[Wimads]

Present for 2022!

SOTC:

Left to right:

• Vostok Komandirskie mod - The watch that ended it all for me. Right now my daily watch, no need for anything else.
• Union Glashutte Noramis - Gift from my parents during a challenging time in my life. Its not being worn a lot, but I love it when I do, mostly on slightly more formal occasions. Its a special watch that won't go anywhere.
• Hamilton Viewmatic open heart - This watch I picked as graduation gift, partly sponsored by my friends. So again a special watch, that doesn't see wrist time on a daily basis, but gets a lot of enjoyment when I wear it. Won't go anywhere either.
• Raketa mini alarm clock - not really a watch, but just included for full disclosure (it does have a watch movement 😛)

I am pretty happy where I am at right now with watches. I got a daily wearer that's legible and functional and costs so little to replace I don't have to worry about banging it around. And then I got two special watches to enjoy on more special occasions (with a pretty low threthreshold for special occasion lol). What else could I possibly need?

2021 was definitely the year I got the purchasing under control. My obsession definitely waned, and don't really feel the urge to even look for new watches anymore.

My goal for 2022 is to maintain that stability. There's no desire for any new watches right now, and hasn't been for at least half a year.

2022 will also be the year I'm starting my own business. If 2022 is a success in that regard, just maybe I might reward myself, in which case I'll allow myself 1 purchase - but that may also turn out to be something other than a watch.

I may participate a bit less actively in WPAC this year than in previous years I think. But I'll drop in from time to time when the conversation is good

 

[Wimads]

So about 10 of mine are gifts and are sentimental, some rarely are worn while the other gifts are. The ones not worn are usually not counted but since we were suppose to get them all out there I put it out there lol.

Would be nice to have 15 or 12. Its crazy if any of you look at how many I have sold since being here its north of 30 I think. So there have been many that have came and gone.

I need to work on not impulse buying. I do appreciate the community here. Hobbies are funny, something's I jump into and get many of like knives and Harmonicas, I hit a spot and stop and am content. Other things like guitars I saved up bought a nice Martin and got rid if my others and am happy lol.

I like art and mechanics so watches are a dangerous combo for me to want to have too many.

You're in the right club here. We'll take care of your impulses by a good bashing - just make sure you post your temptations here before pulling the trigger.

Before you know it you'll be tempted to start bashing ppl's watches in the WRUW threads 😛

 

[Wimads]

I guess it’s a good thing that I joined the 2022 WPAC, because a unicorn just popped up and I bought it.

So I guess my goals for 2022 are still to not buy anymore. And to enjoy my new original orange Arnie.

I’ve already bought it, so don’t roast it too badly.

So why did you need the unicorn? Who wants corn on their horse anyway. [sidetrack, why are these things called unicorns and not unihorns in English?]

What is it with hard to get things? If a girl needs to play hard to get to get your attention, you know its because she's not all that attractive to begin with right...

How much of the decision to buy that watch was based on FOMO, and how much on actually liking the design?

Oh and also welcome to WPAC of course 😊

 

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unicorn | Etymology, origin and meaning of unicorn by etymonline

UNICORN Meaning: "having one horn," from uni- "one" (from PIE root *oi-no- "one, unique") + cornus "horn" (from PIE root… See origin and meaning of unicorn.

www.etymonline.com

Right, from latin then. English is a silly language with too many roots... So you get things like unicorn where onehorn would make much more sense (like in the much more sensible Germanic languages 😅, eenhoorn in dutch)

 

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I always find it funny its similar to eekhoorn (squirrel)

Yeah, that begs the question, where does the dutch word eekhoorn come from? No clue what an eek without the hoorn is, nor what part on a squirrel/chipmunk resembles a horn to justify the hoorn part of the name..

Too much beers/Champaign (happy 2022!!) to bother googling it. Maybe a good distraction for the fellow dutch addicts to keep the mind off of watches 😅

Interestingly, eek (pronounced English "ake" as in cake) means one in hindi. So eekhoorn (akehorn) would be Hinglish for unicorn? Probably completely irrelevant..

 

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Controversial opinion: Ali watches are for consumers, not collectors.

I'll double you down on the controversial opinions.

Patek and AliX watches are both mere trinkets that add equally insignificant value to life.

 

[Wimads]

Curious to understand, for you, how that enjoyment manifests itself?


....from a personal perspective, I'm not at all sure that watches bring a huge amount of enjoyment to my life. More of an unhealthy obsession. I'd say that there have been some watches that have delighted me for a while (honeymoon period....) but then it's just a tool to wear.

Watches become mildly enjoyable, if you stop obsessing about new ones and when you start wearing the one you got for just its intended purpose: telling the time.

The Vostok is just that for me, and looks good while doing it. But I can only enjoy that if I'm not constantly looking for "better" watches to replace it/add to the collection.

 

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We're recommending watch purchasing enabling youtube channels now?

 

[Wimads]

Cmoon Hornet. You get what I am aiming at.

