and learned loads. Thanks everyone and good night!