[Weetabix]

I thought I'd officially re-up on January 1st for the new year's WPAC. Silly me.

2022 - bought 2, gave 2 away.

Intentions:
- No jumping at something just because it catches my eye.
- Sell or give away a few (like that's worked well in the past )

First photo: The Scurfa and the Doxa were the additions this year. Damasko (1st row, 2nd watch) has been the most worn since 2018.

Second photo: includes the infamous Trintec NAV-03 that caught the attention and admiration of @RustyBin5 I could probably live without Nos 2 and 4, but I suck at selling.

Photo 3:

Photo 4: the ones not worn much, but they live in a convenient drawer.

It was interesting to me how many were on QR or NATO straps. It made photographing easier.

Not pictured: Red Star Solo, Orient Open Heart (both boxed for sale for years), NTH Thresher. The Thresher is out on loan. My best friend's adult daughter (who has decided opinions) asked for a watch for Christmas. She wanted tiny, and all the numerals. I lent the Thresher to her sister to put under the tree as a prank. Apparently the daughter receiving tried to appear appreciative before she realized it was a prank.

Personally, I find massive collections ridiculous, as what's the point when you never wear them all, but again it all comes down to the individual.

Now, I'm curious what constitutes a "massive" collection. I'd call mine large, but as they don't crowd me out of my home, and they were all purchased with money set aside for such profligacy, the size doesn't bother me.

I wish each of you a Happy New Year.

 

[Hornet99]

Now, I'm curious what constitutes a "massive" collection. I'd call mine large, but as they don't crowd me out of my home, and they were all purchased with money set aside for such profligacy, the size doesn't bother me.

What constitutes a "massive" collection will vary from person to person won't it? So there's little point trying to define it. Rather like what the affordable price limit is. I'm not judging anyone for having a large or massive collection, it's just that it isn't for me......

 

[mjwatch]

It's clear
The aliens are here
Happy New Year

 

[Pete26]

Hi all, I'm a watchaholic and need help. I currently have 12 watches, 2 seiko marine masters, 1 Seiko Sumo, 2 Oris, including a Propilot X, an Orient 60th anniversary, gifted to my son, but he never wears it and his room is a pigsty so I took it back the other day before it gets wrecked.

I have 2 Citizens, a sat wave diver and a challenge diver both in ti and the rest are G-Shocks of varying quality.

What suggestion do you guys have for whittling down the collection? I have been "on the list" for a Rolex Sub-date, a Rolex ND, A 2 tone DJ 36, and a Tudor Pelagos. I have been on the list since 2019 for the sub-date and last year for the rest, so probably will never get the call.

If by some miracle I do get the call for one of the Rolex, I would sell everything else. I have been slightly watch mad since COVID, but have now retired. My 2 Brothers-in-law don't even wear watches and my three sons show no interest either.

Ideally, I would love to not wear watches at all and just become completely care free in my retirement, but is that realistic?

Any suggestions or therapeutic solutions would be most welcome.

 

[Hornet99]

Hi all, I'm a watchaholic and need help. I currently have 12 watches, 2 seiko marine masters, 1 Seiko Sumo, 2 Oris, including a Propilot X, an Orient 60th anniversary, gifted to my son, but he never wears it and his room is a pigsty so I took it back the other day before it gets wrecked.

I have 2 Citizens, a sat wave diver and a challenge diver both in ti and the rest are G-Shocks of varying quality.

What suggestion do you guys have for whittling down the collection? I have been "on the list" for a Rolex Sub-date, a Rolex ND, A 2 tone DJ 36, and a Tudor Pelagos. I have been on the list since 2019 for the sub-date and last year for the rest, so probably will never get the call.

If by some miracle I do get the call for one of the Rolex, I would sell everything else. I have been slightly watch mad since COVID, but have now retired. My 2 Brothers-in-law don't even wear watches and my three sons show no interest either.

