WatchUSeek Watch Forums banner
Cancel

The 2023 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC).

137685 Views 2783 Replies 99 Participants Last post by  Wimads, 
Hornet99
Welcome to the 2023 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club, otherwise known as WPAC. This is the 7th year of WPAC, which gives me pause to stop and think that I'm surprised it has lasted this long. We might just be onto a good thing?

I'm not intending to repeat the usual opening remarks, but if you're coming to this thread wondering what this is all about have a gander at the last couple of years WPAC threads:

www.watchuseek.com

The 2022 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC).

The 2022 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC). Welcome to the 2022 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club, otherwise known as WPAC. This is the 6th year of WPAC, which was started at the beginning of 2017 to try and get myself and some other addicts out of a crazy buying/flipping cycle with...
www.watchuseek.com www.watchuseek.com
www.watchuseek.com

The 2021 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC).

The 2021 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC). Welcome to the 2021 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club, otherwise known as WPAC. This is the 5th year of WPAC, which was started at the beginning of 2017 to try and get myself and some other addicts out of a crazy buying/flipping cycle with...
www.watchuseek.com www.watchuseek.com
www.watchuseek.com

The 2020 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC).

The 2020 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club (WPAC) Welcome to the 2020 Watch Purchasing Abstinence Club, otherwise known as WPAC. This is the 4th year of WPAC, which was started at the beginning of 2017 as I was in a spiral of buying, flipping and buying again. Sometimes I was looking at the...
www.watchuseek.com www.watchuseek.com

.....obviously don't read them all, but the original, opening posts should give you a good idea. In short this is a thread for a like minded group of watch obsessed individuals who are generally trying to improve their watch buying habits. Anyone is welcome to join, but if you join we want participation and contribution!

In previous years we've had some rules, but this year there aren't going to be, there seems little point when we all have subtly (sometimes massively) different goals. If you are in serious horological trouble with buying then look back at the OP in previous WPAC threads, the rules should be a useful starting point if you want to get things under control or just shout out here to get some advice, it's what we're good at. Think of it like a clubhouse or a WUS subforum dedicated to being friendly, chatting about everything and anything and where you can find like minded watch fans.

Having said that, there is one rule I'd like everyone to adhere to; first post should be an intro with a SOTC picture (include everything, don't cheat) and some goals/aims for 2023. Whether you want to abstain completely, want to save for a special watch, just need to take control, slow things down or whatever, we'll be happy to have everyone. Just as long as you're clear on what your aims are.

Please participate in the thread, it's what makes it what it is. Any reasonable topic of conversation is acceptable and in fact welcomed.

Bashing of any potential purchases should still be a mandatory element, but let's keep it funny. Nuclear level bashing is required for any actual purchases.
Expect to be challenged by others if you're suggesting a purchase, whatever your personal goals/aims and expect to need to defend yourself.....

.....and with that I declare WPAC 2023 open for business. Yes, it's a little premature but I reckon I'll be quite busy after Xmas and between NY, so a little forward planning is required.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 5
21 - 40 of 2784 Posts
D
Cloud Mountain Sky Natural landscape Terrain


Tire Wheel Plant Vehicle Fuel tank


Ah the Dolomites. Fond memories of riding a bike older than me round those, Switzerland, Germany and France. Best 5 weeks of my life (possibly).
See less See more
2
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 5
D
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!
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 4
D
Miklos86 said:
15 watches, since I ceased to be a one watch man in July 2017. Beyond these there is a Citizen and a Hamilton I don't have photo of on this phone, two Garmins that I returned in a few days and one rare Casio that I sold on without wearing. Right now I own 4 of the watches below.

