Well done, rationalising and downsizing can be liberating. You seem to have settled on three nice watches, enjoy.
Inspired by Velorum’s ‘Exit Watch’ thread and becoming increasingly disillusioned (and dare I say bored) with watches coming in and out of the house, I decided to think about exiting myself. I can’t begin to imagine how many hours I’ve spent doing watchy stuff over the years but it’ll be a scary number. So it’s time to reclaim my time. I’ll still be an active member of the forum but won’t be buying or selling like I have been.
I accept all the pelters coming my way on this thread as I’m probably the biggest, certainly one of the biggest, flippers here so please use this space to get out all of your laughter at my suggestion……..[insert laughter].
Right, you done?
After much deliberation I decided that I need a diver, a field watch and something a bit smarter. Fortunately I already own my father-in-law’s Seiko 7000-8000 from the early 1970s which is in amazing condition so I’m already sorted for the smarter piece.
[url=https://gasstation-near
[B]The Diver
[/B]
My requirements were:
- Between 39mm and 42mm
- Auto
- At least 100m WR
- Bracelet option (not essential but beneficial)
- Hacking movement
- Good lume (not essential but beneficial)
- Sapphire crystal
- Screw-down crown
- New if possible but not essential
- Brand not as important as meeting the requirements
I made a shortlist of desirables within my price range and, having shopped around both online and on the high-street, I bought a brand new Seiko SPB077J, the ‘Mini MM300’. This watch met all of my requirements and then some, namely hacking and hand-winding and providing 200m of water resistance (that I’ll never need).
As soon as I put it on I was very impressed. The case design and finishing are really excellent, it has satisfying heft without being heavy and wears more like a 40mm than it’s 42mm measurement. The bracelet is surprisingly good for a Seiko in the circa £1000 bracket and is pleasantly different from the usual oyster or jubilee. It also looks great on a rubber or nato. Lume is amazing.
It’s all the diver I’ll ever need and more. Oh, the best part is that I managed to get it at 50% off RRP as it was the last one in the store!
The Field
- Maximum 40mm but smaller preferably
- Auto or quartz
- A brand with some heritage
- Bracelet option (not essential but beneficial)
- Sapphire crystal
- New if possible but not essential
I’ve gone for the classic Hamilton Khaki Field. All requirements met with the added bonus of a bracelet. Classic looks that I love and looks great on a leather strap and a nato. Great heritage too.
What I really like about this watch is that the crown is push / pull which makes winding the auto movement every couple of days really quick and simple and won’t affect tube threads over time. The crown is over-sized and very pleasant to wind.
So there you go, my SOTC for the foreseeable future. I’m determined to enjoy these three as they deserve to be enjoyed and reclaim some time from messing about with purchases and sales.
Wish me luck, I’m trying to break a 20 year habit.
Last edited by TaketheCannoli; 29th September 2022 at 16:03.
Well done, rationalising and downsizing can be liberating. You seem to have settled on three nice watches, enjoy.
Last edited by higham5; 27th September 2022 at 19:18.
Great choices although the SPB077 is actually 44mm if you measure it. It’s hard to believe and does wear a lot smaller due to the case shape. I have the 079 which is almost the same but comes on a rubber strap. A strapcode oyster sorted that.
Great watch as it is though, for me the SPB143 (and 297 in my case) get the wrist time ahead of the 079.
Could we see the Seiko you received from you father in law?
Good luck to you, the hardest part is the beginning which hopefully you will get over fairly soon and after that you have to stop scanning adverts and keeping up yourself with prices etc. Just live a normal life not thinking about watches all the time.
Just remember most sane people have one watch for every day wear and another for special occasions. Possibly a pocket watch if you have need to attend the more formal of occasions but that is it. Anything above that is nerdy collecting.
Also I bet you often lose out when you buy and sell, so you can spend the cash you save on something else.
Good luck and keep us all posted.
That’s pretty hard to argue against as a three watch collection
They are all pretty much the classic watch if their type.
I would be happy with them.
Enjoy!
Been down this path many times and it is extremely difficult to kick the flipping habit. It seems Ian is settled and I wish you every success David. I think the key is to completely ignore SC. The minute you go on it, you will see something and all the good work will be undone.
