[jmariorebelo]

Here's where I'm at, and my plan for 2023.

FINAL SOTC 2022

Haven't got them all with me at the moment so a collage will have to do. Not pictured the Armida and Farer I'll sell once I'm back in the UK and take some photos. The ? is there just to fill the empty space, damn prime numbers.

THE PLAN FOR 2023

• Sell two watches.
• Finally stop procrastinating and sell/gift a number of straps.
• Buy... nothing? Something?

There are a lot of watches out there that I like but, at this moment, nothing really is bothering my wallet. As in 2022 with the Citizen, anything over 2k would mean replacing any of my current top 3. That's very difficult. The mechanicals that could are way north of 2k, or even 10k. I'm at a point where buying anything with gears would have to be truly spectacular, like a Breguet 7027BB/11 (still and always this one). Quartz however is a tempting proposition. Want to check a Cartier Santos Dumont two tone in the metal but that's going directly against the Fears, so probably nothing will come out of it. Looking at the SOTC above I still feel some more purple would be cool but there's nothing in the works.

Another point is the soon-to-be-gone Armida, and my long debated plan of a zerographe mod with a NH35. That might happen, I'd give it a 50% chance. I've also been looking into Baltany for a few months now, specifically the quartz 1926 Oyster. Something cheap and fun.

Might also invest in some Crown & Buckle Chevron straps, and haven't completely ruled out a steel case mod for the Royale.

THE PLAN FOR 2023: RISK ASSESSMENT

Is there something that may put the aforementioned plan, or lack thereof, in danger? Nothing worthy of note. The selling bits are 100% going to happen, the buying bit too... Unless I win the lottery (which is difficult considering I don't play), or something spectacular and affordable comes out next year (possible but unlikely), or I hit some financial difficulties which would force me to sell (extremely unlikely).

 

[jmariorebelo]

Did you sneak in that Cauny under the WPAC radar?? I don't recall having seen that before -- and looking through your WPAC'22 posts, it doesn't seem you ever posted a '22 SOTC, so no way to check either..

I think I'll need you to report to @Hornet99 to explain your lack of transparency!

It's ok you don't remember, loads of people we interact with.

The Cauny is from the 80s, belonged to my dad and was my first watch. Wore it daily interchanged with the Casio for almost two years, before getting the Farer in 2020. Haven't worn it since, but keep it around.

 

[jmariorebelo]

View attachment 17115354

View attachment 17115353

2022 = unmitigated failure; zero goals met.

Godayum that's a lot of em. I remember you wanted to end 2022 in the tens...

I feel a purge coming on, soon. Not really any quantity goal at this point, but I could stand to shed a few.

No planned purchases, immediately, although there are maybe even three different mod builds I'm considering for the NH34 movement.

Did you have any planned purchases in 2022? If not, how did you end up with 31 watches, and how will you keep the same from happening in 2023?

Bottom picture, bottom row, first three on the left - these are now the core of an endgame collection. I recently tried on a Longines Spirit 37mm... that may be a fourth addition. Others include a Citizen Chronomaster AQ4020-54Y, and a GS SBGN005.

None of those are happening any time soon, will be lucky to pick up even one in 2023.

This alone should be enough incentive not to buy any flip fodder and keep working towards a greater goal. Good luck.

 

[jmariorebelo]

Ah, right, think I remember something like that. Difficult to keep track (hence the usefulness of sotc posts)

Yeah I wasn't planning on sticking around the 2022 thread as often, so no SOTC. I did do one for 2021, 2022 was the same plus the Fears as stated in the 2021 intentions.

The 2021 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC).

You're in it... and I don't know how I got here.

www.watchuseek.com

 

[jmariorebelo]

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.

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?

 

[jmariorebelo]

I think that I've got shades of addiction in my personality, but surprisingly it's only really manifested itself in buying watches. In other hobbies (climbing, hiking, biking) this has never been a problem with buying "gear". I think that is why I personally don't see watches as a true hobby, with my other hobbies the "gear" is simply need to do the actual hobby, whereas I don't actually do anything with watches (other than wear them and tell the time....).

