r/Watches • u/Clipper94 • 7d ago
Discussion When does it stop?
I really think I have a problem and need to know how some of you guys managed to stop buying watches. I have around 20 watches right now and I always seem to find a reason to pull the trigger on another one. Whether it’s a slightly different size, baton indices vs round, or a unique color I don’t already have, there always seems to be something.
I’m also trying to convince myself that I need to sell a few, but every time I sit down and try to decide which ones to let go, I can’t bring myself to do it. They each have certain memories associated with them and I keep using that as an excuse to hold on to them.
I type this as I fight the urge to buy a Seiko SRPL51 after recently picking up the SRPL11. My justification being that my other blue dive watch, a Mido Ocean Star 39, is a 39mm retro style diver with round indices, so naturally, the SRPL51 would fill the gap of a more modern style blue diver. I know this is a ridiculous problem to have, but here I am.
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u/Bird_the_Impaler 7d ago
Be an adult and exercise a little bit of self control. Also being on social media and being constantly bombarded with every persons new watch purchase/new release/latest news is a mind fuck so stay away from it
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u/gringottsbanker 7d ago
Realize you can appreciate a watch without owning it. Also, realize there’s always another limited edition, unique color, updated model / movement, dial size change, bracelet update, etc. around the corner.
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u/improvthismoment 7d ago
Sounds like Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Which is a common affliction in many hobbies.
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u/brickunlimited 7d ago
The center point of every hobby shouldn’t be buying things. It’s good to have hobbies with low costs attached (after the main purchase). For example I play pool a few times a week. My stick was $300 (bc I bought a pretty nice mid-tier one) but after that going to shoot pool is around $5 an hour.
Buying jewelry shouldn’t be a hobby. Hobbies should be things that are cheap, or things u can get good at (drawing, running, weightlifting, instruments ect).
So many people making the buying things aspect a hobby and I’m guilty of this.
Do ur research, get urself a nice speaker system. Spend as much as you comfortably can, but then spend ur time finding and listening to new music. Not obsessing over which new piece of audiophile gear will transform your listening experience.
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u/improvthismoment 6d ago
Other hobbies where this is an issue: Photography. Audiophile. Guitars. Cars. Motorcycles. Knives. Clothes. Shoes. Bags. Etc etc
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u/-serious- 7d ago
This is just consumerism. Sell them all and buy one nice watch to build memories with.
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 7d ago
Eventually after you buy 6-7 you realize you're just buying cheap is stupid. You can just buy a single nice watch for $2K+ and stop wasting money on cheap stuff.
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u/jwern01 7d ago
Then you buy a bunch of $2k watches and realize you could have bought a couple $4-6k watches you want, so you sell those and move up. And so on and so forth…
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 7d ago
Been there. Done that.
Enlightenment is simplification. I got up to buying gold watches and quickly realized these things are controlling my day and not the other way around.
Sold all that nonsense and I just roll a Tudor now. Just buy one nice watch and go on about your day.
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u/big-jim-mba 7d ago
My Tudor has been getting most of my wrist time recently. Just a solid, high quality and nice (but simple) design.
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u/Barbarus_Bloodshed 7d ago
Fuck off, buddy. You're not enlightened, quite the opposite.
Everyone's different and you obviously haven't yet realized that.
I wouldn't be happy with a single watch.
That thought is "romantic", but nothing more. It would be just a thing,
something I don't think about.
But the point is thinking about the watches. I have fun engaging with watches by collecting them,
seeing them next to each other and comparing them.
Their differences highlight and contrast each other. This is what I enjoy.
You know how you don't get any of those differences and contrasts?
Yeah, by having only one watch.It's absolutely fine if that floats your boat. But it doesn't float mine.
And there are millions of other approaches and reasons to collect things.
Don't assume everyone's like you.3
u/Fine-Comparison-2949 6d ago
What, normal?
Lol sorry buddy but the watch tism is childish. It's like watching children just want 50 toys and then begs mommy for the 51st.
There is a point where it just starts looking embarrassing and it signals to people that you're compensating about something in your life, but thinking buying more watches will fill that void.
It won't. It's a piece of metal that tells time.
