Collectors Guilt?
Author
Discussion

Bob_Defly

Original Poster:

4,880 posts

248 months

Thursday 15th June 2023
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I have a fairly low budget collection of about 8 watches, but I find I tend to gravitate towards say two of them as daily wearers. Which sort of makes me feel silly for having a collection at all.

I'm hoping to get an Omega for a milestone birthday, and will probably daily that as much as I can. So my other watches might not get a look in for a while.

Do you have watches in your collection that you still want to keep but just never get worn? Other than sentimental value, what's the point of keeping them?

gregs656

11,808 posts

198 months

Thursday 15th June 2023
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I'm not sure if guilt is the right word but I do look at all the crap I have in general and think I need to seriously go through it.

I moved country 5 years a go with a hold all and a back pack, and have accumulated far too much crap since then.

Hoofy

78,797 posts

299 months

Thursday 15th June 2023
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Good question. I guess if you don't need the money and you like to look at them, why not keep them?

andy tims

5,594 posts

263 months

Thursday 15th June 2023
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I have 3 I never wear. They all have sentimental value.

All the rest get worn.

GilletteFan

672 posts

48 months

Friday 16th June 2023
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I never liked having more than one watch. Just imagine having a watch that costs as much as a car sitting in the back of the drawer. Taking it out to wear after a while and then seeing the complication doesn't work just after the warranty expired. Nothing a few thousand quid can't fix, eh? Now times this by the number of watches you have. I now wear an Apple Watch daily. Life is simple. Life is good.

blue_haddock

4,554 posts

84 months

Friday 16th June 2023
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I probably have 40 to 50 watches and i regularly move some on but there are a fairly large number of watches that i dont wear very often but for one reason or another would never sell.


LeeM135i

710 posts

71 months

Friday 16th June 2023
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Currently have 7 watches, 3 are sentimental so don't get worn very often. One has a loud tick which drives my wife crazy so it doesn't get worn often. One is fairly dressy so is only worn on special occasions which leaves me with an Apple Watch and a Luminox which I wear when I need to detox from the constant notifications and stand, exercise reminders.

I do keep an eye out for certain watches I think will increase in value over time, mostly limited editions that have something unique about them or a good story. My loud ticker was purchased for £450 about 10 years ago and is worth £900 to £1000 now and my dressy watch was £800 a few years back and worth about £1500 now so nothing uber special, probably just about keeping up with inflation so better than having money in the bank.

When I 'collect' stuff I try and collect stuff that will be worth the same or more in the future in case the poo hits the fan and I need the cash. I have done OK with watches, Lego and MontBlanc pens over the years, not enough to make a real difference but it's nice all the same.

Doofus

31,380 posts

190 months

Friday 16th June 2023
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I've got 19. Some I never wear, but they're not worth selling. Some I rarely wear, but would miss them if they went.

Realistically, I need a dress watch, a 'sports' watch, a diver, a daily and a 'beater'. And that's what I wear. I do rotate divers in order to give them all a go.

I don't have any guilt, as my most expensive watches are the ones I wear, and I've never bought a watch I couldn't afford and don't have any money tied up in watches that I need for something else.

shambolic

2,146 posts

184 months

Saturday 17th June 2023
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GilletteFan said:


I never liked having more than one watch. Just imagine having a watch that costs as much as a car sitting in the back of the drawer. Taking it out to wear after a while and then seeing the complication doesn't work just after the warranty expired. Nothing a few thousand quid can't fix, eh? Now times this by the number of watches you have. I now wear an Apple Watch daily. Life is simple. Life is good.
Bore off

Kirkmoly

186 posts

35 months

Saturday 17th June 2023
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I have 11 and a 12th on order then that’ll be me done. I wear a watch for about 4-6 weeks before I get bored and switch to another one so they all get some wrist time over an 18 month period. Works for me.

iphonedyou

9,946 posts

174 months

Saturday 17th June 2023
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GilletteFan said:


I never liked having more than one watch. Just imagine having a watch that costs as much as a car sitting in the back of the drawer. Taking it out to wear after a while and then seeing the complication doesn't work just after the warranty expired. Nothing a few thousand quid can't fix, eh? Now times this by the number of watches you have. I now wear an Apple Watch daily. Life is simple. Life is good.
I'll believe your life is good when you stop posting your miserable thoughts about watches on here.

Jamescrs

5,436 posts

82 months

Saturday 17th June 2023
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I have thinned down my collection quite a bit, not that it was big to start with.

I have maybe 8 watches currently, the most expensive being a Seamaster 300 I bought myself for my 40th a couple of years ago, as it was a significant life event I doubt I'll ever part with it.