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?

 

[jmariorebelo]

I think this is still in the spirit of WPAC as it concerns budget control and avoiding flipping...

I'd be interested to hear how you approach (relative to your own financial means) your personal limits on what is acceptable / prudent to spend on a watch?

Advice is often given (and I think I agree) that if your heart is set on watch A, then buying cheaper watch B (which is a bit similar but not as nice), in an attempt to scratch the itch, is a futile pursuit.

But if watch A is a Vacheron Constantin 222, then a lot of people (myself included) will need to accept that it won't ever happen and might choose to look for a watch that shares some characteristics but at a much lower price-point.

I was thinking one approach is to choose watches that are in your budget but have a design integrity or enough unique attributes that they don't feel like lesser versions of something else. G-shocks are good for this as they could be argued to be the best or most desirable of their genre. But steel sports watches? Pilot's watches? I think it's harder.

I'll give my personal experience. No right or wrong, just some more food for thought.

Started with the Farer, which I like very much but knew from the start it wasn't my absolute favourite blue dial watch. Simply the one I liked the most at the price I could afford. The anordain was my favourite green dial, probably still is, and was very fortunate to be given a fantastic deal on one. With the Fears and the Citizen I wanted them specifically, and saved towards those purchases for however long necessary. This said, as much as I wanted them, there are still watches out there I can't afford right now, but would/will buy if/when possible and replace the Fears/anordain/both. In the meantime, I'll be sure to enjoy what I have. I still compromise, but to a much lesser degree. If it takes a year to achieve a certain goal, that's ok. But three years, that would mean the goal is super expensive and uncomfortable to purchase, more on that below. Anyway, the Fears was bought in 2021 and the Citizen in 2022. Some specifics.

In 2021, after all expenses including the Fears, I saved a total of £7600. This was an atypical year as I spent 9 months in Portugal due to air travel restrictions. The watch cost £3500. In other words, had I bought it at the end of the year, it would have been 3.5/11.1 = 32% of my savings for that year. In 2022 spent most of the year in the UK and the savings were greatly reduced to £4800. This was because of huge increases in money spent on rent/utilities, sports, pub/meals out, holidays to foreign countries, etc. The Citizen cost me a total of £3029, i.e. it would have been 39% of my savings for the year.

You can see three things. First, I'm a fan and advocate of the saying "if you can't afford it twice, you can't afford it".

Second, while these percentage of savings might be a bit high, I'm working on the basis that I have no debt, no car, no house, and amassed savings over the past 3 years that cover 18 months of needs at my current rate of spending (which I'd also reduce were this situation to happen). So even if I lost my job tomorrow morning and for some reason couldn't liquidate the watches, I'd still have a decent leeway.

Third, and forgetting the first point, it could be said that, on paper, I can probably afford more expensive watches/whatever. But I don't feel comfortable with that. Was close to buying the £8k SBGY007 but that really doesn't sit well with me. In summary, just because you can, doesn't mean you must. Perfectly fine to buy things under your absolute limit of affordability.

 

[jmariorebelo]

I know a few of you have these things so might as well ask here. I need to buy a wrist thing for health purposes. Should be as small and cheap as possible, and measure heart rate and more importantly blood pressure. Any suggestions?

 

[jmariorebelo]

I'm not aware of any wrist device that will provide blood pressure readings. That requires an inflatable cuff that has to be engaged for use -- there are many on the market. I use a Panasonic monitor and take a reading once every day. Hypertension is something many of us encounter as we get older, unfortunately.

The latest Apple Watches provide heart rate and blood oxygen level.

