What drives your collection?

[Awaken]

Comfort and exclusivity and color

[Boaters]

Originally Posted by Mystro

Usability. If I don’t want to wear it after awhile then I get rid of it. To me a collection needs to be flexible and speak to your personal style. We grow as a individual through life and the watch collection reflects this as well. If you get it right. contentment will your collection sets in and searching for “the next one” isn’t a issue any more. Speaking out of experience, try not to compromise or settle as it will only cost you more money in the end. Pony up and get the model you really want.

Perfectly said Mystro just as Mick Jagger said "You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need" So true in a lot of things.

[D111s]

I buy pieces that I like 👍

[denmanproject]

I like maximum diversity in small numbers, while maintaining versatility. Each piece needs to stand on its own and be able to be worn for weeks at a time, or 3 in one day without changing clothes lol

I have special memories with each one of these

PS. after seeing your collection all together the Hulk & GS would make a killer 2 pc collection

[JParm]

Originally Posted by denmanproject

PS. after seeing your collection all together the Hulk & GS would make a killer 2 pc collection

Thanks - nice collection as well! Love that G-shock color.

I only posted a few of my watches; my signature line has all of them. I could never get down to a 2 watch collection.

[Ichiran]

I like watches with blue dial.

[denmanproject]

Originally Posted by jpeezy14@hotmail.com

Thanks - nice collection as well! Love that G-shock color.

I only posted a few of my watches; my signature line as all of them. I could never get down to a 2 watch collection.

Thanks! Same here, 2 watches is a nice thought but not realistic lol

That Chopard is killer

[FrequentTrain]

Great collection. I especially like the Chopard and SMP.

I’ve recently focused on more iconic watches from different brands - speedy, seamaster (smp 300m), gmt master ii, navitimer, and iwc pilot.

[Puffy412]

Right now, my collection is driven by simple complications and divers.

Explorer I
Sub 41
SD4K
DSSD-JC

Even though my collection is heavily skewed towards divers, there is quite a bit of diversity in size and dial types among the three — glossy, matte and the JC dial. They all have different personalities, and I enjoy cycling among the three, depending on a variety of variables.

The Explorer is an understated classic that is my “I am going to be in court today” watch, or used in other instances where I don’t want my watch to be too conspicuous.

[TimeAZ]

my pieces remind me of my dad
(*not pictured: OP36, which reminds me of ME... heh)

[stevestil]

i mainly buy what i like and primarily focus on rolex, tudor, omega. i also have a panerai

hopefully patek down the line and VC

maybe a grand seiko one day but just can’t justify spending the $ for a white birch


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[Ba Ba]

My collection focus on :

- steel PATEK
- iconic LANGE
- oddball ROLEX

That pretty much sum up my watch journey… so far for the pass 20 years


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[Pw92676]

Originally Posted by doboy007

my desire :)

Same.

[Milibrk@]

whatever the grey dealers want to buy from me

[danwang0520]

sea, air, land theme with examples of diving, pilot, gmt, chronograph, classic, calendar watches........

[harvey]

…affordability and availability.

[Krash]

Getting the watches I like most drives my collection too. Although my watches probably fit into the more popular category. That’s okay though. I’m still getting the watches I want.

Also, I’m not getting a pure dress watch just because everyone on the internet thinks I should.
If I want 2 divers, then I’m getting 2 divers.


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[brandrea]

This has been a really interesting read so far. It’s really great to hear what guides other enthusiasts collecting.

Honestly I’ve never really thought about it till now, but in my case I think it mostly comes down to these factors:

1. Sense of style, I wear casual clothes most of the time and have no need for dress watches.

2. I gravitate toward Rolex and the classic professional references. To me, these watches represent the design ethos of the brand, and they spoke to me ever since I was a kid reading National Geographic.

3. Outside of Rolex, I like to own references that have or are tied to horological icons or ones that share this type of dna.