There is a difference between "oh look I have a Rolex. Nobody gives a Damn. Its a watch" and "oh my goood i am on the list and after elephant pregnancy period i finally got it. Now i am gonna take a few snapshots of it, put it in box and wait for the incoming PM. In the meantime i will not wear it because someone will rob me. But i will also post 1376 pictures of it on Instagram, with my car and house in background and inspirational quotes. I am Sure no one will find my house. I am succesful. I have a Rolex."

Or you can just buy a Vostok and have people mistake it for a Rolex 👌

For the ppl actually considering it, no don't do it.... take any dive watch you already own, it'll do the trick.

 

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F*cking enablers........

May have been a mistake removing the rules from the OP 😛🙃

 

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Whether you buy the Rolex or not and if you buy it and sell it to make a profit is entirely up to you. If you sell something else to make room for it, again entirely down to you.

I just wanted to comment that it feels like there's a general trend within WPAC, which I disagree with, of high end luxury watches getting an easier ride here. They are still watches whatever the price or name on the dial.

What YOU need to decide is what is right for you here and keep to whatever it was you wanted to achieve.

Its a trend that's been going on for years here... its just another justification.

You latched onto it as well with your expensive "exit" watches btw...

 

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A little food for thought on the whole Rolex Explorer grail discussion related to watch purchasing abstinence: if there truly is a watch that you believe strongly will tamp down the buying mania, which I think is what the WPAC is all about, gaining control, then it can be a great move to pick up that grail watch, and shed whatever stops getting wrist time as a result.
(...)

You are right to some extent, but there is a major caveat with that:

The addicted mind will make up any excuse and justification to buy another watch. If you have decided it needs to be the last watch, your mind will try to come up with every possible justification of why it is indeed exit watch material.

Only after you bought it, and the dopamine wanes down after the honeymoon, you may realize what a load of bullcrap the majority of those justifications were.

It is often surprisingly difficult to distinguish sense from nonsense, when it comes to the reasoning of your own mind.

Giving it time before deciding anything - couple of months at least, from the moment you'd normally have pulled the trigger - is the best way to filter out the bullcrap.

 

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Kind of the same issue - pre-order = getting on The List at the AD, to wait for The Call.

You get the call/email invoice for the watch, what do you do? You literally can't sit on the decision for a month or three because you've had a few to 18 months to consider the deal, and now's the time to put up or shut up. They won't hold the watch as long as we might want to purposely consider the purchase, will move on to the next paying customer, already lined up for one, cash in hand.

Adds to the instant FOMO, doesn't it...? I've seen people get carried away at auctions, under the same kind of restraint: someone else might get this thing I want! So they bid beyond what they might have set as their max.

On my end, fact of the matter is, pre-order was done before I had an inkling a BB36 was at all in the cards. Plan was always to get two, different colors, choose one, and sell the other. Now, I'm left facing the fact that any time I'd wear either of them (36mm, no-date, three hand, sport watch), probably I'd lean toward the BB36, instead.

Thats nonsense. With preorders you can still wait for the inevitable catch and release listings on the secondary market. There may be a few instances where the secondary price is higher, but the majority will take a hit, so you save a few bucks as well (in case you still want it after all those months waiting).

Your current situation would have been avoided, if you had just waited for some other FOMO junkie to catch and release their pre-order.

 

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They are so clever at Rolex. Their recipe to complicate the access so much that simply buying one of their watches unused becomes an event of its own, making you nearly forgetting the price and the wait in the process. Marketing wise, that' a feat to be admired. 👏

I agree with Lee on the principle of WPAC : the aim is to control the addiction, in other words yourself, in order for the buys you make to become more meaningful, and you not to be controlled by the dopamine of the purchase process itself. So if the Explorer was a long planned buy, duly thought-on and allowed within your own rules, IMO it'd be fine for you to purchase it.

However, if I read your SOTC post and intentions for 2022 right, that isn't what you wrote, isn't it ?

It was the Seamaster pro OR the Explorer. Furthermore, you also wrote the Seamaster and your current collection did rejoice you a lot, and that you had met your objective and desires.

If that was true, why would you let Rolex deceitful marketing schemes get to you ? Aren't you happy already ? If yes, what's the need ? The fact they manage to create an urge to buy doesn't mean you actually need it.

So, even if I agree with Lee :

My conclusion is that you wouldn't be making a controlled buy here. So, personally, I'd advice against it. If you are happy currently, don't waver with your initial objectives, it'll won't make you proud of yourself.

Now if, the months ahead did learn you that the SMP wasn't for you after all, you'd always be able to reconsider. After all you saw the end of a waiting list once. But only once you're 100% sure of what, when and why.


In my opinion, if the addiction is a behavioral issue of the addict, it's illusory to think the cure would come from anything external to the addict himself. The problem isn't the watch, but the addict, grail or not.

