Do You Actually Enjoy Your Watch Collection, Or Is It Always About The Next New Thing?

Dear Fratelli, let’s pause for a minute. I know your watch wish list is there on your phone, ready to be expanded with new options at any moment of the day. I’m sure you’re already saving up for the next new addition to your collection, and the watch on your wrist is probably also a recent purchase. But do you realize what’s already in your watch box? At some point, you were dreaming of having those watches in your collection. And now they are, but you’re completely neglecting them! Let’s take a moment to reflect.

The end of the year is getting closer and closer. This is when we usually start reflecting on the last 12 months gone by. For me, that means I’m looking back at quite an eventful year for my watch collection, so that introduction above might apply to you, but it applies to me too! I hit the ground running when I started out in this hobby. And silly me, I even thought that I had slowed down a bit! But, to be honest, I’m still kind of unstoppable, and the same goes for many other enthusiasts that I know. Why can’t we just enjoy the watches that we already have?

Thor’s collection of boxes

Constant turmoil

You probably know the feeling. You’d been on the hunt for a new addition for a while. You received it, you’ve worn it for the (short) honeymoon period, and then… It happens. You’re already thinking about what watch to buy next! It happens to me, and I see it happening to other watch enthusiasts around me as well. At first, you think, “My collection looks so good. Now it’s complete!” But then, not long after, you’re on the hunt again for the next new thing to scratch the horological itch. It almost seems like it’s a never-ending story.

I blame the hunt for that. It’s such an enjoyable period in which you’re scavenging through options for your next watch. You get in touch with other enthusiasts, you find watches and references you hadn’t seen and taken into account before… And that’s exactly where it goes wrong. The hunt might get you to your next watch, but it also opens up your eyes to other options for the future. That way, there’s never any end to it. And your watch-loving buddies certainly aren’t of any help either. They’re just a bunch of enablers, aren’t they?

A table at a get-together full of inspiration

He who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl

Whether it’s here at the Fratello office, at a watch event or get-together, or on Instagram, there’s always someone with a new watch. Likewise, there’s always someone with a story about the watch that they’re aiming for next. Heck, at get-togethers, people just exchange watches right then and there. Maybe I’m just too close to the fire. Of course, if this continues, I’m going to burn myself! But just as the hunt is such an enjoyable part of the hobby, so are conversations on forums and at get-togethers. It’s great to talk about other people’s watch journeys. You can use their experiences to feed into your own.

But that doesn’t mean you won’t make the same mistakes they made. In fact, for many watches, you’ll still want to find out what it’s like to own them, regardless of the experiences that others had. In the end, everyone is different, and you have your own taste in watches. Why let others influence you too much?

Certainly not my gold Speedmasters…

The quest for your own taste

That’s more or less my excuse when I think back on my first three years in this hobby. I bought quite a few watches at the very beginning, but I also sold several of them simply because I didn’t know what I was buying. And I was still figuring out what kind of watches suited my style and preferences. For some watches, that meant I had to accept a loss when I sold them. For others, luckily, I was able to break even or make a buck. As such, it didn’t really feel like I was losing money along the way. But despite the changes I made and the replacements I bought, I still felt the urge to add more watches to the collection.

There are now ten watches in my collection, and I feel like that’s a lot. I’d like to have the time to wear them all, but with ten to choose from in the morning, that becomes a difficult task. But I do like them all very much, so for now, none of them are going anywhere. And when I look at the watches that I have amassed, I do feel very lucky for what I have. My collection makes me smile. And maybe that’s the reason for this moment of reflection. I’m very happy with what I have, so why should I keep longing for more?

Ben’s watch collection

Find a better balance

Maybe it’s because I’m in this way too deep. And if my experience resonates with you, maybe you are too. There will always be other watches in the back of our heads. New releases, a friend that sells a watch, or a nice opportunity on one of the forums or Instagram… Ignoring all that is almost like saying goodbye to the hobby, so maybe we just have to accept that the cycle never ends. But in a moment of reflection like this, I do realize that I should probably show a little more love to the watches that I already own.

Sure, it’s great when you can add a complementary (in any sense of the word) piece to your watch collection. But the excitement over that new watch shouldn’t affect your love for the ones that were already there. It would be nice to find a bit more of a balance. Maybe that’s a good New Year’s resolution for 2023.

What is it like for you? Are you also experiencing that the hunt for something new is overshadowing your love for the rest of your collection? And how do you make sure that you don’t forget about the wonderful watches that are already in it? Please let me know in the comments below.

You can also find and follow me on Instagram: @fliptheparrot