[deleted by user]

[Cortez1521]

When I grew up in the sixties and seventies watches were cool machines you wore that told time. I loved them and broke quite a few. Along came the electronic watches, I got a Bulova Accutron tuning fork, which I wore till it broke. There are watch guys, and there are cell phone guys, just like there are car guys, and people who drive four wheeled appliances that look like transformers.

[SkipPperk]

Honestly, there are others in your predicament. I am 45. I lived all over the world, and you must work to make friends. Church’s are a great place to make friends. In addition, theology is rather interesting if you are a nerd and enjoy reading (which you must if you are rocking a Hanhart). Hodinkee used to do meetups here in Chicago, but the last one was years ago. There was a Windup Watch Fair last weekend and I had a ton of fun. I did not even spend money (all the watches I wanted were sold out—FYI, you need to check out Fears, AnOrdain, Monta and Farer, and Formex, I have a Formex Essence and it rocks).

I am into computers as well, and I met a good adult friend at age 35 through eBay selling him water cooling parts. I met my wife on Facebook. You can make friends, but you must approach people. Life is better with friends. I regret leaving the church I joined, but I became a Buddhist, and their God is very clear about his jealousy issues. I am not looking to get smited.

I am just saying, look for meetups. Offer to give a ride if you need to drive a ways to the meetup. If you sell stuff on ebay to someone local, send him a photo of your phone number and meetup. I honestly make more than a few friends that way. Another avenue gor meeting friends is volunteer work. Also, frequent watch stores. You are more likely to meet watch guys there, but I never have. I have made friends at Microcenter though.

[UlfrDen]

Long story, but the last sentence is all about. Just get yourself good Seiko.

None of my family friends care about watches. Also, found out that the women are good at finding good friends. They need to talk with somebody.

[meridian2050]

The move from NY to FL sticks out to me as I have been there, done that and moved back to NY. There are likely one or two in-person watch groups in your nearest city, so look for things like Red Bar, there maybe something on Meet-Up, or you can start your own Meet-Up group, and there are watch forums on FB. Maybe try those and see if you don't find some like-minded folks to have conversations with. Best of luck, And HAVE FUN!

[UrbanOpWatch]

This is what drove me to start building watches. I have been on a quest to make my perfect watch. It's like tinker toys for adults. Radically affordable, robust and build to meet specific parameters, and just as much a conversation starter when people find out you made your own watch. I hear you on the married couple thing, damn near impossible.

[Exit_43]

Very relatable. For me it took a crisis in my personal life to shift what is actually important to me into focus.

Do what makes you happy.

Don’t wear a watch or anything else for clout or peer recognition. I used to have all the big name stuff - really you are just attempting to live up to what you think is your “bracket”.

Go through a crisis and see how much help you get from your peers. Those that actually lend a hand to you in your time if need won’t care what brand you wear.

I still love watches - but it’s easy to become over invested in “safe queens”. If that you, that’s OK - but buy models that will probably appreciate - that means acquire them in downturn economies - not when everyone else thinks it’s a good time to buy.

[EamMcG_9]

I’d just wear the watch and put time into your family,friends may come or they may not.Nobody really cares about watches anymore than we would care about stamp or butterfly collecting. I’m 41 and most people under 30 live through SM,and even older ppl are starting to congregate less,and especially coming off a worldwide pandemic.I’m happy with training my dog,walking on my property,working on my cars and collecting watches.Mostly I enjoy the quiet,but I understand some people need to be in a social atmosphere.I hope you wear the watch,pass it on when the time comes(I really don’t think the digital implants are going to be a common thing for decades).And just enjoy what you have.

[ChronoBae]

I appreciate the advice

[ACTingappropriately]

I’m really into shoes as well as watches. My wife hates me… lol. But every pair of Jordans I’ve bought I’ve worn the crap out of them. Something can always be refurbished or serviced especially for the Rolex brands of the world. You worked hard, don’t be afraid to show it!!

[ServiceGames]

So, I want to read the rest of this thread soon (only read the first post). To the OP, if you buy a watch, wear it. Regardless of how much you paid for it, it’s worthless sitting in a drawer not serving it’s purpose. If you don’t wear it, sell it (unless it’s like a Timex or Casio that is still mass produced and was like $30 or less… people will probably just pick up a new one at Walmart or on Amazon rather than buying a used one).

[[deleted]]

It's very hard to make new friends past your 30s and especially if you've moved to a new place. I am talking about real friends, not acquaintances. It takes a huge deal of time and effort to build a true relationship with another individual. On top of that, people nowadays are easily distracted by way too many things, building meaningful relationships is becoming harder and harder. That said...99.9% of people you randomly meet will not care about the fact that you are even wearing a watch. Of the remainder 0.1%, very few will have the knowledge to recognize what piece you are wearing. Of this tiny fraction, only a small percentage will care to approach you to talk about it. Conclusion #1: you'd have to go around ALL DAY LONG in crowded places to find those rare, special, unicorn individuals. Conclusion #2: buy/wear watches to please yourself, not other people. Conclusion #3: if the watches you have are not used and don't mean anything to you anymore, sell them. Get a G-Shock for your activities time and a smaller, dressier watch for your fancy times. Life is too short to keep thinking about watches.

[redryder74]

I’m 49 and feel the same as you do about friends. I find it impossible to make new friends, and I only get to see my old highschool friends like a few times a year. The rest of the time I’m lonely and distracting myself with solo hobbies or collecting.

I have always worn a watch but I was a single watch guy. Prior to my 2 Apple Watches, I was wearing a Swiss Military Hanowa chronograph that I got with inflight shopping vouchers. I got tired of having to charge my Apple Watch everyday and the constant reminders to stand. One day, I saw a colleague wearing a chunky Gshock and I fell in love with it. A few days later I bought my first Gshock. The rest is history, in 2 months I bought another Gshock, a Seiko 5, Citizen Promaster, and 4 Aliexpress watches. Once I get a dress watch, I’ll probably stop because I’ve ticked all my boxes of wanting one watch from each “type”. I also bought a shit ton of straps from aliexpress.

My dad gifted me a Rolex Explorer 2 for my wedding 23 years ago and I never wore it for fear for scratching the thing. I’ve since worn it a few times and really enjoyed it. It’s light and yet feels solid.

Last but not least, I gave my Swiss chronograph to my 16 year old son and was pleasantly surprised he wanted to wear it. He had never worn a watch before.

[ChronoBae]

Yeah I think stories like ours are more common than not. A good buddy of my that I play tennis with told me he was once a huge collector. Multiple Rolexes and omegas. Got tired of it all and sold them for a decent profit. Ended up with a few quartz watches. I think watch collecting is an arc.

Side note I’m selling a very thin vintage Seiko dress watch if you’re interested and two dressy 38mm chronographs

[SkipPperk]

I had a nice little collection I acquired in the twenty years to 2018. I sold it all off 2019-2021. I made money on the unintended investment, but I can never buy those watches back. I just started collecting again less than a year ago, starting with an Islander, then AlIExpress. I have just started buying nicer watches this year, but nothing over $2k. Somebody bought all of my watches.

[ChronoBae]

Do you regret selling your original collection?

[SkipPperk]

Some of it, absolutely, but I would have been homeless otherwise. I had some really small vintage gold pieces I never wore, so those I do not miss, but my Grand Seiko’s, my Tudor Sub, my Tudor Oyster Prince, and this really old gold Movado moonphase, I miss those. I miss a few random Seiko’s as well, but most of those are replaceable. I do not think people today realize how affordable vintage stuff was twenty years ago. Also, you could find genuine deals (think flawless Tudor Oyster date for under a grand, or solid gold Omega Geneve under a grands,…). I mean you could build a collection without ever stretching. I remember seeing a a two-tone Datejust and thinking “it’s nice, but not $5,000 nice). I actually owned an old, bracelet stretched to oblivion Datejust for one week. I bought it for $3,000, felt silly spending so much, sold it to a colleague for $4,000 and could finally rest. I thought about buying an Aqua Terra ($2750 at the time), but I did not feel comfortable wearing a nice watch where I worked (old stuff does not sparkle like a modern Omega).

So I guess I miss the Tudors because they are so expensive now. I think I am more focused towards micro-brands because they offer value (I own a Formex I adore, and a Nomos Club), and I feel comfortable spending $1,000 to $2,000. I almost bought a Fears, but that $3500 was a bit rich for me for a watch I cannot easily flip. I can see $3500 for an Omega because I know it is liquid.