There are only 3 of the 11 goners I don't regret selling to some degree. The Samsung smartwatch because it was useless. The Garmin Fenix because the Instinct fit my needs better. The Longines Hydroconquest, because while it was a great watch, the Omega PO was the perfect upgrade. All the others have qualities I miss and this is a testament against flipping.
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, what sent the PRW-50 to the chopping block?
Reply
Save
Like
D
Ok, no idea how these will display but here goes my attempt at the collective hoard, past and present.

pre-2020:
Watch Analog watch Clock Rectangle Font

Basically worn whilst waitering when I was doing my Masters. Just found it in a drawer today (wasn't in my SOTC for 2023, so maybe I'll get some gulag time), still on the original battery. Bought from Argos for the princely sum of £12, circa 2009.

June 2020 'I think I'll buy a watch' 🤦‍♂️:
Watch Photograph Light Product Black

Watch Photograph Analog watch White Light

Watch Analog watch Photograph White Light


Only 5 remain (these 3, another 6900 not pictured and the A163W I rediscovered today):

Watch Analog watch Clock Font Gadget
See less See more
5
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 3
D
I was falling asleep last night but will add a bit of commentary like the others have done...

31 watches in about 30 months. 27 have left the fold. Most were bought second hand, tinkered with in a quest for my favourite G-shock, and then sold on. Looking at the full collage, it has been a roughly zero-sum pursuit; profits and losses cancelling each other out (aside from my modest remaining collection). And I can confidently say I like the DW-6900!

Swapping bezels, cleaning, greasing gaskets, replacing buttons with those miniscule little clips. It was all a fun distraction from Covid. Oh and I made custom watches for my wife and a good friend.

Happily, I don't have any seller's regret. I might say I miss the Navitimer but it's more that I would like one higher-end piece in the collection. I love the design but a 35yr old chronograph with no water resistance doesn't fit my lifestyle.

The 6900 with 18ct faceplate made by my dad will never go anywhere. WPAC is to make sure the hours spent on Ebay and tweezering G-Shocks go instead on making art. And the forum is a nice place for interaction and interesting chat.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 4
D
Hornet99 said:
Apologies in advance as this might be a long one……

2022 was a difficult year for me in terms of watches and being stable in terms of purchasing, unfortunately in the latter half of the year I slipped back into some old and bad habits, something that I am not proud of at all. At the same time, the experience has made me realise that watches are on the verge of becoming toxic for me. That's not a good thing. One of the problems is, unfortunately, being here in WUS and whilst I stick to just WPAC, it still seems to be enough of a temptation to cause me issues. It's funny as there's nothing else in my life that has the same effect. I think that I use buying watches as a prop to distract from the week to week stressful events in my life, this unsurprisingly doesn't actually help at all, if anything it tends to make things worse; there's the self recrimination and the hassle of selling something I've bought but don't really like…..

OK, WPAC has helped enormously but I recognise I've still got a bit of a problem, so I'm taking the final step and I’m leaving. This is going to be hard, after so many years on WUS and having watches being a big interest in my life it will be difficult to cut ties, but I need to make a break from WUS and watches in general. What is probably going to be harder is leaving the WPAC community behind, as it has been a fantastic community of people that I will miss. I have toyed with the idea of just staying within the relatively safe boundaries of WPAC, but I’ve been doing that for 2 years and it hasn’t changed my habits, I’m too easily tempted even in WPAC by the constant discussion of watches. It’s time to get out of the “bar” to cure my addiction completely.

As well, to be honest, I think that I have had enough of watches, there’s nothing left for me in the “hobby”; I don’t want to tinker with watches, I don’t want to learn to service movements myself and I don’t have a huge interest in the history. So what’s left? Buying watches actually and I don’t want to do that anymore. It's getting to the stage of actually being toxic for me…….

I'm also starting to feel that my habit of wearing a mechanical watch on one wrist and my fitness tracker on the other is a faintly ridiculous thing. So, I'm leaving with the Helson Shark Diver 38mm Titanium, which I'll most definitely keep. I'm going to go back to just wearing my Garmin and nothing else and wean myself off watches, it'll be hard to break these ingrained habits……

…..however, I know myself well enough that I know that I'll buy something else, eventually, but not for a while. Anything else I buy will be only something that I can actually buy in a shop, no more of the online buying of a watch that I've only ever seen online in some airbrushed, touched up images which don't look or wear anything like you expected. Also, something that I'm not influenced by WUS (and all the other horological sites….) to buy.