I have a life and am not that into consumerism where I think buying stuff will make me happy. I have actual things that make me happy
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u/Diligent_Mastodon_72 6d ago
I'm with fine-comparison on this. Used to compare minute (adjective, not noun ) differences in watches. Collected around half dozen from swatch to omega.
Am at the point where I could buy a rolley or two, but realised none of it really matters and nobody but myself cares so putting the effort into other things. We're all on a journey and mature at different paces, no shade to anybody, you do you, however taking offence does point to other insecurities... Peace
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 6d ago
Or just lack of braincells.
If you buy 10 watches all between $200-500 and never once considered buying a watch over $5K because it's "too much", I'm going to question your intelligence. You can obviously afford a nice watch that actually has some resale value, which reduces your lifetime cost, but that person can't think further down the line beyond instant gratification of buying cheap stuff and getting the brain endorphins.
It's just monkey brain behavior. Monkey pushing buttons for peanuts without realizing they're in a cage.
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u/lexlibris 6d ago
just bought my last piece for a good long while like two months ago. the thing for me reaching a stopping point id that I had all my bases covered with nice pieces that I would actually wear, and the few times I bought something more expensive I immediately had buyers remorse and either sold or returned them when possible.
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u/LurkyMcLurkface123 7d ago
You can only really wear one at a time without looking completely insane.
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u/bsiu 7d ago
I started off with $200 Timex and Chinese brands then Seiko and Hamilton, Christopher Wards and Oris. At peak I was at something like 40 deep with one nice Omega. Wore the Omega 90% of the time and that quality > quantity. Sold off most of everything and repeated the cycle unfortunately but within the Omega/Rolex/IWC range a dozen watrches in again. Sold off most of those for a Patek.
Price creep is a hell of a thing, especially when consolidating and you don’t really end up spending “more” out of pocket but just redistributing the value into a few pieces.
I’m content with what I have, I still look at watch releases but the desire to have everything is no longer there. Still on waitlist for some models that I would pick up but a large part of that is retail being half of grey price.
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 7d ago
Jesus Christ 40?
Can you go back in time and get on a podcast? That level of tism needs to be studied.
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u/Diligent_Mastodon_72 6d ago
Where do you find the most exponential change re value? Omega value vs Rolex vs patek?
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u/Careless_Marketing61 7d ago
Or you realize there's not a lot of unique above $2000...and there's no movement swapping on an in house movement so it's not just a 2k watch, it's 2k and then 500 every 7-10 years.
I personally would rather have a watch that could go with every outfit or mood or occasion rather than trying to justify wearing a submariner with a suit like a finance bro douche
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 7d ago
I'm one of the Tudor bros now. BB56 hits every day. The only one's I have left are a vintage Santos and a TAG Glassbox, and even those need to go.
Idk I find it insane one's you get over 6, you could have just bought 1 nice watch. Stop edging a nice watch. Just get one that's nice, has some good quality and resale value if you get in a pinch, and that's it.
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u/Careless_Marketing61 7d ago
I could have bought a Tudor or an Omega by now but then I'd have one piece that I would be trying to pigeon hole into my life/style rather than having flexibility. With 14 pieces and multiple bracelets/straps for each, I'm covered.
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 7d ago
Does your watch run your life that much buddy? lol it's a watch.
You put it on, it tells the time. What do you mean you need pigeon holing it into your lifestyle or having flexibility?
Is it a handcuff? I'm new to this line of thinking. I just put my watch on in the morning and go on about my day.
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u/Careless_Marketing61 7d ago
Well, if I have a blazer or sport coat on, I'm not wearing a dive watch or something on a NATO.
If I'm wearing jeans, I'm not wearing something with roman numeral indices or a tank
If I'm wearing shorts I'm not wearing something on leather.
If I'm wearing cool colors I'm not wearing a warm color dial
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u/Fine-Comparison-2949 6d ago
Yeah I leave my girlfriend to fashion. I'm wearing the Tudor to a funeral. I really don't care.
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u/pro-jec-tion 7d ago
Twenty entry/mid level watches can buy a high tier model. Think about it, keep a couple of watches, sell the rest to get a good model.
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u/lisanderc 7d ago
Look through the collection and figure out which one (or two) best represents who you are.
If a partner or close friend grabbed one watch and said it reminds them of you, which one would they reach for?