Ideally, I would love to not wear watches at all and just become completely care free in my retirement, but is that realistic?

Any suggestions or therapeutic solutions would be most welcome.

Hi Pete and welcome to WPAC? Correct me. If I'm wrong here, but it doesn't particularly sound like you have a watch buying issue? You're not buying and flipping watches regularly?

It sounds like you've already decided what you want and that's the Rolex sub. You say you'd happily sell everything for the sub, but what you have to ask yourself is whether you'd start getting an itch to buy something after a while, maybe the allure of the sub would wear off, maybe you'd want something less expensive to wear for certain occasions? All I'm saying is that you want to carefully consider this and selling everything before you do that.

Become watch free in your retirement? Sorry, but unless you've got an iron will it is unlikely to happen. I think that the best you can hope for is whittling the collection down to a handful of pieces that you really enjoy and treasure. If it was me I'd forget about the Sub, buy a Tudor Pelagos 39mm, and keep a handful (one marine master and the Oris pro pilot) of the existing collection and run away from WUS.......

 

[Pete26]

Hi Pete and welcome to WPAC? Correct me. If I'm wrong here, but it doesn't particularly sound like you have a watch buying issue? You're not buying and flipping watches regularly?

It sounds like you've already decided what you want and that's the Rolex sub. You say you'd happily sell everything for the sub, but what you have to ask yourself is whether you'd start getting an itch to buy something after a while, maybe the allure of the sub would wear off, maybe you'd want something less expensive to wear for certain occasions? All I'm saying is that you want to carefully consider this and selling everything before you do that.

Become watch free in your retirement? Sorry, but unless you've got an iron will it is unlikely to happen. I think that the best you can hope for is whittling the collection down to a handful of pieces that you really enjoy and treasure. If it was me I'd forget about the Sub, buy a Tudor Pelagos 39mm, and keep a handful (one marine master and the Oris pro pilot) of the existing collection and run away from WUS.......

I used to be a terrible flipper check out my username in the deal’s section.

 

[Hornet99]

I used to be a terrible flipper check out my username in the deal’s section.

Key phrase being "used to be", so I'd be correct in my assumption that you're over that phase.....?

As with us all the key is truly understanding what you want. Do you want that one "perfect" watch or do you want a bit of change every so often or do you want a selection of well chosen pieces that keep you happy? Working this out is key to moving forwards, that's the truth I've learnt. The other thing is knowing/understanding what are the triggers that set you off on buying sprees, if being on the various watch websites is one then considering swearing off them all is a good idea if you want to avoid temptation.

 

[Zzyzx]

I thought I'd officially re-up on January 1st for the new year's WPAC. Silly me.

2022 - bought 2, gave 2 away.

Intentions:

• No jumping at something just because it catches my eye.
• Sell or give away a few (like that's worked well in the past )

First photo: The Scurfa and the Doxa were the additions this year. Damasko (1st row, 2nd watch) has been the most worn since 2018.

View attachment 17130342

Second photo: includes the infamous Trintec NAV-03 that caught the attention and admiration of @RustyBin5 I could probably live without Nos 2 and 4, but I suck at selling.
View attachment 17130345

Photo 3:
View attachment 17130346

Photo 4: the ones not worn much, but they live in a convenient drawer.
View attachment 17130347

It was interesting to me how many were on QR or NATO straps. It made photographing easier.

Not pictured: Red Star Solo, Orient Open Heart (both boxed for sale for years), NTH Thresher. The Thresher is out on loan. My best friend's adult daughter (who has decided opinions) asked for a watch for Christmas. She wanted tiny, and all the numerals. I lent the Thresher to her sister to put under the tree as a prank. Apparently the daughter receiving tried to appear appreciative before she realized it was a prank.



Now, I'm curious what constitutes a "massive" collection. I'd call mine large, but as they don't crowd me out of my home, and they were all purchased with money set aside for such profligacy, the size doesn't bother me.