None of the fitness bands I've ever had have measured blood pressure, so if that's an important feature the one I'd actually recommend isn't of use, but I'd suggest that going cheap might be a false economy, I've found the cheaper devices haven't been very accurate (my experience is with heart rate specifically), eventually I settled on Garmin for good accuracy. I have had a few Fitbits and their accuracy was poor. I'd expect the same for measuring blood pressure. Also smaller can be an issue with the size of the sensors and again accuracy.....

Yeah that was my fear re blood pressure, not really possible. And I'm just 27, will talk with my GP on Monday again but it's likely it's from high renal function. Heart rate would be more of a curiosity specially when running, for that alone I'll probably not bother...

First criteria would be decent quality, then smallest size and price. But as hornet says, the sensors take space.

Cheers my dudes.

Edit: found a few smartwatch/wrist things that state they can measure BP but look a bit dodgy, will check with my doc

 

[jmariorebelo]

.... don't get me started on Lego, I keep telling myself it's a sensible purchase because a) they don't really take space as they can be taken to pieces and packed away in storage relatively easily, b) my daughter will want to play with them when she's older, and c) sometimes the big sets even go up in value.... even though I know none of those really make sense

Anyway: watches. Late to the party for 2023, just caught up reading the thead so far, and here's my SOTC. I don't have all of them with me at the moment, so a montage of wrist shots.....

Firstly the "sentimental / souvenir" box.
View attachment 17143893
Left to right:

• Accurist quartz that I bought for my 18th birthday with money from my grandmother. When she passed away I dug out the watch and replaced the broken cheap bracelet with a strap and replaced the battery. I don't like the style anymore and almost never wear it but it's definitely not going anywhere
• Tommy Hilfinger Quartz that was a gift to me from the first team I managed, when I left that job. Quite small by today's standards, I occasionally wear this one, also definitely not going anywhere.
• Sea-gull "limited edition" - impulse buy souvenir of my time living and working in the greater China region. I'm not desperately attached to this, but I intend to hang on to it for now
• Christopher Ward Ukraine limited edition C63 Sealander. Money to a good cause, and souvenir of 2022 and the slightly crazy political situation last year! Definitely keeping this one, particularly since I wear it regularly as there's a gap in my regular collection below.

"General" collection:
View attachment 17143895

1 = "nice", 2 = GADA, 3 = variety, 4 = beater / travel. I've found having a structure to my collection stops me randomly buying affordable watches that look nice but I never have occasion to wear...

Top row is "work" watches:

1A - Blancpain Villeret. My dress option and default "nice" work watch. Definitely not going anywhere​

2A - Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 5. GADA / Casual work from home option. Against the tide of WUS opinion, I really like the TH Carrera line, particularly the lugs. Conventional opinion says I should want to upgrade this to a Aquaterra or something, but I think I'd rather keep this one, thanks. Definitely not going anywhere.​

3A - Longines Calendar Chronograph. "I want something different today" work watch. I'm not big on complications but I wanted some variety, so this one delivers the max complexity for minimum price, particularly since it was heavily discounted. I'm not particularly attached to this one, but happy with it for now. In theory I could upgrade to a Speedy, or a Perpetual Calendar or something later, but I don't really feel the need to spend any more money on this kind of watch..​

4A - Baume et Mercier Baumatic. "Under the radar" / travel work watch. Since the others are quite shiny and attract attention, this is the one I wear if I don't want to stand out.​

Bottom row is "weekend / free time" watches;

1B - Nomos Club Sport. This was my 2022 40th birthday present to myself. Very happy with this one, my default weekend watch. Definitely not selling this one.​

2B - a gap for a more casual option - this would be a dive watch, but having spent a lot of time looking at dive watches I have yet to find one I really like. If Omega released something like a no-date Planet Ocean, it would likely go here. But for now the CW C63 or the Farer fills this gap, so no urgency to buy something here​

3B Ming 2022.01 - pre-ordered and incoming in Q1 2023 (hopefully). This is my 2023 purchase. I've been wanting a Ming for a long time and this was the first model I really liked that I could afford.... also it reduces overlap with the rest of the collection by being green, and a GMT. This will be the weekend equivalent of the Longines - when I want some variety.​

