Losing Interest in Watches

[superdog]

Hear me out...

Please...it is just a thought process. No flames please....

I used to love comic books. Any kind. My dad would drop me off at the store and pick me up hours later. I would scour the books for hours on end. I would read and reread my favorites.

Now that comics are so very mainstream, I am less of a fan. I liked being the nerd that liked comic books.

I liked being the nerd that knew the different watch model numbers too. I enjoyed the study of and the hobby of horology. I loved wearing watches.

Now that watches are so very mainstream, I am losing interest. Maybe it is the difficulty in getting. That is entirely possible. The drama in the watch world does make it less fun.

But with all the hype social media posts and watches being the big way of showing wealth, I am finding myself not wearing one these days. All last week, no watch. I wore one this weekend. As of this am, I am watchless once again...and I like it.

And everywhere I look, the watch appears to be the "symbol" of wealth. The nicer the watch, the wealthier the wearer. I don't like how that feels to me.

I am genuinely losing interest in them. I actually love my wrist being free of it, while everyone else has one on.

Maybe I just like being a little bit different. Maybe I am just a bit of a contrarian.

Maybe the hype and the drama are just too much for me. But either way, I am losing interest.

Curious if this is just me...

[subtona]

Enjoyed collecting comics for many years.

Have Comics become mainstream? When did that happen?


Still more folks who are not wearing watches... just look to different sources for your data?

[superdog]

Originally Posted by subtona

Enjoyed collecting comics for many years.

Have Comics become mainstream? When did that happen?


Still more folks who are not wearing watches... just look to different sources for your data?

surely my friend you are kidding on the comics bit right?

and likely you are right. this is just what I see on IG and the people I tend to associate with.

[Brew]

I don’t think the watches are the “problem.” Perhaps instead it’s the social media?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Brew

I don’t think the watches are the “problem.” Perhaps instead it’s the social media?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

likely. I think are correct. still love the idea of watches. I still find them extremely charming. I have no interest in selling any of mine right now.

but the general vibe I get from them now is not to track the one thing we truly have in life...time. but rather now it is the desire to show status. at least on social media it is.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by superdog

I am genuinely losing interest in them. I actually love my wrist being free of it, while everyone else has one on.

Maybe I just like being a little bit different. Maybe I am just a bit of a contrarian.

Maybe the hype and the drama are just too much for me. But either way, I am losing interest.

Curious if this is just me...

Been there, wrote about it, still there

Sometimes I think about selling everything except two and moving on. Take the money and do something fun.

[Blansky]

I think a couple of things are happening. Firstly the whole Rolex unavailability thing sours some people but more than that I think Covid has changed us more than we know.

The staying at home, the kids at home, the work from home, the lack of the usual social interactions etc has many many people in kind of a depression that they may not even realize.

My advice, not that you need it, is simply do what feels right in regard to watches, but don't necessarily sell them. Just put them away for a while and see if by next spring perhaps, you feel more "normal'.

I really think we don't even know how much Covid has changed things and us.

And as far as Rolex goes. I'd give it a rest too. Lots of exciting brands out there to get excited about.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Been there, wrote about it, still there

Sometimes I think about selling everything except two and moving on. Take the money and do something fun.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Blansky

I think a couple of things are happening. Firstly the whole Rolex unavailability thing sours some people but more than that I think Covid has changed us more than we know.

The staying at home, the kids at home, the work from home, the lack of the usual social interactions etc has many many people in kind of a depressions that that may not even realize.

My advice, not that you need it, is simply do what feels right in regard to watches, but don't necessarily sell them. Just put them away for a while and see if by next spring perhaps, you feel more "normal'.

I really think we don't even know how much Covid has changed things and us.

And as far as Rolex goes. I'd give it a rest too. Lots of exciting brands out there to get excited about.

Great post. Thank you.

I think you are likely spot on. So very much so in regard to covid depression etc.

No plans to sell. I really do love them. Just don’t want to wear any for the time being. Weird.

[GB-man]

I tend to run in cycles. Obsessed and always looking to add > content with the collection > tired of watches and selling> back to the start

I’ve said before I’m more of a connoisseur than a collector.

Where am I right now? Somewhere between obsessed and content

[pickettt]

If you love it for what it is, disregard all of the noise.

[Chewbacca]

I’m with you.

But I also don’t mind. Don’t care. As others said, many brands out there which are equal or better than Rolex and not viewed as a commodity or even a security. And there’s other hobbies too.

Side bar, one discussion I had with a watch salesperson/collector over DM was that it’s like every enthusiast thought all their posts and kudos were private and theirs alone and when the followers with means started taking notice it wasn’t their hobby alone anymore, but rather a tacky accessory to boast about.

We kinda did this to ourselves.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by pickettt

If you love it for what it is, disregard all of the noise.

I think that's how the Covid depression gets to us.