So, it's goodbye and thanks for all the watches WUS and WPAC*. Good luck and I'll be missing you all.

* - I've got one more to sell so I'll be hanging around till that's done, but not participating.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the intention behind the thread and for keeping it motivated all this time.

Without knowing you personally, if watch purchasing is causing you unhappiness and or financial damage, then I can understand you wanting to leave the forum.

I hope you have something else you can put your energy into. Something you find more rewarding or worthwhile.

Good luck
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 2
D
Miklos86 said:
Two things. First, the Garmin Instinct that does all ABC functions better. Second, I was on a mechanical streak and I thought the quartz second hand bothered me.

It was stupid, I should have given it more time before selling. I like its impeccable field watch style. Actually I sold it in December 2020 and seller's regret was so great that it made me re-think the buying-flipping cycle and joined WPAC January 2021.

Nowadays I'm considering the just-released PRW-51FC. However, don't want to make the same mistake again, I'm waiting a couple of months to see if the urge persists.
Click to expand...
Sorry for late response, quite a lot has happened in a day!
I think the PRW-51FC is the nicest of the Pro-Treks (hence I asked why your older one had gone). But to avoid enabling you, and in turn me - I really think they should do it with a 12, 3, 6, 9 dial. Losing just the 5 and 7 seems an odd choice.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
D
Mr. James Duffy said:
Speaking of bashing, I recently took the Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow off my grail list for the third time because I kept forgetting it has several dealbreakers (No hacking or seconds track?! WTF?!), but I think it is in need of a proper WPAC bashing. Have at it y'all!
View attachment 17164298
Click to expand...
Pros: for once Zenith haven't butchered a watch with an incongruous date window.

Cons: Yay, stealth wealth! £7.5k for something that looks like a microbrand cheapie.

If it didn't have zenith on the dial (and their movement) I don't think you'd dream of buying it on aesthetics alone for more than a grand.

That case shape needs some polish and finishing to stop it looking like a slab of resin strapped to your wrist.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 3
D
atvar said:
Personally I would have no trouble bashing a Grand Seiko - the incredible polishing lasts about 5 minutes until you scratch it up, they all have the same boring case, the model numbers are impossible to remember, the bracelet is generally considered to be sub-par, if it's a spring drive they have a hideously ugly power reserve on the dial, the water resistence is usually low, the best models are often limited editions that are difficult to get hold of, etc. etc., I could go on, if you're considering buying one :)

I don't think there's a single watch out there that everyone likes, you'll always find someone ready to bash it!

As @sinner777 says above, it's good natured friendly discouragement, rather than a personal attack -:)
Click to expand...
At least 50% of the collection appear to be rehashed Omega designs from the 50s and 60s with extra shiny dauphine hands.

I might not be their target audience.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 2
D
Zzyzx said:
GUYS!?

Should I buy another G-Shock?
Click to expand...
Did you do a SOTC for 2023? I searched for a bit to decide how many G-shocks was reasonable... But have given up by page 6!
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
  • Helpful
Reactions: 3
D
Lee_K said:
G-Shocks don't count. Everyone in WPAC knows this.

:sneaky:
Click to expand...
This is a massive relief.

31 watches in 30 months, is now 6 in 30. I don't have a problem!
Reply
Save
Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 3
D
That snowman is superb. Bravo!
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
D
Zzyzx said:
This has been a major problem ever since Amazon opened up to being a massive 3rd party platform. Original creators have their ideas stolen and sold for pennies, fakes everywhere, damaged goods being shipped, sales of illegal items, velociraptor erotica, etc.
Click to expand...
Now, now. I won't hear a bad word said about velociraptor erotica.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 3
D
@Earthjade

I concur with most of the advice already given.
The 'beater' category in your collection, from the way you are writing about it, feels like a constructed requirement to facilitate a certain size collection.