I wish each of you a Happy New Year.

Excuse me, with that Batman watch you don't need to be here anymore. You have clearly peaked and any other watch will be a step down.

 

[Wimads]

I am not sure about the am/pm indicator.
A moonphase is a moonphase, surely.

I read that the simplest moonphases use a 59 tooth ring, linked to the date change, I think, so it's apparently not particularly hard to make. The moon's true monthly cycle is 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes though, so a 59 tooth mechanism is 44 minutes off for each cycle, and after about 33 months, it's therefore a day fast, which is a shame for me, as the only button on the watch advances the moon a day, rather than retards it a day. Once every 2 years or so, I can manage though. Even then, you would only really notice it was a day off at New or Full moon, because at those times you should either see no moon, or the entire moon.

A more accurate mechanism uses a 135 tooth ring, and more gearing and that's precise to 122 years (but you still have to keep the watch running!). Andreas Strehler made the worlds most accurate moonwatch, accurate to 2million years. It's 125,000 swiss francs. This pretty thing. I think with his watches, if you have to ask, you cant afford them

Lune Exacte - Andreas Strehler - Independent Swiss Watchmaker (astrehler.ch)

There is a lot of chinese watches copying moonphase designs, but putting in a sun/moon disk that rotates every 24 hours. Generally, on ali-x for around a hundred bucks, that is what you get (or at least, that used to be, but the market might have changed since I lost my interest in cheap chinese stuff years ago). Similar to the "chronograph" designs that are basically calendars with a day, week and month subdial, because that happens to be the movement that is cheaply available in that market segment, rather than an actual chronograph movement.

 

[Pete26]

Key phrase being "used to be", so I'd be correct in my assumption that you're over that phase.....?

As with us all the key is truly understanding what you want. Do you want that one "perfect" watch or do you want a bit of change every so often or do you want a selection of well chosen pieces that keep you happy? Working this out is key to moving forwards, that's the truth I've learnt. The other thing is knowing/understanding what are the triggers that set you off on buying sprees, if being on the various watch websites is one then considering swearing off them all is a good idea if you want to avoid temptation.

True but mainly stopped flipping because of COVID and I broke my back last year and recovery’s been slow.

I have bought a lot over the years and now have the ones I mentioned. I like your suggestion of keeping a few and I know I can’t just avoid watches when I have been into them since I was a kid.

 

[Wimads]

This raises a nuanced existential question, where do such watches fit into WPAC if the club is founded on purchasing abstinence but not necessarily collection size and wearing habits? Is this something for the individual watch enthusiast to decide for themselves?

Collection size would be a bit of a legacy of one's pre-abstinence era I guess. It is up to the individual to decide what to do with that legacy. However, as a consequence of abstinence, I think your mindset towards the "hobby" will inevitably change as well. WPAC is ultimately about learning to appreciate what you have, rather than chasing the next shiny thing; and with that mindset one may arrive at the conclusion that appreciating a small collection is easier than a massive hoard, and thus reducing one's collection size may be the next logical step.

 

[Hornet99]

True but mainly stopped flipping because of COVID and I broke my back last year and recovery’s been slow.

I have bought a lot over the years and now have the ones I mentioned. I like your suggestion of keeping a few and I know I can’t just avoid watches when I have been into them since I was a kid.

One tip for sorting the wheat from the chaff is to put away a selection, say the ones you'd initially decide to sell/move on, where they can't be seen and see how you feel after about a month or longer. If you can live with a smaller collection and not miss them, no real reason to keep them. The caveat is that having a smaller, tight collection, with less room for change is that you can easily become tempted to buy again, hence the need to ensure you'll be satisfied and to avoid temptation or know how to deal with the temptation......

 

[Lee_K]

Ideally, I would love to not wear watches at all and just become completely care free in my retirement, but is that realistic?