Normally the noise would just be noise, but the nagging underlying symptoms from Covid depression and frustration starts to overwhelm people and they too can be a part of the noise themselves whether it's social media or self talk.

We have to just do the "this too will pass" and tough it out.

Before Delta there was a bit of euphoria about, great, this thing is winding down, and then, damn, here we go again.

We need Jesse (jpeezy14@hotmail.com) to give us more daily travelogs.

[Chiboy]

I haven't been into a watch store since my wife was looking for a watch 2 1/2 years ago. the market seems crazy. I don't do Insta or the other social media stuff, so don't really know what all the boasting is. My love of wearing my Daytona hasn't changed one bit though. I put it on when I get out of bed in the morning and wear it all day other than for exercise. And it makes me smile every time. But the idea of perhaps selling my original DJ, which I don't wear, and buying a second watch to sometimes wear, has taken a backseat as virtually all watches that interest me are impossible to attain for me (without paying gray prices).

I truly don't know why I spend time at TRF, especially the Rolex section. It's virtually all the same ole same ole. I do enjoy this Open forum, and find the Patek forum (although I don't have any Pateks) to be more like the way this whole forum used to be when it didn't read like a financial investment site.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by pickettt

If you love it for what it is, disregard all of the noise.

I agree with you in principal.

But it is everywhere. Hard to ignore the noise.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

I’m with you.

But I also don’t mind. Don’t care. As others said, many brands out there which are equal or better than Rolex and not viewed as a commodity or even a security. And there’s other hobbies too.

Side bar, one discussion I had with a watch salesperson/collector over DM was that it’s like every enthusiast thought all their posts and kudos were private and theirs alone and when the followers with means started taking notice it wasn’t their hobby alone anymore, but rather a tacky accessory to boast about.

We kinda did this to ourselves.

great post. great points.

the last bit is what gets me.

I get comments on my watches weekly these days. I know I am in the minority here in that regard. I am starting to prefer the anonymity of simply not wearing one.

[Pw92676]

I still like watches but I don’t find myself gravitating towards the “hot” stuff for the reasons you mentioned.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by GB-man

I tend to run in cycles. Obsessed and always looking to add > content with the collection > tired of watches and selling> back to the start

I’ve said before I’m more of a connoisseur than a collector.

Where am I right now? Somewhere between obsessed and content

I can very much relate to this. Big time. I too go through cycles.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Pw92676

I still like watches but I don’t find myself gravitating towards the “hot” stuff for the reasons you mentioned.

I can relate to that too. I am noticing it is the less popular stuff that I prefer.

[Tricolore66]

I’m losing interest too. Not sure if it’s the hassle of trying to source the watches without paying 2x MSRP, that I’ve owned/do own pretty much everything I want, the IG watch culture I can’t stand, or just the desire to keep a low profile. I’m running into the same thing with cars. I find today I’m most interested in learning another language, improving my guitar playing and my tennis game.

[Speedbird-1]

There's nothing I want to buy (ie. pay silly money for).

Don't wear a watch much as I'm at home the majority of the day.
So, what's the point?


I was very, into stamp collecting when I was a boy.
An uncle took me to Stanley Gibbons, in London for a Birthday treat.
The whole experience blew my mind, the massive scale of it all...and the cost of anything nice, just burned away my interest.
Tried to 'specialise' for a while,....but I was ruined.

That's a bit how I'm feeling about Rolex.
The, 'feeding frenzy' atmosphere, turns my stomach a bit.

[JParm]

Originally Posted by Blansky

We need Jesse (jpeezy14@hotmail.com) to give us more daily travelogs.

I've got a couple coming from the Keys!

In response to Seth - I totally understand that. There's always ebbs and flows with everything, and I've had times where I've said "maybe I don't need this many watches" or "I'm a bit tired of reading about these things...".

Over the last year, I hadn't really spent much time reading the actual Rolex Forums; just spent time on the Open Discussion side with you fine gentlemen. It was the same stuff over and over (and it still kind of is) on the watch side of the house.

It was refreshing to get away, but recently I've jumped back in and it's been great. Even if I take a breather here and there, I'll never fully get away because I love the feeling of wearing a watch on my wrist. At the very least, my kids keep me interested.

My son, looking at my new DJ41 - "Dad is that a new watch? It's nice, but mine is the blue and red one." He's known the GMT is his all this time.

[Chiboy]

If Instagram ruins the hobby for some of you, why don't you not follow watch-related stuff on Instagram?

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Chiboy

If Instagram ruins the hobby for some of you, why don't you not follow watch-related stuff on Instagram?

a great suggestion.

for me, my IG is mostly car stuff. I like seeing my watch friends and what they are posting. I dont follow watch stuff, to see watches...if that makes any sense.

its not really the IG stuff per say. It is more about "value" of showing what they have....not for he love of it....but for the cred.

but I completely get what you are saying.