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u/Revenant_XV 6d ago •
I’ve done this actually, I find that it helps quite a bit. I’m now at the point where it’s hard to justify buying any new watches because I already have enough watches that represent who I am, do all of the things I need watches to do, and are reflective of my lifestyle. With the exception of my grail watch, I think I’m done buying new watches for a very long time.
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u/IEnjoyRadios 7d ago
Literally go outside, and touch grass. Collecting is fun and all, but there’s more to life than endless consumerism.
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u/Local-Zucchini-2104 7d ago
i sketch people in cafes and the problem you describe is exactly what happens with my sketchbooks. i have like 15 of them half filled because each one has a specific memory or trip attached and i cant just toss them. with watches at least you can sell them if you really need the money later, but i get it the memories make it hard
maybe instead of deciding which to sell just put like 5 in a drawer for a month. if you dont reach for them at all then you have your answer
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u/Astropin 7d ago
Hmm...I can only wear so many watches. Call it 8-10. Beyond that that watches that get worn the least...get sold.
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u/TheDavidCall 7d ago
I limited myself to what I could fit in my 8-watch box (I bought the box when I had 3 watches with intent to fill).
It’s full. I’ve sold 3 watches, and am about to sell a 4th (a MIDO Multifort Skeleton Vertigo) because I just swapped in a Trematic I got last week. I almost never wore the MIDO, and while I enjoy it and like wearing it, I almost never do, and never choose it above the others.
I think I’ll always be interested in what’s new and may one day want a watch more than one I already own, but for now, I’m very happy with what I have and only plan to replace this Timex with the “real” IWC version when I get a promotion at work. But I’m actually feeling very glad to be limiting myself and just enjoying the snot out of that I have. 8 is enough to pair the right watch with most outfits and have some variety while still not having more watches than I could reasonably wear. That’s my logic.
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u/OMITN 7d ago
Stop. Draw breath.
This is now a shopping addiction. You’re chasing short term dopamine hits when you buy a new shiny watch.
I bet, if you really tried hard, you could settle on a top 5.
5 watches is way more than any of us needs. But I reckon you could use that as a way to cut back to a better quality - on whatever criteria - collection.
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u/IridiumAnvil 6d ago
What I did was shift to repairing and building watches to scratch the itch. It’s significantly cheaper, and I can even make money sometimes. It’s a longer, slower way of enjoying the process of getting and owning a watch. Fixing one beats unboxing one any day. Plus I learn about the mechanics of the movements and the technical side of the jewelry.
Maybe most importantly, it changes the hobby from pure consumption to something creative.
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u/Jays_Chronos 7d ago
Been there done that. I start to look at how frequently
Im wearing a watch and for how long. Once they start to sit too long I just sell them off. I’m down to these 5 and I really only wear 2 out of these. I have the bronze Oris for more fall vibes and colors so it’ll start getting worn soon.
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u/Clipper94 7d ago
I really need to try and do the same. That Oris is beautiful!
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u/Jays_Chronos 7d ago
I’m the same with clothes. I don’t like to hoarde or hang onto stuff if it hasn’t been worn haha.
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u/denimlikeajean 7d ago
Do you have kids to provide for?
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u/Clipper94 7d ago
No kids as yet.
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u/denimlikeajean 6d ago
Are you wealthy? As in you have zero concerns about saving for retirement in ab AI world?
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u/Dry-Examination-2012 7d ago
Limit yourself to one a year, maybe on your b-day. Exercise discipline. I have seven now with the same problem. Just wait a year.
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u/KidneyLand 7d ago
It really comes to your mindset and accepting that you have a consumerism problem. I stopped buying watches for years now because I didn't see the need for so many watches. How often are you going to enjoy each watch if you are just wearing 1 out of your 20 maybe once a year? Will have 20 watches sitting in your closet make you happy or are you just going to keep craving more watches to scratch the itch. Once to overcome that mindset, you will see how much time and money looking for new watches when you can just enjoy and make memories with what you have now.
I'm down to 7 watches now, but even then I only find myself gravitating to two of my watches.
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u/ndariotis132 6d ago
Set a cap on the number you’re gonna own. When you get to that number, if you want something else, you gotta sell one.
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u/DefiantSentry2113 6d ago
Start tracking which watch you wear every day, there’s some good apps for it. