The year 2016 has ended and 2017 has begun, and that always makes me contemplative. This seems to be the most popular time to think about the future and reminisce about the past… a constant in a watch collector’s psyche.
Happy New Year 2017 everyone!
Watch collectors can be both spontaneous or calculating when it comes to planning the path of their precious collection. Rarely are collectors completely satisfied with what they have in their watch box. There always seems to be a new watch to acquire or even an old watch to sell. This is the ever changing nature of the hobby and keeps it interesting.
The actual thought process that goes into buying and selling each watch!
Some of my watch pals have seemingly perfect collections, but then they surprisingly sell their best watches and start over again. I perk up when they tell me what they have done because it means that I will be learning about a great new watch that was not on my radar before. Sometimes, I’ve been able to purchase their cast-offs so everyone wins (thanks Stevo for your rejects that become my treasures!).
A killer Swiss Army Divemaster 500 Chronograph that I bought from my buddy, Stevo. Photo: Stephen McGee
I have to admit something about myself that might be a bit uncomfortable if I was not saying it to you guys, my watch family. I am a bit obsessed and spend way too much time thinking about watches. Whew! I feel better now. I am told that coming clean is the first step to recovery, though I don’t know if I really want to be cured completely.
Some of my watch-related dreams looked like this old photograph!!! Photo: Shutterstock
Watch-related things are often the last thing I think about as I drift off to sleep or daydream about in spare moments. Perhaps I am pondering a review I just read or an idea for an upcoming article. The truth is that this subject matter has given my mind a lot to dig into.
Watches on my brain. Photo: Shutterstock
The hobby of watch collecting touches on art, science, technology, history, fashion, the military and more. Watch collecting is also very democratic. Almost everyone can enjoy a watch on their wrist, and there is absolutely no correlation between the value of a watch and the pleasure it will give its owner. I have met people wearing inexpensive department store watches who really cherished them, and others who were unaware of the history and provenance of some historic model on their wrists. Who is to say that one watch is better for the individual wearer than the other. To each his own as they say.
A watch I had seen advertised in magazines was met in person at an airshow. FYI. It is not really from 1930…
To wrap up, I want to thank everyone who has read the WatchHunter blog or contacted me for answers to obscure Swiss Army questions. Also, thanks to the experts who contributed to my blog. You made my life much easier. Lastly, thanks to a handful of fellow watch nerds who think that it is perfectly normal to obsess over minutia and trivial historical facts. Sharing this grand watch collecting adventure, supporting or egging each other on to greater finds and deeper knowledge, is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I look forward to a bigger 2017 with more articles, challenging mysteries to solve and unexpected wonders to discover together.
A vintage Father Time meets a young baby New Year in 1934, my father’s birth year. Photo: Shutterstock.com