[huncho]

Originally Posted by superdog

a great suggestion.

for me, my IG is mostly car stuff. I like seeing my watch friends and what they are posting. I dont follow watch stuff, to see watches...if that makes any sense.

its not really the IG stuff per say. It is more about "value" of showing what they have....not for he love of it....but for the cred.

but I completely get what you are saying.

i think the same could be said for everything. i highly doubt a lot of the guys driving lamborghinis/ferraris are car enthusiasts and mostly just get it because of what it represents but i feel like that wouldn't stop a car enthusiast from driving one. i think the same should be said for watches. there are obviously a lot of people flaunting wealth with these but it still feels nice to wear them and you can't control the way people perceive things

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Tricolore66

I’m losing interest too. Not sure if it’s the hassle of trying to source the watches without paying 2x MSRP, that I’ve owned/do own pretty much everything I want, the IG watch culture I can’t stand, or just the desire to keep a low profile. I’m running into the same thing with cars. I find today I’m most interested in learning another language, improving my guitar playing and my tennis game.

same. i am not playing the games anymore. I used to love the games. and I used to love getting in and out of cars.

now I have my little garage set up, and I like it. not looking at cars daily like I used to. the pricing is mind boggling. I have no idea how most people are paying the carrying costs, let along the cost of the car.

you cant even get an exotic car at list these days. used to be a very exclusive opportunity for a lucky few. now, they are everywhere. literally 300k cars are selling for 400k+.

I was looking at an SLS black series. approx 400k. A year later 650k. This is actually common.

I will have an exotic again someday. I was lucky enough to get an allocation for the last of the V12's every to be produced. but I actually sold mine because I did not want to be associated with the current madness.


btw.....34k patek is selling for 400k.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by huncho

i think the same could be said for everything. i highly doubt a lot of the guys driving lamborghinis/ferraris are car enthusiasts and mostly just get it because of what it represents but i feel like that wouldn't stop a car enthusiast from driving one. i think the same should be said for watches. there are obviously a lot of people flaunting wealth with these but it still feels nice to wear them and you can't control the way people perceive things

you are absolutely correct in your assessment. at least from my perspective. so many folks driving exotics because it is a way to show what they have. How many of them do you think see a track? or drive distance. likely not that many.

for me though, I did sell my lambo partially because of this climate.

but your point is well said, and well taken.

[Rashid.bk]

Depends on your circle I guess, I wear a Pam1305 in the ER, literally only one person(a doctor who owns a few nice watches) knew something of what it was and its value, the rest of the whole staff could care less.

Bottom line, I buy it for me, regardless of mainstream or popularity, none of that affects my enjoyment or touches my emotional connection to it when I look down at it, the relationship I have with my own watches is personal regardless of how many there are around me or in public. My journey to ownership also has an impact on that. Ever since I became interested in mechanical watches it had nothing to do with value or price, for me it was the lasting quality and micro mechanics I found infinitely interesting, then I started to learn about history and heritage.

So I would say it depends on why you like them, and how they make you personally feel and your journey to purchase. For many buying a $60k watch is uneventful and that process may be meaningless in that aspect, but for me spending $10-20k on a watch is a huge deal.

If this is just another random hobby you used to pass time, no big deal, those come and go for whatever reason. I collected comics too, I was also obsessed with chess, and graffiti when I was even younger....they came and they went, no biggie, watches may be the same for many, just took part in the latest fad, on to the next thing.

ymmv....

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Rashid.bk

Depends on your circle I guess, I wear a Pam1305 in the ER, literally only one person(a doctor who owns a few nice watches) knew something of what it was and its value, the rest of the whole staff could care less.

Bottom line, I buy it for me, regardless of mainstream or popularity, none of that affects my enjoyment or touches my emotional connection to it when I look down at it, the relationship I have with my own watches is personal regardless of how many there are around me or in public. My journey to ownership also has an impact on that. Ever since I became interested in mechanical watches it had nothing to do with value or price, for me it was the lasting quality and micro mechanics I found infinitely interesting, then I started to learn about history and heritage.

So I would say it depends on why you like them, and how they make you personally feel and your journey to purchase. For many buying a $60k watch is uneventful and that process may be meaningless in that aspect, but for me spending $10-20k on a watch is a huge deal.

If this is just another random hobby you used to pass time, no big deal, those come and go for whatever reason. I collected comics too, I was also obsessed with chess, and graffiti when I was even younger....they came and they went, no biggie, watches may be the same for many, just took part in the latest fad, on to the next thing.

ymmv....

more or less a passion since childhood.

but I understand what you are saying. and appreciate your perspective.

I love PAM's btw. I do think people notice and care more than you think....but that is unprovable on both ends, and not really important.

but yeah, whereas a watch for a few k used to thrill me and it was a huge deal...it is less so now. the enjoyment in the purchase is simply not there.

love watches for what they are. I might very well continue to add at some point....but I might also not wear them. after all, if they are truly solely for me, I can easily tell time with my phone or any wall clock etc...

[Mifune]

how are you going to tell time then?