Starting a new watch collection? Have a few fashion watches already but want to step up your game? Not sure where or how to start? In that case, allow me to help you out with a bit of advice. A word of warning, though: Becoming a serious watch collector will cost you. Quite literally.
Less Is More
When most people start out collecting watches, they’re almost always under the impression that they have to buy a new watch every few months or so. That’s not the case at all; there’s no “Watch Collecting Rule Book” or anything like that where it states one has to purchase a new watch every few months or even at a quicker frequency. Watch collecting is not a race of who can collect the most amount of watches quicker, nor is it a contest of who can collect the most watches. By thinking such, you’ll be limiting yourself by focusing on quantity as opposed to quality, thus settling for nothing more than mediocrity.
Don’t Only Focus On Swiss Made Pieces
Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to watchmaking the Swiss are the top dog and they always have been; however, they’re not the only big leagues in the game. The Germans have also made quite a name for themselves early on in the watchmaking game and are as highly regarded as the Swiss. With luxury watch giants such as A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte, and Moritz Grossmann, German watchmaking is by no means less than remarkable. The British and the Japanese have also made a huge name for themselves in watchmaking. The British have independent luxury watchmaker Roger W. Smith (R.W. Smith), as well as luxury watch manufacturer Bremont; they’re both very well known in the watchmaking industry. The Japanese have Seiko, Grand Seiko (Seiko’s luxury line which is equivalent in quality to the likes of Tudor), and Credor, which is Seiko’s ultra luxury line. In fact, Credor’s quality and aesthetics is quite comparable to the likes of Akrivia and/or F.P. Journe. The Japanese also have independent luxury watchmakers such as Hajime Asaoka and Kikuchi Nakagawa; they would be comparable to the likes of Philippe Dufour. Case in point is that by focusing solely on Swiss Made pieces, one will be missing out on more than quite a few quality and aesthetically pleasing timepieces.
Avoid Replicas At All Costs
Unfortunately, in today’s world replica pieces are being sold everywhere and are also quite easy to purchase. Even though it’s technically illegal to make and sell replica pieces, it’s quite commonplace to stumble upon them (especially in Asian countries). Avoid these at all costs. While sometimes it might be enticing to buy a replica to show off and impress your friends, not only are you cheating your friends to artificially inflate your ego, but you’re also cheating yourself. Allow me to put it this way: While purchasing an authentic luxury timepiece may take time (saving money to make the purchase and what have you) and be very costly, think about how much you’ll appreciate the purchase afterwards. Not only that, but think about the incredible sense of accomplishment and success you’ll feel by purchasing the real thing.
Have Fun Collecting!
Now that you have these key points in mind, have fun collecting!
Time of Horology 