[dontbeshort]

Originally Posted by Milibrk@

whatever the grey dealers want to buy from me

It’s good to see that at least 1 person has the conjones to admit they’re driven by profit. Given the abundance of “what’s it worth” posts here, where are all you profiteers/investors standing in this thread? It’s all gone quiet over there

[alphadweller]

No rhyme nor reason. When I like a watch, I give it some time to mature the decision process before I take the jump. I'm not looking for the typical Sea -Land - Sky trio, not trying to tick boxes of any kind.

[Brny11]

Just simple subtle luxury has always been my style. BB58 and Rolex Explorer check all my boxes. Honestly, I can live with either as a one and only.

I would love to own a GMT, Daytona, etc. but prob wouldn’t as they would ultimately fade in wrist time and eventually get sold. Too much watch for me.

[White Collar Boy]

That new Seamaster looks superb, Jesse. I really don’t know what drives my interest in watches. I think I am just drawn towards classic looking tool watches, and the simpler the better for me usually.

[IamJacky]

I've been solely into Rolex for the past 10 years and recently finally decided to venture into Patek.

Several factors for me when I consider the next purchase:

1. Wearability - can I wear it under most occasions if not everyday? Is the watch comfortable enough?
2. Robustness - my work involves lots of manual labor so can this watch endure all these hand motions/sweat/shock?
3. Aesthetics - do I love the look of the watch? does this watch match most of my wardrobe?
4. Prestige - what does this brand stand for? how do I feel about owning a piece from this brand?
5. Value - although selling it is the last thing I'd consider, will this watch retain pretty good value in the preowned market?
6. Affordability - will I be able to replace this watch if it was unfortunately stolen/robbed off me? The watch must not affect or jeopardize my current financial standing.

[Adam84]

I think my collection in the past has been in a constant state of flux as my tastes have refined.

Id still class myself as relatively new to the hobby, ive been collecting for around 6 years, but only really seriously in the last 3 years in terms of luxury pieces

As my tastes have refined ive learned that im most happy with my collection when i have pieces that have no overlap in their designs or purpose, so each piece has its own space in the collection.

For instance my current collection is:

Tudor BB58
Zenith Pilot 40mm
Grand Seiko Skyflake
Rolex Airking 114200

In the future i want to add an Explorer 1 to that and maybe an OP or preferably a Yachtmaster 40mm from Rolex and add another Omega back in with a Speedy (now that the new bracelet has pivoted end links)...plus a Reverso or Polaris.

I try not to think too far ahead though because it will probably take me a few years to get the Rolex part of my collection ticked off.

Luckily my AD stock Omega and Longines which i also love, and theyre bringing out cool models all the time.

Ive made plenty of newbie mistakes over the years so while ive often had watches in and out of the collection, the 4 i have now im 100% happy with so cant see me selling, i will only buy watches i actually want to keep going forward too, so they will have to meet some pretty high criteria to be added to the current collection.

I wholeheartedly subscribe to IAMJacky train of thought in terms of criteria...if a new watch is to enter the collection, it has to meet those points..i buy watches to keep and have a nice base collection already so theres no rush to add, with that said, when i find something i love, i wont settle for anything less whether that from Rolex, Omega, Longines, JLC etc etc....it doesnt have to be a multi 000000 watch to peak my interest.

[JParm]

Great responses so far, gents! Love to see the thought process behind some of these massive purchases.

Originally Posted by stevestil

maybe a grand seiko one day but just can’t justify spending the $ for a white birch

Have you seen it in person? Absolutely amazing, and no secret that GS makes some of the best cases out there in terms of polishing. Compared to what you're getting from Omega, Rolex and others at that price, I don't think you're stepping down at all.

Originally Posted by Krash

Also, I’m not getting a pure dress watch just because everyone on the internet thinks I should.
If I want 2 divers, then I’m getting 2 divers.