Umm, not in my experience. I've been retired six years now and haven't found that the need to know the time for appointments, meetups, volunteer events, meals, or anything else has diminished. In fact, my main daily wearer, an Apple Watch, gives me even more information than I had while working and wearing a traditional watch, which I find extremely useful for my lifestyle.

Everyone is different of course, but to think that retirement is this carefree journey of bliss isn't the reality that I've experienced. It's still much better than working, however.

My only advice on about how to proceed mimics what Hornet has already wisely said. I'm a big proponent in developing a clearly-defined plan of future purchases, to ignore impulse buys (particularly ones that are motivated by an exceptional good financial deal), and to seriously review your collection and get rid of the ones that aren't being worn or weren't gifts that would hurt the feelings of those who gifted the watch to you if you sold them. If a Submariner is your ultimate goal, then put into place an action plan to make that happen. They aren't particularly rare and the craziness around getting one new from an AD seems to be relaxing a bit. It's just a matter of time before one will present itself to you. As for the other Rolexes and the Pelagos, I would question why so many if the Submariner is The One.

 

[usclassic]

Hope everyone had a good New Year. I have not been reading through the posts and spend little time on WUS anymore. However I thought I would check in and give a report on my watch journey. I have not bought any watches since Nov 2022. I did not sell any watches at all in 2022. I gave two watches away as gifts in Dec., one G-Shock to my son and one nice new Arnie SNJ035 to my neighbors father for his birthday. She helps with my wife and did not know what to get her father, so I was happy to help. Turns out he is a retired Navy Seal so he loved the watch.

That brings me to my current SOTC

Mechanical box has 4 plus the Hammy digital.

Solar box has 11

Quartz box has 20

Misc box some needing batteries has 6

One I will never fix

With this I have no plans nor desire to buy any more watches. Maybe will sell off the Omega and Tag if the market for them improves over the years but that's about it. Don't rotate much any more. I have been wearing the Mondaine for over a month just switched to an Arnie today. Anyway I have been into other hobbies and don't spend much time searching watches though I do look occasionally. My wife's condition continues to deteriorate which takes my time now. I don't expect to follow much here this year but wish you all success with whatever goals you set for yourselves.

Best wishes,
Larry

 

[Wimads]

Hope everyone had a good New Year. I have not been reading through the posts and spend little time on WUS anymore. However I thought I would check in and give a report on my watch journey. I have not bought any watches since Nov 2022. I did not sell any watches at all in 2022. I gave two watches away as gifts in Dec., one G-Shock to my son and one nice new Arnie SNJ035 to my neighbors father for his birthday. She helps with my wife and did not know what to get her father, so I was happy to help. Turns out he is a retired Navy Seal so he loved the watch.

That brings me to my current SOTC

Mechanical box has 4 plus the Hammy digital.

View attachment 17131514

Solar box has 11

View attachment 17131524


Quartz box has 20

View attachment 17131527

Misc box some needing batteries has 6

View attachment 17131532

One I will never fix

View attachment 17131533

With this I have no plans nor desire to buy any more watches. Maybe will sell off the Omega and Tag if the market for them improves over the years but that's about it. Don't rotate much any more. I have been wearing the Mondaine for over a month just switched to an Arnie today. Anyway I have been into other hobbies and don't spend much time searching watches though I do look occasionally. My wife's condition continues to deteriorate which takes my time now. I don't expect to follow much here this year but wish you all success with whatever goals you set for yourselves.

Best wishes,
Larry

You've been busy USC! No more desire for watches hey.. the regulars here know how much that claim is worth lol, but I'll not argue.

Anyway, I wish you a lot of strength with your wife, and may you keep healthy yourself. 🙏

 

[Wimads]

Hey look, a new recruit for WPAC right there!....... oh wait.. never mind 😂

I am posting this with a heavy heart. I love collecting...

www.watchuseek.com

 

[usclassic]

You've been busy USC! No more desire for watches hey.. the regulars here know how much that claim is worth lol, but I'll not argue.