Give an alcoholic a $1000 bottle, he'll still be alcoholic afterwards. 🔎

Couldn't have worded it better. Rolex is very clever in their marketing, and its hard not to fall for it if you're in the position.
They make you wait first, so it seems like a well considered purchase when you get "the call". But really, they play on your impulses and FOMO with that call, which will make you feal like you have to pull the trigger asap, or you may miss the opportunity - basically pushing any rational considerations to the background.

Ideally, when you get "the call", you should wait a couple of months before answering it - but I'm guessing that's not an option..

The whole ploy is a massive turnoff to me to begin with, but I get how it can suck ppl in..


As a side note, maybe leave out the alcoholism metaphor... its been done to death here (by me also), I know its an easy comparison to make, but it never quite plays out well..

 

[Wimads]

If it's just FOMO then surely the Zelos's of this world pull the same trick with all their aventurine meteorite dials, and the limited release numbers. Skillful although less of an earner, I should think.

Any pre-order and "limited" runs play on the same psychological mechanics.

Basically be weary of any ploy that tells you to pull the trigger NOW or you may miss out. Real estate agents are very familiar with this as well..

Resist it. Force yourself to take a month or two - not from the moment you started thinking about it, but from the moment you'd normally have pulled the trigger. Don't be swayed by savvy real estate agent tactics.

If you mis out, whats the big deal? Its just a watch... Missing out is part of life, live with it.

 

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You know, I've been kind of fascinated by Russian watches since I first learned of them. But, for some reason, the price of the basic Vostok amfibia has increased somewhat steadily over the last year or two. Maybe it's a Eurozone-Rouble thing, or just the sellers I'm looking at. I don't know.
That being said, they're still only €129. But I used to see them running around €109 and then going on sale for less.

If you're seeing Amphibia's for 129, you're definitely not looking in the right place... but I'm not going to tell you where to look.🤐

 

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Mainly I'm looking at poljot24.de
I suppose there are a couple of benefits to paying a bit more there. Julian checks out (and I think somewhat regulates) the movements. Oftentimes you get an extra strap or two. He's willing to service the watches after purchase. Plus he's got a great selection of less-common watches. Frankly, I've heard nothing but good things from him.
But I'm still enamored of the accuracy and relative light weight of quartz (G-Shock). So I don't think even curiosity and quirkiness are enough to get me to purchase a Russian watch right now...

Him being in Germany will save you about a month or multiple in shipping time also. But, if you're enamoured with accuracy, then Vostok isn't for you. Half a minute per day off should be expected.

 

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I just really like the Russian engineering philosophy of "If it ain't broke don't fix it. And if you need to fix it, a rock will suffice." Like, there's just something admirable about recognizing your own industrial shortcomings and then finding (relatively simple) workarounds to it.
The part of me that eventually wants to buy an old car to work on is the same part of me that is tempted by a Russian watch just for fun. On the other hand, I suppose working on a Russian watch instead of a car is ultimately a bit easier and probably more environmentally-friendly... But watches also (in spite of joking) don't respond well to being fixed with hammers. Whereas an old car could...

I suppose you could possibly fix a LADA using a rock. I wouldn't try the same with a Vostok... I mean, the pragmatism of Russian engineering has a certain charm no doubt, but don't fall for the "indestructible" rethoric... in the end its still a watch movement with small fragile gears and springs, not a tank that can take any abuse you throw at it.

Russian engineering prioritizes things to just work and keep working, but not for them to work well.

 

[Wimads]

Enjoy a Vostok Amphibia in the abstract. In the flesh, they wear tall, definitely feel their price point (cheap), especially where the crown is concerned, and most of why they are touted so much really don't matter outside of WIS circles.

You want to see people's eyes glaze over... "Hey, that's a cool watch you got there..." Thanks, allow me to take time you will never get back in your life to tell you about how fantastic this little marvel of adaptive engineering really is, in the context of geopolitical manufacturing and trademark issues, where the USSR/CCCP was concerned, in the last millennia...

Honestly, I don't even think they feel cheap. Or at least not in the same way an AliX watch feels cheap. And to noobs they even look expensive (mine has been mistaken for a speedy and a rolly now 😂).

They feel vintage though, of an era long gone by, with manufacturing techniques long surpassed by modern technology - so in that sense its cheap, but with a certain nostalgia. I guess that's the charm of them.

They're bad watches by todays standards by any objective measure, yet it is the watch that ended my addiction (so far so good at least).

☝This seems to make not any logical sense whatsoever, but that's just because this is WPAC and I'm simply not mentioning all the things I love about my Komandirskie 😇

 

[Wimads]

Um.. WPAC? We're supposed to be discouraging purchases here?

When people ask me about them, I say Vostok is like buying a brand new vintage watch. They are on-par with quality of watches ca. late 60s, but if you've ever handled a watch from the late 60s, you know that's not saying much...

It's just really, really hard to ignore how much of a value they represent where mechanical watches are concerned. And you even get to brag on your in-house movement...

I tried just saying they're bad watches by any objective measure lol. But I guess its hard to hide my love for them 😜