What are your watch regrets?

[jb335]

Buying a gloss dial 16750 instead of a matte dial version 6 years ago because I wanted to save the approximate $1500 difference in price.





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[Kevin of Larchmont]

Turning down the anniversary GMT with the green hand after I had one on order with a deposit at the AD. I wasn’t feeling the bezel, the numbers were too big and too white in person. It was $7200 new. Fast forward about five years and I was in the same AD and they had a used one in the case for $17,XXX. My SA said, “You should’ve listened to me.”

[stockjock1975]

Selling my Patek 5167 AND my 5164. Ugh. I’m such an idiot.


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[watch3r]

Non-Rolex related, but the first "nice" watch I ever had was a Tissot that my folks got me for Christmas when I was in graduate school.

I got the leather band wet walking to my car in a rainstorm, so I took it off and put it in the car's cup holder on my drive home. When I got home it was still pouring so I dashed for the house leaving the watch behind. Someone broke into my car that night and stole the watch and whatever change was in the car. A bit of a sentimental bummer.

[the_Hunter]

Passing on a AP 15400 black dial at a discount bc I wanted Blue more

...I still lust after a Royal Oak

[harvey]

…finding this forum! until then I was happy with just one watch.

[puma1552]

Waiting until my current age (39) to buy not only my first Rolex, but my first non-quartz watch.

[JRell]

Originally Posted by harvey

…finding this forum! until then I was happy with just one watch.

Lol yes! Huge +1

[CaptT]

I struck up conversation with a friendly older guy a week or so ago that was wearing a really nice 126711CHNR. He mentioned that he had passed on a new steel Daytona white dial from an AD recently. “It wasn’t the right time.”

I regret that for him. 🤣

[ijoinedforthisthread]

Selling my OP39 white dial... still miss that watch!

[the_Hunter]

Originally Posted by harvey

…finding this forum! until then I was happy with just one watch.

this one wins 100%

[horseco]

Regret selling a 16710 Pepsi, my first new Rolex. I payed $3200 for it in 1996 sold it for $2800 to buy a TT sub.

[ArtNouveau]

My first “nice” watch was a new Rolex SS Datejust in 1984. Until the late 90’s I went through a fair amount of watches but never more than 1-2 at a time. Around 2000 I went kind of nuts and soon had $30K worth stashed mostly in a safe when that was a pretty ridiculous amount of money to have tied up like that. By 2008 or so I was mostly back to 1-2 at a time. I’ve strayed a bit again, now up to four Rolex and some others but try to keep the total dollar amount in check.
So I went through lots of watches. The only kind of regret was wishing I’d held onto my 16520. It was my first SS Daytona and I sold it as soon as I could get my hands on a new 116520. It never occured to me at the time that it would become collectable and quite valuable. I’m a lot more conscientious about selling watches now.

[mmbiker]

Selling my subs too early.

Buying a Tudor and than trying to sell it...

buying cheap watch.

[jitdc]

Not a regret per se but i sold my YG Daytona 116508, champagne dial last year. Ended up getting a chocolate dial oysterflex Daytona 7 months later. Still miss the YG but at the time it made financial sense.

[BMWMotoRider]

I have three regrets with watches. First, not buying the original Yachtmaster in the late 1990’s. The AD was a friend of my fathers and I would have been able to get a good discount. My favorite Rolex reference for many years.

My next regret was not purchasing a new Patek that was offered to my by an AD. Rose gold grand complication, not sure of the exact reference. Beautiful piece but really doesn’t fit my lifestyle very well. That being said, I wish I would have jumped on it.

My last regret is my SD43 purchased last year. I love the watch and it is comfortable on my smallish wrist. After loads of efforts and time waiting for the call with many ADs, I gave up and went grey at the top of the market. I’m ok with the price I paid but not ok with erratic accuracy or lack of with the 3035 caliber. My 24 year old Omega Seamaster with an ETA movement and only serviced once at about 7 years is a better timekeeper than the Sea Dweller. It was purchased as a daily wear piece in memory of my mom who put up with my frequent chatter about Rolexes as a kid and therefore won’t sell it. Hopefully Rolex will have a long term fix someday.

[Ollie1982]

Originally Posted by kwingy

Turning down a Batman at retail when I got the call as I already had just bought one from WF.

And tbh I couldn't have known the prices were gonna jump to what they did. At the time they were below or close to retail.

Had I known they were gonna explode in price, I would have just bought the extra one and on CC and stash it.

Think about it another way…

You already had your Batman, and by not needlessly hoarding a duplicate watch you enabled another watch enthusiast the chance to buy and own their dream watch.

No regrets required here


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[Ollie1982]

Originally Posted by JRell

Not ever ever being content with what I have, and had so many of the popular ones.

Do you wish you’d hung on to any of them now?

Are you still happy being a one watch guy or has the itch returned to source another?


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[Ollie1982]

Originally Posted by Kevin of Larchmont

Turning down the anniversary GMT with the green hand after I had one on order with a deposit at the AD. I wasn’t feeling the bezel, the numbers were too big and too white in person. It was $7200 new. Fast forward about five years and I was in the same AD and they had a used one in the case for $17,XXX. My SA said, “You should’ve listened to me.”

Well, you was right about the numbers being too big that’s for sure, so not all bad!


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[PenDelicate]

Catching influenza in January 2019.

If I hadn't caught that, then I wouldn't have been bed-ridden for four days, wouldn't have exhausted all the "usual" engineering videos on YouTube, wouldn't have remembered a distant interest in watches from when I was a kid, wouldn't have started watching watch-making videos, wouldn't have caught the hype-wave of Rolex, wouldn't have bought my first Sub, wouldn't have bought a TT Daytona, wouldn't have bought a gold Daytona, and would now be 30 grand richer and would have put hundreds of hours per year into some other hobby :-D

[Gazoak]

Buying my wife a Raymond Weil Parsifal in 1996 which at the time was £950 and the same price as a steel lady datejust. She wasn't a Rolex fan then and now loves them.

[John Doyle]

Passed on a 5711 steel back in feb 2018, offered to me to get a foot in the door with Patek. I would have flipped it when the price went up after some years of wearing as I don't like it's design so it's not really a regret based on love for the watch, it's more regret on knowing I could have made easy money if I knew it would appreciate that much. i had no regrets before but based on today's market value, i regret not buying it.

[IamJacky]

No regrets but wished I've started this journey a little earlier... but then times and circumstances were different for me back then, so that's that.

[brandrea]

I think I can honestly say I have none. I’ve enjoyed every single piece I’ve owned and the ones that remain.

[Ichiran]

No regrets. My watch collector will probably look the same if I start all over again given the same resource. Wish I have more spending power though but that's my own limitations.

[Harry-57]

My only regret is letting a 116619LB Kermit slip through my fingers in 2018. I could have bought it on the spot, I would probably have got a discount, it was beautiful in more ways than I can describe, but I just refused to spend north of £20k on something so frivolous. I've filed the Kermit under "The One That Got Away". I've mentally moved on. I think if I got a strong jones for WG and couldn't sweat it off I'd go BLRO.

[garyk]

Not paying better attention to this forum after discovering its existence in the 2000s.

[jaychief]

Not buying a patek 5712/1A at retail when I had the chance......

[jaychief]

ohh and buying some panerai's !!!!

[mcorbett]

Not buying that S/H TT Daytona for £3500 in 2004 and also selling my Submariner Date in 2003 for £1000