[Hotblack Desiato]

I cannot in all good conscience condone the abstinence of watch buying. Good day sir.

I vote for a motion to ban this thread. Absolute blasphemy. This is "WatchUSeek", not "WatchUDon'tSeeK".

Who invited the trolls?

Be gone, foul heathen! Climb back under your bridge!

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

This is not a place for the watch unenthusiasts, we will not I repeat not have any of it. Buy more watches, you will comply

Bye Felicia.

The block feature is now engaged.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

The ignore function works well. Now run along, silly person.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

View attachment 17114300

Always good advice.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

Hello WPAC 2023!

I am officially renewing my membership in this esteemed group. Last August, I posted about my exasperation with the churn in my collection over the past 4 years. I committed then to a plan to reduce my 18 piece collection significantly. I thought I would drop to about 3-4 pieces, with an eye to wearing one watch most of the time. I've done some reconsidering, and I'm going to stick with six watches for now.

I had 18 in my collection a year ago, and I only added one new watch since then (the Sub). I've already sold two watches this month, and I my WPAC 2023 goal is to keep selling most of the others, not buy anything new, and enjoy the watches I have.

Here are the six I plan to keep:
-Zelos Skyraider meteorite
-Omega Aqua Terra 41
-Sub 41
-Tudor Royal Day Date 41
-Oris Artelier 112 GMT 10-day
-Hamilton Khaki Pilot Day-Date

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I saw some others admitting their cumulative failures year by year, so I thought I would join in the self-flagellation. These numbers are approximate, but I think they are pretty accurate.

2018: 75 watches purchased. 52 removed. SOTC - 23 watches. Joined WPAC mid year to reign in the madness.
2019: 33 watches purchased. 39 removed. SOTC - 17 watches. Still crazy churn, but certainly better than 2018.
2020: 20 watches purchased. 23 removed. SOTC - 14 watches. Getting better, but not reasonable yet.
2021: 13 watches purchased. 9 removed. SOTC - 18 watches. On the right path, but still too much flipping.
2022: 5 watches purchased. 5 removed. SOTC - 18 watches. Much improved, and finally disgusted with the churn.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I think that the churn, and associated with that the wasted opportunities, is the thing I regret the most. When I look back at the watches I've sold and regret it's hard. But there's no better lesson.....

Agreed. And I know I needed the lesson.

I have gone through the same "covet, collect, get disgusted with the churn, then settle on a few choice pieces" in the past with guitars and amplifiers. Interestingly, it always take about the same amount of time - 3 to 4 years - to go through that process.

Of course, I never bought 75 guitars in a year. 25 was probably the most I ever bought in a 12 month time frame.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

Everytime you've got a "sound" plan, let it pass the scrutiny of Grand Inquisitor Hard Love...

Tough Love, Wim. Tough Love.

Hard Love is something completely different, and I don't want to think about that while visiting WPAC

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

Good god that's insane. Buying 3 watches and selling 2 of them every two weeks... for an entire year!

Took 5 years but you seem to be in a much better place now. Any watches from those heavy-flipper days you still remember particularly? Or maybe even a couple that are still around in the collection?

I was definitely out of control back then. The thing that made me realize I needed WPAC was when I bought something like ten watches in a single week. I didn't live near any watch dealers, so this was all online, without ever trying one on first. I was hunting for any watch that met my size/style criteria that looked like a good deal. For sure, I've turned a corner since then!

Kind of interesting - half of my current collection of six watches were purchased during the worst of the acquisition phase in 2018. As much flipping as I have done, those three have remained. Even during that crazy time, there were some watches that did receive some thought prior to purchasing.

I bought the Aqua Terra to commemorate my mom's passing. I don't see that going anywhere. The Hamilton Pilot Day Date (Interstellar Cooper watch) is the one I got to share my son and my shared love of watching Interstellar. And the Oris 112 has the coolest movement (10 days PR) and the most uncluttered dial for one that has so much going on. It's a large dial watch that doesn't wear big (unlike the IWC 10 day), and the gold bezel adds a touch of dressy that I really liked.

And even though the Submariner is new, it's almost an identical replacement for the 5 digit Sub I wore as my daily watch for almost 10 years. Now that I think about it, that's 4 out of my 6 watches that aren't the "new shiny toy." Realizing this makes me even more confident that I can stick with the zero new watches goal of 2023 (and beyond!).

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I just thought I would comment on this. I can see that addiction to alcohol as well as addiction to drugs and gambling can all be very destructive to a persons life.

I didn't and don't see WPAC aimed at curbing activities that are potentially unhealthy. At the upper reaches of this hobby you might conceivably get into financial problems by excessive spending.

However I don't think WPAC is predominantly concerned with that, but more concerned with just excessive watch acquisition within affordable limits. If I spend as much as say £5000 on one or several new watches that I don't need, but would enjoy owning, fortunately I would not be depriving myself of £5000 that I and my family need to survive.

For a figure of £500 or even £100 the equation is even less dramatic. Granted that the critical amount is different for everyone.

It's also not a case of managing an addiction for one (more) watch or one (more) day. at a time, although the WPAC may like to couch it in those terms. WPAC is not for me a wagon off which I dare not slip. Am I missing something here?

The interest in watches itself is probably a bigger time thief, as time spent on WUS and other forums, without spending a penny, is time I don't spend on other useful pursuits.