Anyway, I wish you a lot of strength with your wife, and may you keep healthy yourself. 🙏

Thanks for the good wishes. It is the most challenging time in my life but God's grace abounds.

 

[Hornet99]

Umm, not in my experience. I've been retired six years now and haven't found that the need to know the time for appointments, meetups, volunteer events, meals, or anything else has diminished. In fact, my main daily wearer, an Apple Watch, gives me even more information than I had while working and wearing a traditional watch, which I find extremely useful for my lifestyle.

Everyone is different of course, but to think that retirement is this carefree journey of bliss insn't the reality that I've experienced. It's still much better than working, however.

My only advice on about how to proceed mimics what Hornet has already wisely said. I'm a big proponent in developing a clearly-defined plan of future purchases, to ignore impulse buys (particularly ones that are motivated by an exceptional good financial deal), and to seriously review your collection and get rid of the ones that aren't being worn or weren't gifts that would hurt the feelings of those who gifted the watch to you if you sold them. If a Submariner is your ultimate goal, then put into place an action plan to make that happen. They aren't particularly rare and the craziness around getting one new from an AD seems to be relaxing a bit. It's just a matter of time before one will present itself to you. As for the other Rolexes and the Pelagos, I would question why so many if the Submariner is The One.

Lee_K, you've reminded me of two other points I'd forgotten to make; firstly whatever the action plan is you've really, really got to be sure it's right, the number of times I've had what I thought was a sound plan quickly fell apart. Secondly, I was going to mention about the various watches on waitlists, seemed to be a shotgun approach to "classic" pieces, rather than focusing on one that was that grail......

 

[Hornet99]

Hope everyone had a good New Year. I have not been reading through the posts and spend little time on WUS anymore. However I thought I would check in and give a report on my watch journey. I have not bought any watches since Nov 2022. I did not sell any watches at all in 2022. I gave two watches away as gifts in Dec., one G-Shock to my son and one nice new Arnie SNJ035 to my neighbors father for his birthday. She helps with my wife and did not know what to get her father, so I was happy to help. Turns out he is a retired Navy Seal so he loved the watch.

That brings me to my current SOTC

Mechanical box has 4 plus the Hammy digital.

View attachment 17131514

Solar box has 11

View attachment 17131524


Quartz box has 20

View attachment 17131527

Misc box some needing batteries has 6

View attachment 17131532

One I will never fix

View attachment 17131533

With this I have no plans nor desire to buy any more watches. Maybe will sell off the Omega and Tag if the market for them improves over the years but that's about it. Don't rotate much any more. I have been wearing the Mondaine for over a month just switched to an Arnie today. Anyway I have been into other hobbies and don't spend much time searching watches though I do look occasionally. My wife's condition continues to deteriorate which takes my time now. I don't expect to follow much here this year but wish you all success with whatever goals you set for yourselves.

Best wishes,
Larry

Happy New year to you USC, sorry to hear about your wife, hope that 2023 is a better year for you.

 

[Wimads]

Lee_K, you've reminded me of two other points I'd forgotten to make; firstly whatever the action plan is you've really, really got to be sure it's right, the number of times I've had what I thought was a sound plan quickly fell apart. Secondly, I was going to mention about the various watches on waitlists, seemed to be a shotgun approach to "classic" pieces, rather than focusing on one that was that grail......

Everytime you've got a "sound" plan, let it pass the scrutiny of Grand Inquisitor Hard Love. Foolish plans can be bashed as well!

But as a rule of thumb, if the plan involves buying something, no matter how rigorous the compensation (selling your entire collection, your house, your children), it's probably just another trick of your mind to justify getting the next shiny thing....

Also, the same thing applies to everything: take your time. The more rigorous the plan, the more time to reserve before taking any drastic actions. If I've learned anything over the years of WPAC, it's that taking time is most crucial to clear the smoke and mirrors of desire.