Collecting watches: how in the world did I ended up with 135 of them?!
So I hit 5,000 followers on Instagram. That to me is quite the milestone. I've never really been a fan of being active on the platform and so most of the growth has been a result of me following other people and them following back.
Plus, the constant posting of photos of nice watches work too.
All in all, I'd say it's been an awesome journey. I've been collecting watches for a little more than 6 years now and from the spreadsheet I've gone through about 243 watches, with 135 of them still with me now.
It's been a hell of a ride, and I'm glad that I got to share this with the (albeit small) community of mine through my photos and blog. I don't go for the super high-end - Submariners and Explorers and GMTs are out of reach for me; Reversos don't really fit my wrist well; and APs are not just expensive but bloody mainstream. I don't ravel in conversation much - I tend to keep my comments to myself and the select few friends I keep. And I'm not really well-read in the movement and calibres to go full WIS.
I like to think that I'm just a simple collector - buying watches I like and that seem legit without doing tonnes or research into their history and dial variations and reference numbers. My time with the numerous watches I have, along with the few close friends I have made along the way, have served me well in being able to identify a good watch from a regretful one.
Till this day I remain humble (some will probably laugh at hearing this word being used to describe me) on my opinion towards watches. Sure, there are the few that I absolutely dislike (and even then I can argue that it's probably more of their customer base than the watches that I disdain), but in the end the thought of a mechanical beating heart powered by the willingness of its keeper to activate and appreciate it is what keeps my passion going.
Many a times I have told myself. "this is the last watch," and "I have no space for this one," only to see myself purchasing yet another watch box and reorganizing the shelf (yes all my watches are in boxes in the single shelf in my room).
Above: The old, the new, and the wanna be old.
The allure is the hobby is part desire to own something that catches my eye, and also to feel the gratification of one's desire to buy a new watch. Either ways I end up with the unbearably long wait for the postman, the occasional taxes, the rare need to service a watch, but all that amidst the joy of adding one more to the heap that I already have.
From the Baume et Mercier Clifton Moonphase to the Longines Art Deco, to the Seiko chronographs and King Seikos, to the Rolex DateJusts and my beloved Omega Constellations, to several other genres of watches that I am so proud to own and have owned - this is my happy journey.
Thank you all for sharing this with me.
And now I suppose I should take things to another level. I see Instagram Live sessions being conducted between watch collectors. They look awesome - to meet and talk watches with some dude from all across the world. I see lengthy comment sections of certain collectors and wonder if it'll be worthwhile giving my five cents' worth. I thumb through the photos of a new collector and hope it's not too rude if I share my views to his questions.
Engagement with the watch community may be interesting, and really worth a try. So to the person I ever choose to make watch-talk with, let's make the best of our common hobby and share in the rich, fascinating, and unending world of ticking money sponges.
Till the next 5,000 I guess.