4B - Farer Endeavour. Travel / Beater. This is where most people have a G Shock or similar, but I don't like G Shocks. This is rugged and casual enough for me, since I don't do any outdoors activities more rigorous than a long hike in the hills.​

​

So, total of 11, once the Ming arrives. That seems like a lot, and I could cut down fairly easily, sell the B&M and the Farer, the Longines and maybe the Sea-gull. But I don't feel any particular need to do so, and it's nice to have options to choose from.

My main objective in 2023 is to avoid buying any watch other than the Ming.... I'm pretty sure I won't be tempted by what's already out there, but the danger for me is seeing offers, special editions, limited availability, etc. So expect a few bashes to be needed pointing out that manufactured urgency doesn't mean it's a good watch!

(and a late Happy New Year to all!)

Nice bunch, particularly like the Blancpain and Nomos. Speaking of Nomos and its categorization within your collection, have you ever worn it on weekdays and if so what was your punishment for being a bad boy?

 

[jmariorebelo]

We could do a commemorative picture collage of our collective former hoard...

[edit] in fact, i think it would be a perfect confronting and therapeutic activity for after gulag labor, collectively collating all the watches you've bought over the years. Should fit right in with the re-education program as well.

Would love to see that, will do mine after dinner.

Bonus points for time and money breakdowns: when it was bought, for how much, when it was sold, and what was the financial hit (or gain).

 

[jmariorebelo]

is it better to have watches that require $700 - $1000 to service or is it better to own $500-$700 watches and just let them run til they die?

And that's why... Ecodrive is the way.

 

[jmariorebelo]

Remember my intentions post? Specially this part?

Is there something that may put the aforementioned plan, or lack thereof, in danger? Nothing worthy of note. The selling bits are 100% going to happen, the buying bit too... Unless I win the lottery (which is difficult considering I don't play), or something spectacular and affordable comes out next year (possible but unlikely), or I hit some financial difficulties which would force me to sell (extremely unlikely).

Oris just did a thing, and it's indeed spectacular.

Hands-On - The New Oris Big Crown Calibre 473

Big news for the Big Crown with a new, high-performance, anti-magnetic, hand-wound Calibre 473 developed in-house by Oris.

monochrome-watches.com

I should know by now to never underestimate independent brands...

Absolutely not in need of a bash (for now). The Citizen is much more interesting to me and going nowhere, and my thoughts on mechanicals as stated in the intentions post above haven't changed. But damn if this isn't a great looking watch with what seems like a fantastic movement.

 

[jmariorebelo]

All right, here's the "commemorative picture collage of our collective former hoard"TM

Going like text from the top left.

Cauny Prima
Bought on: 2018/08/14, the day I re-started wearing watches. Was my dad's and thus cost 0.
Sold on: still around (1611 days)
Verdict: wore it daily for the better part of two years. Keeps an insane -50spd. Not going anywhere on the account of being my dad's, but also not worn anymore.

Casio Royale
Bought on: 2018/09/19, new for €35.
Sold on: still around (1575 days)
Verdict: Hit. Was bought as a placeholder while I learned more about these wonderful little things, after seeing the watch I wanted in real life (SRPB41) and it being too big. The PT colours mod 2.5 years ago brought new life into it, also not going anywhere.

CWard C60 Trident Mk3 38mm
Bought on: 2019/07/04, new for €750.
Sold on: 2020/05/21 for €510 (-32%) (322 days)
Verdict: Miss. Ultimately a mistake, but taught lessons that still last.

Seiko SNK375 mod with Lucius Atelier Stardust dial
Bought on: 2019/10/27, new for €173 (all in).
Sold on: 2020/10/01 for €126 (-27%) (340 days)
Verdict: Miss. Just a mistake; crazy to think it lasted almost a year.

