The Breitling Watch Source Forums :: View topic - Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!

I'm definitely an "Enthusiast" (in fact I always classed myself as that prior to seeing your categories

), but currently, due to owning a business that I'm closing down, I'm an "Enthusiast on Hobbyist money"! :lol:

I've not watched the video yet as I'm in the office, but I certainly will later.

I think the term "Collector" can have both positive and negative connotations actually, and is probably a bit too broad a bucket. On the negative side you do indeed get people who just buy, buy, buy, and get no real satisfaction from ownership once the purchase has been made. For them it feels (as you say) like they're filling a void somehow, and that no amount of buying will ever be enough. I've seen pictures of collections in the several hundreds (maybe thousands), all just literally thrown together in a cardboard box, which personally I think is a travesty. And even well kept collections of watches in the hundreds always seems a bit of a shame to me as some of them will probably never see the light of day again.

On the other hand, people who collect (for example) vintage pieces are often IMO "saving" pieces (and therefore history) from being lost, and thus preserving them for future generations. I often find that those type of guys have an extremely deep appreciation for what they're collecting and so I see them more as "Specific/Niche Enthusiasts". I'm pretty sure that a lot of Collectors are just Enthusiasts with deep pockets! :wink:

Author:	Altair [ Tue Jan 22, 2019 4:40 am ]
Post subject:	Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!
I was thinking about types of watch buyers as instigated by natesen's pickup, and how I would categorize them and myself. Based on what I have seen online and people I met/heard of in "real life" I could say watch 90% of buyers fall into one of four categories: 1- Casual watch owner: A person who likes the finer things in life, typically buys a nice watch periodically, 5 years seems like a universal average. 2-Hobyist: Someone who actively searches for information on watches of different verities, rarely actually buying any due to unwillingness or limited finances. 1 watch a year we might say. 3-Enthusiast: A person who has a deep passion for watches. Actively searches for information and the next piece to pick up. 4+ watches a year depending on finances. Usually likes other watch guys, always down to earth and more into the hobby than showing off. 4-Collector: I have negative feelings towards this category and do not describe myself as a collector at all. A collector might be a hoarder, filling a void in his life with no specific logic or passion behind it, or someone who simply accumulates expensive things with no real interest in the art of watchmaking itself. Always with deep pockets and usually with a snide attitude. Numbers reach into the dozens per year, with expenditure possibly reaching millions. I was at Harrods during my last trip to London, and saw a large section occupied by a company that specializes in watch safes. I was surprised, how much are they paying for rent? Can there actually be that much business in the watch winder world just in London? I asked the lady manning the booth and she claimed they sell hundreds of the 124 and 64 watch winder safes every year. That goes to show you how many collectors there must be in the world, yet we never see them online. Anyway, I came across this video, the host seemed uncomfortable and does not seem like he is mastering this show yet, but he does seem like a nice enough guy trying to do a service to watch collectors, that makes him aces in my book! The real pleasure in the video was how impressive the guests watch collection is, and what a down to earth guy he is! He is now officially my hero! I especially enjoyed that as he seems to have a similar mentality as I do, and likes a bit of everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW4aW5ANDbs Good for him!

Author:	56scooter [ Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:08 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!
I would say that I fall into category #3, I love watches and I enjoy researching different brands. I used to pick up 3-4 watches per year. Now that I have retired, things have been scaled back just a bit! However, that doesn't mean I would mind eating peanut butter and jelly for an extended period if the right watch becomes available! Excellent video!!!