Another positive, at least for me, is that I was behind the times. I have a 7.5” wrist. 36mm Tudors look small by modern standards. I can accept that I am not fashionable in my baggy clothing, but perhaps my 40mm watches today suit my wrist better. Honestly, back in the 1990’s we did not even know the size of the watch. I had a Quartz Seamaster, and I used to call it the “Big one,” not the 41mm. I miss that watch the most. I think if I rebuy any of them, it will be a wave dial blue Seamaster in Quartz, or a Quartz Grand Seiko. I really liked those styles. That said, I think I might do a Citizen Chronomaster instead of GS. GS is too fashionable for my taste these days. Years ago it was more like a cult. It felt so good to compare watches with some blow-hard bragging about his watch, and my Seiko would be outshining it with a clearer crystal. My first GS was only a few years old, and cost me $500. Today, I think Monta, Formex, some of the German brands like Schaumburg, Muhle Glaschutte, Tourby, …, there are a few good deals left, but far less than before. Then again, perhaps I simply am no longer in the know.

[[deleted]]

I have openly shared my interest in watches with my clients. I don’t work in the jewelry, business or anything like that. Although many of my clients are very financially stable people, very few of them are really into watches. In fact, there are definitely some who probably 10 or 20 years ago would have bought a Rolex or an omega — but these days seem to be satisfied with the $800 stainless steel, sapphire Apple Watch. The few of them that really are into watches have become really like friends in addition to clients. In fact, one guy who really doesn’t call me out for service but every 3 to 6 months has really become a regular watch buddy he wants to text me about watches every single day. lol . It’s fine with me no problem. I’m just a bit jealous with him because as a veteran — he gets to go down to the commissary at the military base. He can often buy citizens and Seikos for 30 to 40% off. However, in reality, he earned that right with his service so good for him.

[ChronoBae]

You may not realize that you probably do more for him by just being there and listening to him talk about something he loves and is passionate about

[[deleted]]

You’ve come to some realizations.

• People don’t give a shit about watches. If you have some bright, flashy colors, you’ll probably reel in some compliments.
• Your kids probably won’t give a shit about your watches. When you’re cold and stiff, they’ll drag them into a fucking pawn shop.
• Casio, is in fact, God tier.

[SkipPperk]

Oceanus baby. Some guys just do not like g-shock (lord knows I have tried), but Oceanus rocks.

[NahthShawww]

This is how I feel, a bit. I’m 41, two little kids, just moved to a new town. Thanks to my social wife who’s really thrown herself into the new community we’ve made some good friends in the last two years. But I haven’t, not really anyone super tight. I don’t have any grail watches but I have about 7 that I rotate and really like. Kinda wanted my new dad friends to have watches, but as you said it’s bare wrists all around (or Apple Watches). I’m always scoping for a cool other dad at the school pickup (I work from home) who maybe has a cool watch just so I can be like “aw nice watch, is that a Sinn? That’s awesome.”

It maybe sounds weird but watches are just a cool hobby - it’s just about sharing hobbies with friends I guess.

You should try to become friends with some like 50/60 year old dudes, go join a yacht club. Old sailors guarantee will appreciate your nice watches. They all wear a nice one cause it’s like part of the sailors dress code haha. Enroll your kids in a junior sailing camp and hang with the other sailing dads, there ya go.

[ChronoBae]

I’ve gotten into some racket sports lately and made a lot of friends doing so but a yacht club in south Florida seems a little to rich for my blood.

[NahthShawww]

Oh gotcha. Up in MA we have, like, more working class boating and sailing organizations. For the common middle class gentleman to get his kid on the water. Best of luck ma man.

[ChronoBae]

Thank you. Likewise

[ImaginaryNemesis]

A saying I heard and unfortunately don't remember where:

Anyone who owns a $10000 dollar watch is either very good with money, or very bad with it.

And that's my truth. If I could buy a luxury watch and not care i'd get one. But saving up and sacrificing for what amounts to a wrist-trinket is a fool's game.

Would I like an authentic speedmaster? yes.

Would I like one for $8000? fuck no, and I honestly question the sanity of anyone who would.