I have two which are sentimental that I'll never wear but I keep them anyway, low value quartz watches but have meaning to me.

Then I have a Seiko diver, a couple of G shocks, a swatch Omega moonwatch which again I've never worn, was an impulse buy.

My daily watch is a Samsung watch 5 Pro, its useful and not hugely valuable so I dont worry about it.

Ikemi

8,566 posts

222 months

Saturday 17th June 2023
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Bob_Defly said:
I have a fairly low budget collection of about 8 watches, but I find I tend to gravitate towards say two of them as daily wearers. Which sort of makes me feel silly for having a collection at all.

I'm hoping to get an Omega for a milestone birthday, and will probably daily that as much as I can. So my other watches might not get a look in for a while.

Do you have watches in your collection that you still want to keep but just never get worn? Other than sentimental value, what's the point of keeping them?
One good reason is, I bought them at a price that's a lot less than what they're worth now! Essentially, I'd make money, but if I ever wanted to own that piece again (or missed it!), I'd have to pay a fair bit more! If there is a watch that you never wear - and you don't love it, nor would you miss it - I'd probably sell it on! If it has sentimental value, or you bought it for a purpose (holiday watch, interview watch etc.), then keep it! smile

Macneil

1,003 posts

97 months

Sunday 18th June 2023
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I've got a couple of watches that were gifts from Mrs M, that won't ever go, but I'm pretty fluid about the rest.

I decided earlier to get rid of some watches I bought on a whim and keep the money in a separate account, so that if something really special comes along I can buy it.

But Guilt? Oh yes. I think really that I ought to be doing something else with that money, a new lawn, kitchen, upgrade my car, but I've got luckily enough savings to do that anyway so it's not as if I'm disadvantaging the family by having a few nice watches.

Sheetmaself

5,973 posts

215 months

Sunday 18th June 2023
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What 8 do you have? Are they all similar?

I see a lot of people who say they have a collection, which when you look at them they are variations of the same watch i.e. stainless steel, black face.

I have a decent size collection, in my collection I have very few similar watches and for me the joy of having a few means that I can have the more crazy ones that would never work as an only watch, but for that occasion that pops up every few months it’s perfect (think Orange Boutique model Corum Bubble).

Hoofy

78,797 posts

299 months

Sunday 18th June 2023
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Sheetmaself said:
What 8 do you have? Are they all similar?

I see a lot of people who say they have a collection, which when you look at them they are variations of the same watch i.e. stainless steel, black face.

I have a decent size collection, in my collection I have very few similar watches and for me the joy of having a few means that I can have the more crazy ones that would never work as an only watch, but for that occasion that pops up every few months it’s perfect (think Orange Boutique model Corum Bubble).
That's true. I could probably say I have several collections of watches.

I went through a square/cushion case period, then a cathedral hands period, then an aviator period, now going through a bronze/brass period.

biggrin

When do you wear your Corum Bubble then?


Sheetmaself

5,973 posts

215 months

Sunday 18th June 2023
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Generally casual shorts and t shirt, or occasionally on an informal night out in jeans and a short sleeve shirt (it will not fit under sleeves!).

AlexC1981

5,392 posts

234 months

Sunday 18th June 2023
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I have been collecting watches for about 17 years and I have around 100 in total. I've sold maybe 3 in that time. Trouble is, the bulk of them are worth under £100 each, so whilst collectively they are worth something, it would take ages to sell them. I'd be happy to sell about half of them.

Hoofy

78,797 posts

299 months

Monday 19th June 2023
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Sheetmaself said:
Generally casual shorts and t shirt, or occasionally on an informal night out in jeans and a short sleeve shirt (it will not fit under sleeves!).
I did wonder. When you said "that occasion" and "every few months" I thought you meant something very formal and wondered how it fit under a shirt!

M1K3

3,807 posts

201 months

Monday 19th June 2023
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I’m currently thinning out the collection with the aim of consolidating down to a few watches I love equally so a few of my more expensive watches are going. I’ll always keep a few what I would class as bread n butter Rolex (subs)in the safe as easy to liquidate if ever needed.

Recently put two VC on the chopping block, traditionelle and full rose gold overseas. These will get put into a full gold AP. Some will see this as madness but the VC just live in the safe at this point with little consideration of being worn.

PP 5980 gone.
AP 26331st and 15202 gone

I see my daily rotation as

My ostentatious DD40
AP Royal Oak full gold
ALS zeitwerk
Explorer II beater for around the house

What gets added will depend on the AD, the above for me though is adequate.