If you really desire to wear a watch whilst doing rough work, then a circa £30 casio is surely the way to go... There are loads to choose from, so you should find something you like enough for that very specific role. I wouldn't want to trash a £350 steel watch like that Seiko, so I'd end up using it for the sort of things I wouldnt have any issue using a metal g-shock or Sinn for.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 3
D
Earthjade said:
Apparently you get one "one-in, one-out" exception in a year in WPAC. I think I'm going to have to use that.
At the moment I have a Rolex Explorer, a Cartier, a Casio, a Sinn and a Citizen. That's the limit for how many watches I would ever like to own in a collection. Ideally I'd like to get it down to 4 or 3 but I just can't get there yet. Anyway, my problem has ALWAYS been the beater watch of my collection (which I count - it's cheating if you don't consider a beater part of your collection). After trying a few mechanicals out as a beater, I finally learned I was most comfortable with a beater being a solar quartz.

Currently, my beater is a Citizen Promaster AT6080-53L, I bought it in Japan late last year. On paper it's an amazing watch for the price with a lot going for it - 39mm, eco-drive, JDM model, perpetual calendar, radio controlled, 20BAR, signed screw-down crown, all titanium build, sapphire crystal, Japanese day wheel, quick-adjust bracelet with solid end links. Only criticism I have is that the lume is not so great. It's a beater so a beater should be practical and tool-like and this Citizen has everything you would want in a reliable tool watch short of a G-Shock. But I'm just not feeling it. I think my main sticking point is I just think it feels too close to my Rolex Explorer I in style. Both are field-watches. Crazy, right? But that's what annoys me about the watch and I hate that it's a thing and it actually annoys me:
View attachment 17178358

I'm not a "tick a box" kind of watch collector, because I think you really have to buy watches that you think you will wear in regular rotation in your daily life, but the problem I have is you also need to be HAPPY with what you wear. So I'm thinking of selling the Citizen to fund a Seiko SNE585 in a kind of positional swap for my collection. On paper, the Seiko is an inferior watch. I'm not sure, but I could easily believe a Citizen Eco-Drive to be superior to any solar movement Seiko currently makes (correct me if I'm wrong). But the thing is, this Seiko just has that generic (but classic) dive watch aesthetic in a solar quartz package I think will work great as a beater and offer a watch that my small collection just doesn't have. I just wish Citizen used their amazing tech in watches that had more style and flair, because Seiko beats them every time.
View attachment 17178367

So that's where I'm at at the moment. Seiko has jerked me around in the past. I've owned 5 Seiko automatics and only one was a good experience (SARX055). Bad time-keeping and misalignments were the order of the day. Surprisingly, I've yet to see a misaligned Seiko 38mm solar diver and with a solar movement, my main bugbear about owning a Seiko is gone. But I kind of feel like a partner that ran away and is returning to their abuser. This whole situation is one big pain in the backside for me, considering all I have to do is basically NOTHING (save for the fact I can't get around to enjoying the Citizen I have).
Click to expand...
Another thought I had, was have you ever worn / considered wearing the Citizen on a strap? You mention that you feel it overlaps with your Explorer. I saw the below Promaster on rubber and thought it looked great...
Watch Analog watch Clock Watch accessory Material property


Maybe having it super comfortable and visually more distinct from your other watches would give it a fresh lease of life for you?
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 3
D
atvar said:
To the points posted above I'll just that that Salmon dials will go out of fashion and look incredibly dated in 10 years, I guarantee it. Check back in 10 years if you don't believe me :)



100% agree, when I initially joined this forum I took as gospel that every collection needed a beater, so, after a bit of searching, I bought an Orient Kamasu. Nothing wrong with it, it's a perfectly decent watch that ticks all the boxes. But then I realized that there are very few activities I do where I actually risk damaging seriously my watch, and in those cases I can just take it off.... I found myself wearing it for the sake of it, when actually I'd rather wear a watch I like more. So out it's gone.