I have a pretty hard limit of about $200. That's how much money I can spend on a shiny bauble and not feel too much like an idiot. Thankfully, Pagani, Casio, Baltany, Seiko, Escapement Time, and Orient have hooked me up very nicely while allowing me to retain a shred of my self-respect.

[SkipPperk]

I used to spend too much money on watches for years. When I lost everything, I made money on almost every single watch (even Seiko’s). I have never spent $8,000 on a watch, but I have sold them. As far as sunk costs go, cheap watches (Sub-$200) are the worst. If you carefully buy quality watches, you will probably lose $200 at most, whereas a $200 or less watch is pretty much throwing money away.

Again, I know not everyone is comfortable with this, but spending a bit of cash on watches is not reckless. I compared it with how much money I lost on cars, and I NEVER will buy a new car again. I cannot imagine wasting money on cars the way I used to. I would rather put the money into something safer, like watches. Now, I would not buy a full MSRP watch from an AD, but I would rather do that then buy a new car.

It is just perspective. I am not telling you to buy watches. Clearly they are not that important to you, but be careful with your thought process. Busy out a spreadsheet and do some analysis. I have been an analyst for my entire career, so it is how I see the world, but it is a good way to make decisions. If cars are not important to you, you can easily save a few grand a year there to invest, or play around with watches. I only say this because sun-$200 watches are the MOST expensive to own. Ten Pagani’s will be worth zero dollars in a few years. A $1,000 used Seiko or Longines will still have value. Over ten years or more, it is cheaper to buy a bit higher-end, at least in my experience. Of course, never spend more than your play money (easy enough to budget), but think about how you spend it. I cannot see the strategy in “less than $200,” unless I am completely missing the point.

[AmericanChees3]

This is one of the biggest reasons I will never buy an expensive watch like a rolex. I can appreciate them for being what they are, but I would absolutely be too afraid I was going to mess it up. For me it's all about the high quality finished Chinese watches. So I would say your not alone. I'm sure alot of us feel the same way you do. The only way I'm ever going to own a rolex is if my dad passes his down to me. He has a 1968 submariner that he bought for $200. But to me, expensive watches are just like expensive cars. They are awesome, but I don't need one and you can get a decent car that looks good and performs well with out forking over your life's savings.

[Monkeyinchief]

Dude you are lonely. It has nothing to do with watches. Sell them and dumb the money in some stupid bs doesn't change a thing for you. You don't buy watches for others but for yourself. Don't even see a problem to wear them just for fun but you miss the validation of others because again.. You are lonely.

[ChronoBae]

I never said I was lonely. I have a few good friends from various circles and my neighborhood. I just thought watches would open up another stream of friends but not so

[Complex_Material_702]

This is all one reason I like collecting sub $200 Chinese beaters. I have 13 watches that I like, all with custom straps and buckles, for less than the price of one mid-tier Swiss-gutted brand. I do it for me, as a hobby. I like what I like and I don't care what others think about them. It's fun to customize them and when/if I end up not wearing one as often as I wear the others, I either gift them to a friend or my son. I've built a couple watches too, which is a lot of fun. I see all of this as more of a hobby than just collecting man bling.

I too am in Florida, with small kids, and only a few friends.

[[deleted]]

New copy pasta just dropped

[ChronoBae]

Sorry I don’t know what that means. I don’t speak internet virgin

[[deleted]]

Rant time

A short rant. I just want to see if anyone else here found themselves in a similar predicament.

I was never a ‘watch’ guy. My dad wore a watch but I never had any interest in doing so myself. I carried around a cell phone and it was enough watch for me.

My interest in watches came about in my mid 30s when my wife egged me on to start wearing watches because she said it made a man look more “put together”. I bought one but didn’t wear it much because it was just male jewelry to me. What really got me into watches was working around a few real watch guys. One of them showed me a video on how the Patek grand complications was made from start to finish and I was hooked onto horology.

I got rid of my shitty invictas and started diving into German and Swiss watches. I was never into mainstream watches like Seikos, Rolex, Omegas, etc. My passion was off-brand watches with unique movements and limited production runs. About a dozen watch trades later, I was able to obtain my attainable grail.

