Horological Meandering

Greetings to all! As some of you may recall (and my watch buddies know all too well, having heard from me about it virtually nonstop this year), my participation in the January watch festivities in Switzerland served as a real wake-up call. Talking with c...  

...in each jurisdiction: 'fundi' in South Afica; 'guru' in India; 'Maitre' in France; 'sensei' in Japan - there's no doubt about it, Gary, you're the 'Alpha collector'! A great read, as always. The line of the week? " I do own the matching car, so I'm not... 

All said in complete earnest, as usual! Glad you liked the line about the car -- for my own part I've always been partial to Beavis and Butt-Head... You are entirely too kind in your assessment of my stature in the collecting world, but I'll blushingly ac... 

I like that rationale you used to cull your collection Gary. I just recently PM Darma asking for advice after his reply on his achievement i went from over 1000 watches to 3 and you have now given me much to ponder over. I recall James Dowling mentioning ... 

Now I look iin my watch box sometimes and think "is that it?" Silly, of course, given that you can only wear one at a time and I have more than enough variety in the mix. I don't want to get too serious minded, however -- if every piece has to be "importa... 

themselves. A fantastic collectionremaining but that Antiqua is just....... sigh (can't find words....never should have given it back to you )

Although quite early on I chose some pretty compelling pieces (the JLC Geo, the VC Squelette, the AP EOT, the Reverso Repeater) that still form much of the core of my selection of pieces. Not to rub it in, but that Antiqua is truly a special piece. At eve... 

Very good balance of simple and complications, established and independents. Bravo! - SJX

Thanks so much for your input and fellowship along the way, SJX -- at the end of the day, it's the people that count! Best, Gary

You have certainly kept the best of the bunch Gary! When I read from the beginning you've sold the Shimoda and the Thalassa, I thought oh Gary how could you let go of 2 such beautiful Speake-Marins? But you did keep the most interesting of the bunch, the ... 

I don't think that I could let go completely of Peter's watches -- as I mentinoned in the write-up, the Shimoda was definitely the toughest choice of the bunch, and I often think of that piece. I too am eager to turn the blurry photo to a sharp one! Perha... 

What a fantastic post, but I can't figure out which of the four is the most impressive: 1. The ones you let go 2. Your new purchases 3. The watches you already had 4. Your ability to quote seamlessly fro Beavus and Butthead! Thanks for sharing, Sancerre

,,,as Butthead might say! Thanks for your post -- I can certainly tell you that I derive great pleasure from seeing others' collections, so it is a pleasure to share mine with everyone here. Best, Gary

First of all, thank you for sharing your personal journey into Watch Collection. There is a lot of food for thought, for everyone here. Your post made me think about my personal journey, and I prefer keeping the silence, here, as it is frightening. Basica... 

I want you to reach you dream LOL Either choice is a good as long as the decision is made by you. Now how about those 3670A, papa? (I'm over 18 can I have one now) Best Tyler

But thanks for your help. Best, Nicolas.

As I mentioned in the original post, I do think sometimes that I have over-done on the switch to heavy hitters and that it would be fun to have some more casual or "fun" daily wearers. I am certain that at some point I will add a few more of those into th... 

I have two options: 1/ I consolidate a thema which is dear to me: Vintage Diving watches, and I will have to spend, still, a lot of money if I want to get the Kings of the Category: Vintage Panerai Small Egiziano or 6152 4 lines + a Rolex Sub 6200. But I'... 

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found your reasons for selling intriguing glad to hear you didn't lose much in the end. I've been active myself in the past year and a half--I lost maybe a third of what I paid myself at ADs....but i think that is typical...... look forward to hear what y... 

Frankly I was a bit pleasantly surprised that I got out as well as I did, especially when I purchased with little or no intent of liquidating. It certainly helps to focus one's purchases with a few select ADs and to build relationships when buying new, as... 

I think you made the right choice in upgrading your collection. I agree with you on every step you took. I am also happy to see you know how to aquire watches in many different ways. I am a newbie at watch collecting I have yet to buy a serious watch, but... 

Certainly for new watches I believe that the AD route is the way to go -- brings real peace of mind, and I do like to support the good folks who go to the trouble and expense of stocking watches and providing useful information. On my two online grey mark... 

all at a stratospheric level of course but much food for thought even for those on the ground like me. I think you did well selling the ones you did except for the UN Monopusher ... and the new pieces are one after the other of the best possible kind. A r... 