Very nice; they complement each other very well. I especially love the old no-date Seiko. But you need a G Shock to take on holiday.
Very nice 3-watch collection; I could cheerfully live with that... . . .
. . . ...following years of counselling and aversion therapy to my current addiction
Good luck with the whole self-control thing
Make a solemn promise that before you make any further purchase, that you will lie naked in your front garden for two hours and have your missus send in a pic as proof.
Well done David! Great to go down to 3 watches and you've chosen well. 👍
Thanks, it is in amazing condition. He bought it new in the early 70s for the princely sum of £3. It ran flawlessly until 2018 when the main spring failed, unsurprisingly. He didn't see the point in spending £80+ on a £3 watch so gave it to me. I got it fixed by Brendan and it's been fine ever since.
I’ve been looking for a 079 for a while, but the deals seem to have dried up, I like the blue bezel on it over the black - but your collection looks good. I seem to be looking more and more at seiko’s again recently, they seem to tick many boxes!
Just need to sell a load now!
Some very decent choices there, particularly that Seiko at 5% discount.
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Sorry, 50%, I’m rubbish at typing.
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Sorry, 50%, I’m rubbish at typing.
Very good but doesn’t maintaining an interest in the hobby require some degree of flipping?
Jesus Christ. I’ve had an absolutely shitty day, my dog’s been run over and is in the vet’s overnight, I’m working away from home so have been unable to help my wife with the whole situation, I come on a couple of forums to chill out and unwind - as a Smiths owner - and have to put up with your bullshit.
A nice collection. I’m a fan of Seiko watches and as I was scrolling I was thinking it was going to be a full Seiko house.
I think I have reached the end of buying watches (unless I win the lottery!).
Good luck and stay strong!
Absolutely not, why should it? There are members here that have never sold a watch, but increased their collection. There are people with one watch who are fanatical horophiles, one of my mates is watch crazy and wears a lovely Longines. There is also the Japanese fellow, who has an incredible collection of Patek Phillipe's, sealed in cellophane, untouched, and never 'flipped' a watch, acquisition only.
I’ve really slowed my flipping over the last few years and it hasn’t affected my enjoyment of the hobby at all. When I realised I’d never find the ‘perfect watch’ having owned pretty much every watch on my grail list and flipped it - I relaxed and realised you can read about new stuff in this hobby without having to actually buy it. And once you stop buying you don’t have to worry about selling! - good luck, however long you manage to stay off the merry go round!
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Last edited by RobDad; 28th September 2022 at 22:43.
For the record my current 3 are a BB58, a Tissot PRX quartz and a Casio GW-5000. The diver and the g shock are definite keepers, the dressy/quartz PRX isn’t completely safe but I can’t be bothered to flip it as this type of watch is not a natural fit for my tastes but I want something different that’s a grab and go - I’ll just persevere until it feels right! - they are all I’ve worn now for about 6 months and I don’t get bored by any of them. Money wise quite a humble collection compared to many but I’m happy and that’s what counts :)
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Same goes for me, fingers crossed for a happy outcome.
To the OP, I am also now thinking along the same lines.
Just bought a Garmin, to see how it works out.
To the OP, it look like you've found a small, capable collection that you can be content with, which is great. I'm trying to abstain from buying anything until Christmas. I've a four watch collection now - diver, pilot, 2 x dress watch - that I'm mostly happy with. I managed to resist a few very tempting watches over the last weeks but I can't say I'll never flip again.
So many similarities there. I've already passed the first test as usually I'd have bought David's vintage Seiko 7C43 yesterday and I walked past. That felt good.
I'm not saying I'll never buy and sell again as I know I will and that's OK, it's the constant flipping that has to stop. I thought about giving myself a deadline of Christmas too but I think one day at a time works better for me.
A strict one in, one out policy can help because it gives you a dilemma, do I really want that watch on SC and what would have to go. Is the one on SC better than the one that’s lined up for the chop. Makes you have to think instead of just jumping in.