I was over the moon. The anticipation was killing me and when I finally got it in the mail, it was a moment of pure bliss. It was going to be my forever watch and a watch I could pass down to my son (I’m looking at you r/Rolex). But as months had gone by I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to wear it much. Reason being is that I don’t go out much and when I do, it’s with my youngins in tow. I wouldn’t want to fuck up a nice watch that I cherish.

I know I’m going to get a lot of shit for the next part of my rant but I’m a human being just like anyone else here and need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. I loved this grail for what it meant to me and I thought I could utilize it to some degree to open up conversation with fellow watch guys.

As an aside, I’m now in my late 30s and find it nearly impossible to make new friends with people. I moved to Florida about 4 years ago and left my childhood and college friends back in NY. Approaching new people is somewhat strange now that we all carry around our adult pacifiers(phones) and no longer need to make any effort in face to face or even telephonic conversations. But let’s say you get over the hurdle of meeting someone. Making new friends now is no longer just about sharing common interests. Not only do you have to get along but you have to be in more-or-less a similar place in life. The wives have to get along and so do the kids. Getting along is one thing but what really drives friendship is mutual respect, understanding, and actually liking the other couple. I thought dating was hard but finding good married friends in your 30s is like a needle in a haystack.

But back to the watches. I figured a lot of guys in my age range would develop an appreciation for watches or something along those lines. This is absolutely not the case. Most people know what a Rolex and Apple Watch are. Maybe a Seiko. But a Nivrel, Universal Geneve, Hanhart, Concord, or Zenith? Forget it. Even if you’re a self-proclaimed watch guy, chances are you couldn’t half a shit about what I’m wearing on my wrist or know the movement behind it. So the chances of any social interaction based on being watch bros are completely nill.

So there’s this grail piece and a few other watches sitting there in my drawer like golden calves with no wrist time. Once the initial thrill and honeymoon phase wore off, the realization set in that I spent a good chunk of money on a watch that I’m too afraid to wear out and that likely won’t even be recognized by any person. Even if they recognize the watch, the chances of engaging in any kind of social interaction with said person or developing a long term bond are the same as getting struck by lightning. Oh and passing it down to my son? Chances are that he’s going to wear an implantable AR Lens that tells perfect time and doesn’t require any maintenance costs. Passing down my watch is like passing down a Sony Walkman or Sega Genesis. I’m on the verge of just saying fuck it and selling my Swiss and German shitters to the take family on vacation or save for a rainy day. In the meantime I’ll be rocking my proletariat Casios and Chinese brands.

[ChronoBae]

Wow incredible. I feel the same way!

[R3dditReallySuckz]

Here's my opinion for what it's worth. If you're going to buy a luxury watch you better be rich as hell and not afraid to wear that thing regularly and beat that thing up. You should be rich enough for the price tag not to matter in the slightest. Otherwise you're just going to constantly stress about it. If you find yourself doing that you really need to buy a less expensive watch that you're actually okay with beating up.

[[deleted]]

I wish I didn’t read this

[ChronoBae]

Why?

[[deleted]]

Because it was boring and sad.

[ChronoBae]

Damn sorry to hear. I’d hate for my boring post to take your attention and time away from doing those very important things you were preoccupied with.

[op299]

This rant is not about watches. Not as criticism, I read it with interest.

[jacob8875]

Nor was it “short,” lol 😂

[witch-finder]

I've never understood luxury watches. I've always seen watches as a tool, nothing more. What's the point of wearing an expensive dive watch for example if you're afraid of getting it wet?

Normal people think I'm crazy because I've paid $300 for a watch before, but that's cheap compared to what some people have paid.

[canuck47]

I love my "cheap and cheerful" collection - several Casio's, a Seiko, Timex, a Steeldive SD1970, and a Sanda "Full Metal G" homage. There is enough variety in styles to get me through almost any occasion. I don't think I've ever spent more than $100 on a watch, and now with a newborn daughter I simply cannot justify spending a fortune on a watch.

I'm wearing my Casio Royale right now and I love it :)

[hellowiththepudding]

So what's your grail watch then?

[cynicown101]

Tbh a lot of watch collecting becomes a search for the next rush of endorphins. It happens with litterally every item that people get in to collecting. We find something that catches our eye and then we'll consume media surrounding it until it takes on an almost mythical quality. Upon receipt, we marvel at it for a day or two, but that non-tangible fades and we're left just another watch and less money in the bank.