I guess it's different if you're driving fence posts every day - but I've never driven a fence post in my life, in fact I'd never even heard the term before joining this forum. I do occasionally go swimming, so I want enough WR to swim with, and a sapphire crystal to avoid 90% of scratches there - but at a push even this will do as my beater:
View attachment 17180957
A couple of years ago we went on a 3 week holiday and I forgot to pack the Orient I'd also intended to take, so I wore just this on a plain black rubber strap the whole time, including for trips to the beach, and it did just fine....

@Earthjade if it were me, I'd sell the Citizen and keep the Sinn, but I can see why you might ditch both. But I don't really see the point in getting the Seiko if you feel unsure...seems like you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Can't you keep one or other of the Citizen or Sinn until you find, in person, a watch that will definitely fill that spot with no quality issues?
Click to expand...
I now have three DW-6900s and a Timex forming my collection. The G-Shocks are quintessential 'beaters' if you accept the term. But I have a favourite, so that doesn't get worn if I'm doing something I can foresee scratching it.

I was renovating a flat recently and decided to wear one of the 'beater' G-Shocks regardless of activity. Paint, flying shards of broken tile etc. Got a tiny scratch on the crystal whilst stripping out the bathroom and now think, 'I should have just taken the thing off, laid it on a shelf or window sill away from the main chaos and looked at it if I needed to know the time.' This is a £50 watch but I still have an attachment to it and scratches are distracting.

Watch enthusiasts are going to choose watches they like regardless of what they're spending... Some battle scars can add to the appeal / patina / story of your watch but I imagine very few people on this forum want to damage watches they own. If I had a watch I didn't care about, I'd sell it!

I guess 'Beater' is useful in that it's easier to write than 'a robust watch I could easily afford to replace if it broke beyond repair'. And I do think that's a type of watch I will always have as they're low-stress and useful.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
D
I'm pretty sure Captain Hard Love has seen his fair share of mountings.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 2
D
bth1234 said:
I just think it's hard to imagine the horological question where the answer is a Seiko.
Click to expand...
You could pose a fair few horological questions where this lot are the answer: https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/special/heritage

I don't own a Seiko and I'm not a fanboy but they're a pretty spectacular company.
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
D
Zzyzx said:
Seriously, the thirst is real and... just embarassing.
View attachment 17189323
Click to expand...
Where is your empathy? :D
Reply
Save
Like
D
Stelwick said:
What really helped me focus was honestly answering the following questions:
  1. What do you want your collection to be?
  2. What do you want your watches to say about you?
  3. Are you a collector, or are you an enthusiast?
The answers were: I wanted a more minimal collection; I wanted watches that I felt represented who I am (and that I loved); and that I am an enthusiast. It gave me no pleasure to have a bunch of watches I didn't wear regularly.
Click to expand...
I'm struggling to form a plan... So it can't hurt to give these questions some thought.

1. Not large, circa 5 pieces or less. With each watch having a defined role / reason I'd pick it on any given day.
Whilst there is a place for a GADA / universal kind of watch, I'd like the majority of watches to have an individual character; something about them that isn't found too often in other models. Watches that carry a very definite design language that is their own.

2. I don't think I'm too bothered what other people think but that's a hard thing to be self-aware about. I'd want my collection to not be flashy. I.e. I don't want a watch to overtly show status / achievement.
That doesn't need to mean cheap... I can't afford one, but if I could, I'd be comfortable wearing a Lange and Sohne 1815 and uncomfortable sporting a Rolex Yacht master for example. And I think those comparisons can be made at different price points.

3. Enthusiast
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
21 - 40 of 2784 Posts
WatchUSeek Watch Forums
A forum community dedicated to watch owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about watch collections, displays, watch winders, accessories, classifieds, and more! We welcome all manufacturers including Casio G-Shock, OMEGA, Rolex, Breitling, Rolex and Tudor, Seiko, Grand Seiko and others.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Public Forum Watches - Private Sellers and Sponsors Affordable watches Dive watches Casio G-Shock
Top