The Do’s and Do’s of Watch Collecting
Yeah, you read that right. There are a bazillion lists of “The Do’s and Don’ts” of how to collect watches, stay safe while collecting, things to avoid, buy the seller narratives, and many other scenarios wherein, a savvy author provides some helpful insight into watch collecting best practices; all in an effort to help you avoid common mistakes.
At 10thWATCH we’ll be skipping over all the don’ts and encouraging you to do all the things related to collecting. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve learned a ton from our mistakes, but we’ve learned more from doing! So check out our list of ways we’ve enjoyed the research, the hunt, the trading-up, and all the other watch collecting “Do’s”. Read on!
By any reasonable (albeit early) watch collecting guidelines, this incredible Seiko 7002-700j may have never made it to my wrist.
1. Do Look Everywhere
We have found wonderful watches, some we still own and others we sold off, in some strange places. Like that time back in 2019 when I answered a Craigslist ad from a self-proclaimed scraper based in the Southwest United States. The ad was forgettable and scam level rich but the allure of his comment regarding random vintage dive gear drew me in. About 48 hours later, I was talking to “Bill” on the phone and snagged an Aquastar Fahrenheit thermometer for $90!
Or that too good to be true Etsy find one early Saturday morning during quarantine. Nestled in the seller’s collection of Pez dispensers and homemade Beanie Babies was an amazing Heuer Regate timer. He claimed the watch was in a bank deposit box at a branch that, due to the pandemic, had only been open via drive-through for several weeks. Long-story short, he wiggled his way into the bank, and I wiggled the wire right over. A few weeks later, the watch was listed on Hodinkee and sold within 10 mins!
We’ve all heard the barn stories, the tales of forgotten grandfathers’ keepsakes, and finds in much more ridiculous places than I’ve experienced. Or maybe you heard the one about the JLC Deep-Sea Alarm found at a Goodwill in Arizona?! The point is, don’t count it out, look everywhere!
2. Do Review Archived Auction Listings
What a data and insight gold mine! I’ve learned so much by reviewing what’s sold, for how much, and driving to understand why. I add that info to a sheet I keep, to establish some baselines. I look at timing of sales and how often particular models come up. Plus once they’re up, how quickly they vanish. From Christie’s to eBay, Antiquorum, and a myriad of other platforms, I gather and make notes of ALL the details I can about a piece or brand or whatever.
I think Eric Wind’s @ericmwind “What’s Selling Where” on Hodinkee partially fueled this idea and method. Sometimes, by the time I had the chance to read his column that week, the watch would have already sold. But instead of crying myself to sleep (which I still managed to do), I would focus that energy on learning as much as I could about the piece, whether it was actually cool, and if it was, go out and search and set alerts for a similar one. Through that motion, I found so many exact or similar models (see the Darwil at the bottom of this post) and by that time, my research and intel gathering was mostly done. By that time, I would know whether it was in original condition and a good price, and perhaps most importantly, whether I actually wanted to buy it. This is the way.
3. Do Study Design
Well not the way Sara at @ohhellodesignco studies design but it will benefit you to be aware and educate yourself on what appeals to you and why. Armed with this insight, you’ll expand and enrich your search for watches. Take our community’s Patron Saint of Every Integrated Bracelet Ever, Gerald Genta. According to the Gerald Genta Heritage website with regard to the AP Royal Oak - “Genta got his inspiration for the piece after seeing a diver in a helmet attached to his suit with 8 screws”. That type of design awareness can be seen throughout watch history and help you think of creative ways to seek out and build your collection.
I’ve found many vintage pieces that were inspired by designs of different eras by keying in on art and the various trends throughout the 20th century. This can also be a resourceful way to find a deal off the virtual path.
4. Do Make a Ton of Mistakes
But the key is, to get mentally prepared to make them. You’ve heard countless times before, from collectors and even John Mayer in “Talking Watches” episode 001, about how their first 10 (ish) watches were mistakes. You think you’re amassing a collection but no. The narrative went the same for me. What I didn’t know was that I should have just toned it down a bit. There were times where I was naive and really thought I was making a move on a piece that was a “lifer” but nah. Understanding the availability of a watch should help you understand how weird you need to be about buying it. There’s an important correlation there. It should also provide perspective on how long you might need to hold it if you do purchase and how it really fits within the ethos of your collection. Thanks to friend and mentor Matt Jacobson @mfj20th for his approach there.