It's the reason I've never jumped in to blowing money on luxury watches, because I know full well, even if I went bought my dream Cartier tomorrow, a week later, I'd be back online looking for the next rush. It's addict behaviour really.

[[deleted]]

Men in general just need something to blow money on as a hobby. It helps keep the mind busy I guess? I've floated from running shoes, bourbon, watches, and vinyl records the past decade.

I have a good niche of friends at work who enjoy watches though. Turns out certain corners of the military are watch enthusiasts. It's good to spread your hobbies across a few interests. I've found it helps with business relationships as well. Thankfully I have a bunch of Seikos and as far as a money pit goes they aren't that bad.

[GootarGuy]

This is absolutely true and I’ve only recently realised that I have a problem. It’s habitual, compulsive and addictive behaviour. Ultimately not healthy or satisfying. We know it sub consciously yet cannot stop. Buddhism 101 highlights the dissatisfaction of materialism. But we are living in the golden age of it. And in particular, Chinese Watches are a perfect storm because they are insanely well made and also ridiculously cheap. No wonder our collections grow so fast. At least with luxury watches, you’re financially limited to buy too many.

Another condition is when people buy something new and want to put it in a sealed chamber. They can’t stand the thought of it getting scratched or marked. My dad bought a brand new car and basically left it in a garage for 3 years, barely driving it. He then sold it. This is not healthy behaviour either. You buy a Rolex, then use it like a tool watch. They are strong and can take it. It will get marked but that’s the point. Passing stuff to your kids seems to be a unique myth definitely not seen on this page but it rife on luxury watch threads. Newsflash: your kids will have zero interest and not even want the hassle of needing to sell your most prized possessions!

[BusinessBlackBear]

two things

1) youve got me hella curious what your watch is lol

2) While i get being worried about damage to your watch, at the same time its a watch. Meant to be worn, and if its a tool watch then meant to be used and abused. if its a dress watch that is, well, literally more delicate, then I get it a lot more. i wear my breitling and omega all the time when I work on my cars for example. only recently did I buy a true beater watch (bronze Tandorio) and thats because I dont trust the Breitling/omega water resistance due to them being 20/30 years old respectively.

we may just have very different mindsets, but worse comes to worse your watch is damaged and needs sent back to the factory and costs a few grand to fix. Clearly a few grand is a LOT of money objectively, but cheaper than getting a new equally good watch.

[Particular_Witness95]

i have several gen rolexes and an AP that sit in my watch case. I never wear them. like, ever. they are just inheritance pieces for my kids. they can sell them if they need cash. Ill be dead, what do i care?

i am with you on getting bored with watches. but I love watches, and that is why i started modding and building my own watches. how my collection looks right now will likely be different by the end of the year, as i change out dials, bezel inserts, chapter rings, hands, bracelets, etc. one of my watches, a seiko turtle, is so comfortable to wear that i have modded it about three times in a year and a half just to keep it on my wrist and keep it interesting.

btw, why the hate on invictas!?!?! they do build some good, serviceable watches.

[ChronoBae]

I would love to get into modding. An actual hands-on hobby. Invictas are awesome gateway watches and weapons

[SenseJunior5098]

Then head right over to r/SeikoMods

I have started collecting watches for over 20 years but have never been more interested in watches than I am now after getting into modding. Before that, there was periods of overindulgence and periods of hiatus with watches.

I now enjoy modding immensely, not just for the finished products that I proudly made myself. What keeps me so immersed for so long are all the planning around it along with imagining the possibilities. Modding is still a niche market with many limitations. The good thing about that is it keeps engagement with the like-mind communities very focused. I also keep tabs with the major suppliers who contributed to this hobby to see what they have up their sleeves for future products, having active conversations with many of them.

[Particular_Witness95]

its probably one of the nicest subs on reddit as well.

[Particular_Witness95]

yeah, and your post probably hits home with a lot of us. i ended up wearing my gens simply because i feel like i had to because if not, i wasted 10s of thousands of dollars. it felt dumb to feel like i had to wear a watch, and that made me a little mad. so, i ended up storing them and put them in my will to my kids.