I think WPAC does address several destructive issues that affect a lot of watch collectors. The primary one is the amount of time some of us used to spend chasing down the shiny new object. Clicking links in promotional emails, following sale threads here and elsewhere, drooling over photos on websites, reading Nodinkee, et al, watching watchtubers for hours, etc. I think many of us explained that away as simply indulging in our hobby, but it really takes a lot of time.

The other issue is how focusing on The Chase takes away from enjoying the watches we have. We shift our focus away from enjoying the watch to enjoying the acquisition of watches. I found that particularly destructive.

These are certainly less destructive than alcohol or drug abuse, but these are definitely negative behaviors, imo.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

When I see the latter point my mind always goes to books. What do you do with them, other than reading once (maybe re-read) and stacking them on shelves?

Or in other words, why isn't that enough enjoyment? I fcking love to lay in my bed, dim-lit room, and listen to music for hours. Not many things I enjoy more than that, and I'd consider it a hobby. Maybe it actually isn't... 🤔

What is a hobby?

For your book example, I know a lot of people who collect a lot of books they will never read. They like having a large book collection. Their reasons vary, and their stated reasons aren't always their actual reasons. But it's similar to collecting more watches than you can wear.

Listening to music is different. Music is art, and enjoying art is aways a good use of one's time. If you were collecting albums and CDs that you rarely listened to, then we're back in the negative collector realm.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

As I mentioned before, I collect rare and antiquarian books and one focus I have is for first edition cookbooks published before 1950. I do not use the recipes as I am not a recipe follower—I resist the dogma of cooking and the food space as strongly as I do of the watch industry and watch community. I will pore over these old cookbooks excitedly like I would with any other book which is particularly interesting with much older books (pre-1930s) when recipes were vague and written completely in paragraph form. However, I do not use the books for their intended purpose. Instead, I use them for inspiration and were I to actually follow the recipe, I would seek out a modern analogue for reference yet still not follow it explicitly. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars, traveling hundreds of miles, and spending an immeasurable amount of time searching for a specific edition, printing, and state of specific books and I cannot help but see a common thread with my watch collecting hobby and with any of my many obsessions.

It sounds like you read these books. That's not being a static collector. That's you using them and enjoying them! Bravo.

It's cool that you don't follow the recipe exactly. You're using the cookbook for inspiration and making changes that ultimately make the food better. Kind of like when we buy a watch and change the strap to make it fit our specific need/desire.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

... I'm also looking forward to having a go on the Authobahn, the no-limit sections should be a blast on a fully faired sportbike. So far the only time I've driven it was 15+ years ago with a newish license in a small car and it was terrifying.

Back in the early 90s, when I was in my youth, I drove more than 200 km/h on the Autobahn in my Corvette thoughout central and southern Germany. It was a glorious trip, and I had no idea what real danger it was.

I'd never do that now, but it was a crazy rush back then.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I'm sorry to see you go, Hornet, but I get why you need to. Thanks for creating and maintaining WPAC all these years.

I wish you every success outside of this madhouse. Our best to you and to your family.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

That's a nice turd at 12.

OMG now I can never unsee it!

That is a good thing, because some part of me has always wanted to justify buying a Mont Blanc watch.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I have a success story to report!

Last year I was excited at the announcement of the Tudor Black Bay 39 Steel & Gold. It seemed to hit a lot of boxes for me, and with the in-house chronometer movement, it was even more attractive. However, it has a number of similarities to the Tudor Royal already in my collection. I put my name on the list with my AD last spring for a black dial 39mm version, and since very few of them have been shipped, I forgot about being on the wait list. Then my AD called me last Saturday.

I was torn between my WPAC commitment and my love for so much about this watch. I figured the only way to get it out of my system was to wear my Royal into the AD and compare the watches side by side. When I got there today, my SA was happy to show me the watch. I told her about my concern about duplicating, and after we each saw them on my wrist, she suggested I not purchase it. I had been thinking it, but it was pretty cool to have the AD talk me out of the purchase. Unexpected from a SA, but definitely cool.

For reference, the watches are below (first is my Royal and below it is the 39mm S&G):

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

Yep -- Lee's Hard Lesson Learned #8: Don't buy the deal.

If you desire a Tudor, Seiko, or Omega then put a plan into place and execute on it, using your friend's employee discount. But don't go out and say, "Ohmygod -- I have a discount and I have to go find a watch I can use it on!" Evaluate your collection, figure out what will go out if you buy a new one, and then let us know so we can bash it mercilessly. That's what we do here at WPAC, lest you spend a few months with the Polar Bears.

Extra points for being mostly resistant so far.

Yep.

Going crazy buying the deal is what landed me in WPAC.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

So...I bought a Timex Ironman BUT I have a legitimate reason. For many years I worked as a lacrosse official. Got out of it for a few years, but a friend and fellow official asked me to help him with some youth games. Said they don't have enough officials. Because he's a friend, I said I'd help him out for the season...

Excellent! Great to hear about others in the lax game.

I am coaching lacrosse this year for the first time. Well, high school girls lacrosse, which is an entirely different game. I played the men's game in college, and it has been a real eye-opener learning the girls rules. No pads, no helmets, no checking. Defenders can't even go in their own crease. All my instincts from playing are all wrong.

But I am still excited to coach. I hope you have as much fun reffing this year.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

You must have a very accommodating prison wallet.

Those are the best kind