David, I honestly think I may have bought and sold more than you during my time here, especially in the last couple of years. I get bored easily. I need to sell to cover the cost of the latest incoming, hence the flipping. Like yourself, I’ve recognised that it needs to stop. Occasionally I’ll break even, never made a profit, more often than not sold at an occasionally substantial loss. As regards the losses, well this is a hobby and most hobbies cost money.
It’s dawned on me there’s nothing new under the sun and I’m becoming jaded with the whole business. Two is the magic number for me. As it happens I have two just now, though not perhaps the two I’d choose to call it a day with.
Menswear as well, or just watches?
I’ll never understand the flipper mentality, I think its the thrill of buying that motivates their behaviour. If I like a watch enough and I can afford it ( or can justify the expense) I start hunting for a good used example at sensible money. Taking a long view allows a decent collection to be built over a period of years, decisions to buy or sell are not taken lightly. Having plenty of watches to choose from means I never get bored with one, I tend to wear a watch for a week or two then put it back into storage for a few weeks/months, next time it comes out it feels ‘ new’ again. A simple philosophy that works for me.
If you like watches it makes sense to own a few, trying to search for ‘the one’ is futile, accept that you’re happier owning a few and wear in rotation. If bought carefully, which means buying used or vintage in most cases, watches can be a decent investment and its fair to consider a collection as an asset with a value.
I think long and hard before selling any watch unless its been bought as a fixer-upper and its very rare that I regret letting a watch go. Likewise, I don’t buy on impulse and it’s very rare that I decide not to keep a watch.
Being involved a repairer also gives me chance to handle plenty of watches, the majority of stuff I work on doesn’t appeal to my taste but there are notable exceptions, I’ve had a few that I could happily have kept!
I think it depends on the depth of your pockets, and then there are two aspects - the money tied up in watches and the money lost flipping. I have quite a bit of the former, but have been reasonably successful in minimising the latter, even though I've got through a lot. The key for me is to only buy something for what you know you can sell it for, unless you're absolutely sure it's a keeper.
It took me a long time to realise that this is the truth. The thrill of an incoming is what fuelled my flipping to a large degree. Yes I've had the opportunity to own, wear and try many many different watches and that also had its own satisfaction but ultimately I believe it was the thrill of the incoming that drove my behaviour.
What's interesting now is whether I'll need to replace that thrill or be happy to lose it.
Some folks are virtually addicted to the thrill of buying and getting something new, that's the shopaholic mentality, my sister was a prime example. However, regarding watches, with an extensive collection there's a similar kick from digging one out that hasn`t been worn for several months. I'm currently wearing a bimetal Seamaster Professional:
This is a watch I`ve owned since 2006 and bought for around £700 from US ebay, it's unusual and quite rare in the UK but not a watch I`d wear frequently because I have others I prefer for daily wear. I won't sell it even though it rarely gets used, I enjoy owning it and wearing it for a few days then putting it back in storage. This is what the flippers miss out on, if they'd built a collection of watches over a long period, buying when finances allow or when a watch crops up, they would now have the benefit of owning the watches and still being able to enjoy them. Selling a watch you really like in order to fund another that you might like a little more (until the initial buzz wears off) is folly, accepting there's a limit to how much money people can put into watches it makes more sense to save up for the next watch, keeping the money available for when a good example comes along. I probably own too many (24, with a couple of project watches to finish) but I think there's a happy medium of around 6-10 watches. Service/maintenance costs can become a problem, I`m fortunate on that score, but generally if you get a watch serviced properly it should be OK for several years if worn sparingly so the cost needn't be excessive.
When I read the posts from reformed flippers, who have finally settled on 1 or 2 watches and feel somewhat content that the journey is over, I don`t envy them at all. Deep down they must wish they still owned some if not all the watches they've flipped, if they'd done it my way they'd still own them and still be able to get pleasure from them.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 29th September 2022 at 13:27.
Not everyone wants or can afford a large collection Paul, and watches do fall out of favour with owners.
Each to their own is what I say, I’ve had largish collections (although not by TZ standards) and currently have seven but only really ever wear two.
I’d be happy with a two (or three) watch collection and have no regrets about any that I’ve sold in the past (except maybe my 16600 Seadweller).