The beginnings of a vintage watch collector

​Vintage watches mean different things to different people. To some, it's trash - pieces of scratched metal and barely moving tickers that you have to wind and shake daily just so that they can not tell you the time accurately.

To others, it's something that looks good on the wrist. A nice pairing to go with an outfit and something that they wouldn't entirely throw out. The designs are nice, they've not something you'd usually see on another person's wrist, and they're an interesting accessory to have.

But I guess to me, and for many other who have changed upon my site (good fortune and much gratitude to you all), a vintage watch is a passion.

Alas my vintage wasn't handed down to me. Nor was it procured after very thorough research. Nor was it my first mechanical watch. That honor has to go to my very dressy Baume & Mercier Clifton Moonphase 10055.

I was at dinner with bad influence. He had just bought an IWC Portofino automatic, and the watch was shining brightly in the flourscent lighting of the dim sum restaurant. I asked to look at it, to hold it and to feel what $6,000 felt like.

Haute Horology feels heavy, well-made, and catches a lot of attention. I wanted in.

So the next week we were at watch central in Singapore - Marina Bay Sands. I was to take my virgin watch watching trip. On my mind was the Baume & Mercier I had spent the week gawking at on the website. I didn't know what a moonphase was, I didn't know it was a complete calendar, I didn't know it had this thing called a display case back.

What I did know was my best price. Apparently, so did the salesman.

I left the Shoppes with a shiny new swiss-made watch on my wrist. I had caved; I was disgusted, but man was I happy.