Totally agree with this. Dress watches are nice and they look pretty, but they just don't get worn by me - so why have something that's just going to sit in the box. Right now, everything that I own gets worn...that's why I had to get rid of the Reverso, regardless of it being my wedding watch. It just wasn't getting any use and I have no regrets whatsoever with it going away.

Originally Posted by brandrea

Honestly I’ve never really thought about it till now, but in my case I think it mostly comes down to these factors:

1. Sense of style, I wear casual clothes most of the time and have no need for dress watches.

Brian, we truly are quite alike.

Originally Posted by White Collar Boy

That new Seamaster looks superb, Jesse.

Thank you! Not really a Seamaster guy (or Omega, for that matter), but this specific watch just sang to me. Wearing it as a daily as we speak!

[JohnGingerwood]

Insanity drives my collection.

[amh]

This will be my collection:
1) 'Nice' watch (Not really a dress watch since I seldom even wear a button down shirt - WFH!)
2) Everyday watch. Should be relatively light and comfortable.
3) Beater. Used when mountain biking, gardening, rafting etc. Minor damage is expected. No service unless it dies.

I don't think I could ever have just one, but OTOH don't see myself with a dozen either. I love watches but don't see myself as a "collector."

[DougFNJ]

I wanted a black Sub date for years, I also knew I’d want a Datejust or Polar Explorer, 1 or the other. Not because they are hot, but because I love ‘em.

Panerai is the same thing, love the brand, love the designs. So at this point, I feel more satisfied with my collection than I ever have. And I have a full G-Shock and Smartwatch collection to appeal to the geek in me.

Rolex Sub date
White stick dial Datejust 41 with fluted bezel on jubilee
Panerai 1389
Panerai 24
Omega Planet Ocean 43.5 with the orange at the 12-15 marks.

I feel they are all unique from each other. Love them all for different reasons.


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[Dougiebaby]

Originally Posted by jpeezy14@hotmail.com

Is it the need to have all the hot models? Or is it just 1 watch from each brand? Are you Rolex-only? Tool watches or mostly dress watches?

When I first started, I thought that I only needed one watch from each brand; there are so many good ones out there and I thought all Rolex models looked the same. I then went to an almost Rolex-only model, but lately I've started coming back around to "there are more fish in the sea than Rolex only".

I've let a couple of classic watches go recently, including a birth year Sub, to get something a bit different from other brands. I've realized that while I like nice things, I want my nice things to be just a bit different. So my driver isn't what's hot or most fawned over - it's more about liking the things that I like that maybe not everyone has.

Green DD40? Nah, I'll take chocolate. Black Sub? Not for me, I want that splash of green (remember, these things used to just SIT at the AD back in 2017 when I purchased mine). Everyone says fluted / jubilee with blue dial for the DJ? Nope, really like the white on white jubilee / smooth.

Obviously some things are just classics (my GMT, for example), but for the most part, I'm driven away from hot models in lieu of what I actually want.

Let me know what drives your collection!

It’s funny, Rolex creates the watches that just look perfect … to me. I’ll always felt this way about their designs from my first (acquired June 1984 — a DJ36) to now.

As you may expect, over the years I have owned numerous other brands that I really like (most notably Omega). But I always come back to Rolex.

And at different points in my collection life I valued different tastes in watches — I used to wear a suit everyday to work, so I gravitate towards dressier watches like the Datejust. But since 2008 I’ve liked dressier sport watches. And, to me, Rolex delivers in this space.

Most recently, what has fueled my passion is Land-Sea-Air … and my collection reflects that:




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[Barada7]

Loving it on my wrist.

If it’s uncomfortable, too big, too loud, etc., I won’t keep it.

And it’s hard to tell if it passes the test until I’ve worn it for a bit.

For example, I lucked into a 124060 Submariner, but after 2 weeks on the wrist, I couldn’t stand it. Too tall and too uncomfortable. In contrast, the Explorer 214270 is comfortable and low profile. Pretty nearly perfect. I always assumed the Sub was the watch for me, but it wasn’t.