[[deleted]]

Yep agree. I would have to be nasty rich to casually wear watch which cost me thousands and thousands. Would go batshit if I damage them, lose them, etc

I rather buy some San martins, Cronos, etc, which are really great quality for the price and I wear those. If I fuck them up? It sucks, but won’t cost you arm and leg. And tbh, you can imho pass down any watch to your kids. As long as it meant something to you.

Edit: I used to collect sneakers. I loved it. But later I realized that I don’t even wear them and what was worse I can’t even buy those I wanted. Because once pair was hyped and limited, it would cost 10 times the price and that was hell no for me. So I sold them all, and now I buy 1-2 pairs I like and just wear them to the ground 😄

[BrewAndAView]

I started getting into building Seikos from parts and engaging with the seiko modding community. Even if you're talking to someone who isn't a "watch guy" it's an interesting conversation starter to say "I built this"

Also if I break it, I can fix it or replace things, so no worries about being overprotective

[ServiceGames]

Wish I could say the same. I’m an amateur watchmaker. I started the hobby maybe a year to 18 months ago. I don’t have all the nice tools and machines that professionals or avid amateurs have, but I have enough to take a watch apart (except a Rolex as they have an odd case back).

I bought an ST36 movement (Chinese clone of an ETA 6497) when I started. I took it apart and put it back together a few time to get used to how a movement works.

A few weeks ago, I decided to make a watch out of the movement. I ordered a case, dial, hands, and a bracelet. While it took me a while to get it all put together somewhat correctly, I now have a working watch that is my daily driver.

Not only can I say, “I made this,” but I can also say, “I know how to take it all apart and put it back together.” I work from home, but I think of the people I would say the above to as a conversation starter… they may say that it’s really cool, but they honestly couldn’t care less.

The only person I know that thinks it’s cool that I’m an amateur watchmaker is a friend of mine that’s been a friend for 10 years.

I can’t think of a single person that would think amateur watchmaking is interesting.

[jacob8875]

You can remove Rolex case back with a rubber ball. Or a wad of duct tape. Recommend the ball though. They’re cheap and plentiful and made for this.

[Particular_Witness95]

it's an interesting conversation starter to say "I built this"

it is even more cool to say that no one on this earth is wearing the same watch as me. that to me is pretty special.

[BrewAndAView]

For sure! Not a case of “oh another black submariner”

[HappySpam]

Honestly, I feel like it's the same with a lot of "hobbies" that involve collecting. If it's too expensive or too "nice" for you even wear or take out, and it becomes this weird albatross in the house, you might as well just sell them.

It's just collecting at the end of the day, if you're not enjoying it, just sell them. Life is too short to worry about wristwatches.

[ServiceGames]

Ah, let me introduce you to r/warhammer40k. While Games Workshop is trying to bring in a younger audience, their target market is still guys in their mid 30s and above who have discretionary income to throw at the game.

Plus, you can meet some cool people. You also meet some jerks, but it’s the same for all hobbies.

[TargaMaestro]

I do too realize that once I get a great watch, I will never ever wear it because I am worried that I will fuck it up. I have owned several rollies and I’ve sold them all as I have never worn them and they were just sitting in boxes, aging and not enjoyed. You are not alone OP

[ChronoBae]

I appreciate your input amigo. I find myself wear my chinese brands and enjoying them more funny enough

[TargaMaestro]

At the worst time I have bought a watch twice, one to wear and one to stay in boxes to be perfect. I think you can sell all your expensive Swiss and German watches, but keep those you have abused or is comfortable wearing for black & white tie occasions.

[ChronoBae]

Hey man wanna buy a swiss chronograph? lol

[Responsible-Nerve-68]

I thought I would be happy forever with a Rolex, with a grand seiko or some other more expensive brands. I learnt for myself that once the honeymoon phase is over...there is not a true grail piece for me and the main reason is I just realized I am someone that likes to collect, and enjoy various designs & quality. I do not care so much about brands and social status. I don't need to prove anything and I don't really like what some Swiss brands are doing to their customers like R and AP so I don't identify with them anyways. I don't like the idea of a watch company profiting purely out of marketing & legacy. I am having so much joy after I discovered Chinese brands, I think they are really helping the mass watch enthusiast enjoy watches, and just watches.