That UN Monopusher was another tough one -- it got a pretty significant amount of wrist time, and is so pretty. There is also the allure of the FPJ movement. Who knows -- at some point I might re-acquire one, but for now the amount of money that I was abl... 

Gives a person a lot to think about either when one is about to start a collection or when one might be having doubts about the direction one has been going in. I don't have any doubts yet, but I have had changes of mind and will reflect further on what y... 

...that different folks would have advised me to keep different watches (the Memovox, the UN Monopusher, the two PSMs, etc.). In the perfect world I definitely would have kept them all, plus the others I've sold over the years! Too bad that neither of us ... 

Gary, I think as collectors we have all had the same "internal" conversation that you so accurately and profoundly "revealed" to the world here. In addition to our refine sense of taste (whatever that is!), we are influenced by our friends, significant ot... 

What if the "thing" here really is variety, and the rest is elaboration (how many we need at a time, whether variety is achieved through large holdings at a single moment or steady turnover of a smaller collection, what types, etc.) and rationalization (h... 

Some magnficent pieces in your collection (I also love the UN chrono you sold). Can't wait to see the Vyskocil once you receive it. Have any actually been delivered at this point? Your collection is top notch - thanks for posting. Darren

But as with the UN Monopulsante, there have been some classics that have gone along the way. My first JLC was the original Reverso Duo, and I still miss that piece, along with several others. Although I have sold all of my UN watches, I certainly don't ha... 

just some of the words I can think of to describe how you arrived at your present phenomenal collection! Thanks for bringing us along for the ride Gary. Always a pleasure to read your posts. Best fernando

The watches are great, but the people make this passion -- the watchmakers, designers, constructors, marketers, and most of all the passionate collectors here and in the "offline" world! I will hope to have some more fun news over the next months. Best, G... 

Gary, no matter what we all think of you letting go and rotating your collection, nobody can argue against the quality of your new additions. Absolutely STUNNING adds. I would take everyone of these new babies if I had the chance. enjoy them. You will get... 

If you had told me several years ago that I would have a collection that consisted solely of my new additions, I would have been quite happy! I certainly have no complaints about the opportunities I have had to acquire these pieces, and once those incomin... 

Hi Gary, hopefully I'll see you again in Jan. and part of that marvelous collection! This is the one my wife hates the most...for the same reason, "too blingy". But it is a fun watch for me: BR, Dan...  

Less than three months to go until Geneva -- and unless some very important business or personal matter intervenes, I am absolutely on track to see you on Sunday evening... I love that watch! Seems pretty classic to me, but hey -- I understand that spousa... 

So many nice watches in your current collection and you should be proud. Congrats! Regarding selling you will have to tell me some of your secrets ... next time we see each other ;-) Oliver

Oliver, I'm not sure that there are a lot of selling secrets, other than: 1. It helps to be a "known guy" on a major forum or within a network of collectors 2. Collectors' Market here on PuristS has quite effective reach for mid- to upper-level pieces (it... 

is my killer. Always tried to support AD´s and Boutiques, because you buy much more than only a watch - if there is some trouble for example. What I had in mind was a "win win" situation in the long run, but quite often it was disappointing ... But that i... 

I am a big advocate of ADs -- but have found that by focusing on two ADs local to me, I am getting courtesies on initial pricing of new pieces that help a lot. Coupled with a bit of attention to which brands and pieces to buy (which historically I haven't... 

What can I say or add. I am confident that all your choices and restructuring of your "portfolio" reflects your changing attitutes and preferences to this hobby. Like you said in your post, you are hardly rash in your purchases, and the financial losses f... 

Glad you are safe and sound, if far across the globe. Thanks for joining in! On the PSM, I will only say that it is important to buy well... Best, Gary

Even though I am late to respond, it was great following this thread over the last few days. Maybe you did not intend your thoughts to be "revealing," but I think you can tell you struck a chord with a lot of us obsessive collectors. Even as outstanding a... 

...to call you my friend -- surely the kind of friendship that we have built over the past few years is what this hobby is all about! As for collecting, it's just very recently that I have begun to think of myself as a "collector" in any way -- before tha... 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and collection. Very interesting read!

Forum members' responses to my post have me thinking further, and I'll likely be posting some further musings soon... Hope to see more posts from you here! Best, Gary G