Farer Hudson
Bought on: 2020/03/29, new for £960.
Sold on: still around (1018 days)
Verdict: Hit. My beloved, the one that should have been the first (read third). Currently waiting the chopping block, but will always remember it.

HKED ED63 Green
Bought on: 2020/06/14, new for £214.
Sold on: 2020/09/26 for £217 (+1%) (104 days)
Verdict: Hit. Did exactly what I wanted from it, answered the question "do I like chronos?".

anOrdain Model 2 Green Fumé
Bought on: 2020/06/23, used for ~£1035.
Sold on: still around (932 days)
Verdict: Hit. I've contemplated selling it a number of times, mostly fueled by the super reflective crystal, but the people behind the brand decided it should stay when they recoated the crystal completely free of charge. Still my #1 green dial on the market.

Zelos Nova Meteorite
Bought on: 2020/09/09, new for £733 (including crown replacement).
Sold on: 2020/11/30 for £592 (-18%) (82 days)
Verdict: Miss. Settling + FOMO + early bird pricing + not seeing the watch before buying = never again.

Fears Brunswick Salmon
Bought on: 2021/09/18, new for £3500.
Sold on: still around (480 days)
Verdict: Hit. You all know by now how much I love this watch.

Armida A1 38mm
Bought on: 2022/05/05, new for £317.
Sold on: still around (251 days)
Verdict: Miss. Was bought with one purpose, remind me I don't like automatics. Turns out that's mostly true, but I like the NH35 and what really bothers me is screw down crowns. Almost a success?

Citizen AQ4100-141L Summer
Bought on: 2022/10/03, new for £3029.
Sold on: still around (100 days)
Verdict: Hit. The Farer was falling short compared to the anordain and Fears, plus my revelation regarding quartz. This is a fantastic watch, likely the one I'd keep if I had to get rid of all but one.

Summary: 4.5 years, 10 watches (sans the Cauny), 6 hits, 4 misses. Really happy with the way my journey in the world of watches is going.

 

[jmariorebelo]

Are you allowed to use the Union Jack on your profile and then post dates in yyyy/mm/dd format?

You should see what I do with distances 😁

And yes, yyyy/mm/dd ftw. I'll die on this hill, which so happens to be even taller than the "g-shocks count" hill...

 

[jmariorebelo]

Despite wearing G-Shocks for years, I still have to pause every time to cope with the mm/dd format...
The latest 5610 modules allow you to select the date to display as God intended. My kind will win out in the end.

Oh it's awful, always have to do a double take with my casio as well.

I prefer yyyy/mm/dd because I use it dozens of times per day for versioning, but in normal circumstances dd/mm/yyyy (or yy) is more straightforward

 

[jmariorebelo]

I needed/wanted a protective container for my new Murph 38, as I go directly from school (I'm a teacher) to the gym. Had an Amazon gift card with some credits still on it, so picked up this Watch Pod and it only cost me $5. https://www.amazon.com/WATCHPOD-Storage-Cushioned-Portable-Wristwatches/dp/B06XJPVH7N/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=17J91NN4QJIM7&keywords=watch+pod&qid=1673625377&sprefix=watch+pod,aps,135&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTzBaUzU1SE1INUxJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODY2MTIwMVY1VlZaR0hIUjQwNSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTg0Nzk1QUpTR0lSMzgxODhGJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

+1 on watch pods, got mine 1.5 years ago and couldn't be happier. Cheap, small and seem to last forever.

 

[jmariorebelo]

Going back to watches... No one else doing the
"commemorative picture collage of our collective former hoard"TM?

Pretty please?

 

[jmariorebelo]

You underestimate the task... it is a little wee bit more than 10 watches for most of us :')

Precisely why I'd love to see it!

 

[jmariorebelo]

These are brilliant. Deciding if I have the strength to face up to the ridiculous number of G-Shocks that passed through my hands since Covid!