I feel you can be a 'serious' collector without having 'serious' funds. In fact it makes it more important to be serious about collecting when you have limited means.
I would class myself as a collector rather than an enthusiast of Patek. I love their pieces but am not always enthusiastic about the company. I'm aiming for a balanced and rounded broad collection of different eras and manufactures of which Patek has an important place but not at the exclusion of other brands.