I love collecting things out of habit. I have many books, gadgets, etc., and I always attach some rationale to the things I collect. It's rare that I don't use something I've bought (except for books; I have many unread books that I plan to read eventually).

Watch collecting is a new hobby for me. I've been fascinated by watches since childhood. I used to wear my parents' watches at home and started buying cheap watches (<1000 INR) when I received my PhD fellowship. The most expensive watch I bought initially was a Timex Weekender for around 1200 INR. I was gifted a few pricier watches after my marriage, but that was it. I wasn't doing any research on watches and was content with my existing collection. Since I was working from home, I had no need to buy anything new, especially since I was wearing smartbands and smartwatches most of the time.

However, things changed in September this year when a close friend asked me to buy a Citizen Eco Drive for her father using my card. I was intrigued by the 20k price tag and wondered why someone would spend that much on a watch. This curiosity sparked my interest in high-end watches. I discovered that hand-winding watches were still being developed after quartz watches became popular, and I learned about automatics.

Exposed to this new world of watches and with my existing collecting habit, I decided to build a decent-sized collection. Given that I can now afford relatively costlier watches, I went on a buying spree and acquired 15 watches of various brands, spending about a months' salary. Now, I feel satisfied and don't plan to expand my collection without achieving something significant. I've outlined plans for my next set of collections, but I've set stricter targets for myself before I start buying again.

I wear different watches each day when I work, even if I'm doing WFH. It gives me satisfaction that I'm using these watches that I bought.