Miranda, a seasoned collector with 35 years of experience, offers invaluable advice to new and experienced enthusiasts alike. Her candid reflections on past mistakes provide a unique perspective on the emotional and financial pitfalls of watch collecting. This article distills Miranda's wisdom, ensuring that her hard-won lessons resonate with a new generation of collectors navigating a vastly different horological landscape.
Thirty five years, so please indulge me, here goes
1. Do your own homework, when I started collecting in 1989, there were no influencers, no internet. You spoke to knowledgeable people, you followed the auctions, you spoke to owners. Then you consulted the most important person- yourself. These influencers on IG, YouTube don’t know shit, 💩, it takes time and effort to gain knowledge. Do it.
2. Buy it if your heart desires it. It doesn’t matter what other people say, their opinion counts for 💩, if it makes you smile 😃, if it makes you feel a million dollars 💵 buy it and don’t give a flying f* about what anyone else says.
When I bought my first Nautilus, in 1995, I was told I was an idiot. This was my first Nautilus.
3. If you love it, don’t sell it. Yes I made this mistake not once not twice like an absolute dumbass, I repeated it again and again. Fool. You get a great offer and you think, yes I will get another- it rarely ever happens
Look at these: then tell me I am not the biggest fool
These are just a few 🤦🏽♂️
Selling is an inevitably, sometimes you want to move the collection on, chasing after another piece, but stop, take a deep breath 😮💨, do you really want to do that, the grass is always greener
3. Buy the seller not the watch. So important especially today, with exceptional fakes in the market. If you don’t feel comfortable with buying, walk away. Oh and if its too cheap to be true then its usually the case. Never buy any watch without handling it, especially vintage. I bought a 16750 GmT Master for £1600, on eBay- the watch was completely f*kd - repair cost £3500. Retail price at that time for a mint condition £3000
4. Don’t dither. I messed up twice (fools repeat mistakes) , I interviewed Dufour at the start of the Simplicity production, he offered me a platinum Simplicity 36mm SFr 34,000. I over thought it, then it was gone. Did it again with Rexhepi. Fool. If you want , buy it. “ if you want to shoot, shoot don’t talk”
5. Don’t borrow money to buy a watch. If you can’t afford it, leave it. You will end up selling it at a loss.
6. Never sell anything with a sentimental value. Yes this complete and utter waste of time did this. I sold my 30th birthday present from my wife - a Rolex ref 1530
One like this - to fund another watch, biggest regret ever- a really bad decision.
7. Don’t buy shrapnel on a whim. Waste of money. Buying cheaper pieces just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s so tempting to buy a watch just because its a few thousand, you buy it , wear it a few days the end up selling it at a huge loss.
8. Buy it if you like it, not because of FOMO, not because the 🐂 💩 journalist says so, not because its a forum favourite, don’t not buy it because everyone else hates it, its not an instagram darling, your money 💰, your desire. You’re buying it for yourself not to please others. And yes I have fallen down the rabbit hole 🕳️ with this as well.
I hope you can learn from this idiot.