The point is, you are positively going to make mistakes on watches you purchase. You might buy a fake or a franken, you might buy a fad or a trend, you will probably even overpay many times, but if you take a minute and realize what you enjoy about collecting, you will always learn something. Maximizing those lessons and building on them, well, that’s the goal.
One of my first Aquastar Lemania 1345 Regate Timers and one of my most fantastic mistakes in collecting. The case and second hand were just awful and with a little more research on comps, I could have easily seen that before purchasing. You can also clearly see the tension ring is broken at about 4:45 below the rehaut! Oof!
5. Do Hold as Much in Your Hand and Try on Your Wrist as Possible
Maybe this is an obvious one. If you hate this post and don’t pay attention to any other “Do”, heed this. I have read about and looked at thousands of watches. I study their DNA, their size, their weight, shape, overall design, I check them on NATO, on leather strap, on bracelet, and on and on and on. BUT I learn the most, probably like many of you, when I hold the watch in my hand. Buying and trying watches teaches me more in 5 minutes than months of reading and watching videos, scraping forums, or reviewing past auctions. Putting a watch on your wrist immediately dissolves months of research.
However far along I am in my watch journey, with whatever knowledge I have, I attribute it to the fact that I have owned upwards of 300 watches and tried on about another 1000+. I’m sure those are low numbers for some of you reading this right now. Hopefully I’ll catch up!
I get it, purchasing dozens of watches can seem absurd. Try to find access via other sources - friends, jewelers, dealers, meet-ups, whatever you can. Frequent any number of those as often as you can to see, touch, and LEARN as much as possible about the watches that intrigue you.
6. Do Get Your Family and Friends Involved
Bless my family and friends! Not kidding. For the past 10 years they have had to listen to me talk about watches, what watch I bought, what watch I found, what I heard on a podcast, and volumes of watch nonsense! My brothers succumbed a couple years back, and now they both have a few nicer watches than I do. I think, that they and a few friends, might even enjoy talking about watches now (or they really do love me!). It has been awesome to share what I find and how the different pieces stack up. If you can, you should try and surround yourself with people that can get into watches. It has added a dimension to collecting that I didn’t realize I needed back when I started.
7. Do Seek Out a Watch Idol
Ok, this is maybe a strange one but I stand firmly. Whether it was through “Talking Watches”, forum knowledge, an early-on-the-scene watch “guru” that managed my relentlessness, or even a random IG feed that amazed me; I have always had a watch idol. A horological hero. Someone I have looked up to because of their knowledge, collection, and their approachability.
The important thing is to find someone who inspires you. These idols can change as your collection evolves too. But find someone, who in your mind, has it together when it comes to collecting. Amongst other things, they can help you understand how, when, and why to prune and upgrade or swap out pieces within your collection. I’ve found this to be an objectively beneficial addition to collecting.
Listening to Charlie Dunne @strictlyvintagewatches on the Significant Watches Podcast last week talk about types of collectors and collections, and encouraging you to ask yourself, are you going to wear that watch? Do you really need to buy that piece? When it comes to the same watch with a different dial, are you a completist? Will you buy every variant? All those questions really made me think about and reflect on my collection.
I’m not suggesting you ever have to grow up in collecting. No way! Just find ways to continually educate yourself and enjoy the journey.
8. Do Buy Globally
This one could go hand-in-hand with #1 - look everywhere. Early on when I started buying watches, it wasn’t so obvious or advisable to purchase from every corner of the globe. Or maybe I created a false narrative on the subject. But take eBay for instance, there were times when purchasing on eBay wasn’t as protected or as foolproof. There didn’t exist a global community of conscientious collectors that had your virtual back on a vintage Seiko. If you posted a pic on a forum, there was a good chance it could get sniped by the time you had enough information gathered to make you feel confident about the purchase, the seller, the platform, or the quality of watches in a specific geo. The proliferation of pictures, brands, knowledge, “experts”, “dealers”, collectors, and websites to quickly image search and verify the legitimacy of a dial or whatever, didn’t exist.
But here we are today, ready to confidently purchase from any corner of the world! I have purchased watches, watch parts, watch art, advertisements, and ephemera from roughly 20 countries now. I have sold watches leading to virtual friendships in places I had never heard of before. The point is, there are some fantastic safeguards in place to encourage searching everywhere for that grail. Of course, nothing changes, due diligence and research are still the foundation of the hobby. After that, you can feel good about the expansive marketplace to buy. ZenMarket baby!
This vintage Darwil tank was located in Eastern Europe when I found it. Based on design inspiration of other famous brands and tank-makers, I searched high and low to find an affordable look alike with heritage. For $38, I can confirm the approach worked!