Author:	Altair [ Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:39 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!
56scooter wrote: I would say that I fall into category #3, I love watches and I enjoy researching different brands. I used to pick up 3-4 watches per year. Now that I have retired, things have been scaled back just a bit! However, that doesn't mean I would mind eating peanut butter and jelly for an extended period if the right watch becomes available! Excellent video!!! I know what you mean, I have pinched pennies for months and once for close to a year, forgoing travel and eaven cutting back going out, to afford a watch. We are nuts! I really enjoyed that video as well. He seems like a down to earth guy with a deep passion, you feel glad a guy like that wins, unlike some self proclaimed collectors who feel obligated to act like condescending snobs to those who do not share their taste

Author:	Driver8 [ Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:56 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!
I'm definitely an "Enthusiast" (in fact I always classed myself as that prior to seeing your categories ), but currently, due to owning a business that I'm closing down, I'm an "Enthusiast on Hobbyist money"! I've not watched the video yet as I'm in the office, but I certainly will later. I think the term "Collector" can have both positive and negative connotations actually, and is probably a bit too broad a bucket. On the negative side you do indeed get people who just buy, buy, buy, and get no real satisfaction from ownership once the purchase has been made. For them it feels (as you say) like they're filling a void somehow, and that no amount of buying will ever be enough. I've seen pictures of collections in the several hundreds (maybe thousands), all just literally thrown together in a cardboard box, which personally I think is a travesty. And even well kept collections of watches in the hundreds always seems a bit of a shame to me as some of them will probably never see the light of day again. On the other hand, people who collect (for example) vintage pieces are often IMO "saving" pieces (and therefore history) from being lost, and thus preserving them for future generations. I often find that those type of guys have an extremely deep appreciation for what they're collecting and so I see them more as "Specific/Niche Enthusiasts". I'm pretty sure that a lot of Collectors are just Enthusiasts with deep pockets!

Author:	Altair [ Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:47 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!
Driver8 wrote: I'm definitely an "Enthusiast" (in fact I always classed myself as that prior to seeing your categories ), but currently, due to owning a business that I'm closing down, I'm an "Enthusiast on Hobbyist money"! I've not watched the video yet as I'm in the office, but I certainly will later. I think the term "Collector" can have both positive and negative connotations actually, and is probably a bit too broad a bucket. On the negative side you do indeed get people who just buy, buy, buy, and get no real satisfaction from ownership once the purchase has been made. For them it feels (as you say) like they're filling a void somehow, and that no amount of buying will ever be enough. I've seen pictures of collections in the several hundreds (maybe thousands), all just literally thrown together in a cardboard box, which personally I think is a travesty. And even well kept collections of watches in the hundreds always seems a bit of a shame to me as some of them will probably never see the light of day again. On the other hand, people who collect (for example) vintage pieces are often IMO "saving" pieces (and therefore history) from being lost, and thus preserving them for future generations. I often find that those type of guys have an extremely deep appreciation for what they're collecting and so I see them more as "Specific/Niche Enthusiasts". I'm pretty sure that a lot of Collectors are just Enthusiasts with deep pockets! Well put together thoughts, and a valid perspective. My original post was merely my take on things, and as I said a collector might be just a hoarder. As you said they might have a very valid take on things, I actually had an encounter with a person who collected exclusively Rolex watches. I had a very negative view of his methodology; reference after reference of the same model. It seemed devoid of any meaning and more of an obsession. Once at a local vintage watch shop I had asked him why he focused only on Rolex and what's with the continuous serial hunting, he had explained that for him Rolex was the perfect company to track the progress of watchmaking throughout the decades, as they did not change the models designs but kept on implementing improvements, it was his way of observing the evolution of watchmaking by wearing the same watch through different eras. I have to say, I still would not mimic his collecting style but I certainly gained an appreciation for his collection and for him as a student of watchmaking history. Still, I dislike the term collector. It is pompous and I often find it funny when someone manages to buy a single Nautilus and starts to refer to himself as a Patek collector all of a sudden

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Author:	Tim S [ Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:46 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Thoughts on the watch industry and a real cool guy!
The Freak that I tried on last week (see other thread) was from a gentlemen who apparently regularly buys new high-end watches and then sells them within a few months; continually rotating through new albeit really nice pieces. Supports your Collector theory except for the flipping aspect I broadly agree with D8 and completely understand where you're coming from Altair; it really depends on the reasons for the multiple purchases. That gentleman did seem really nice and his collection was awesome! Good find. As for me I'm a Enthusiast-Hobbyist by choice actively looking for the next piece with a few ideas in mind.

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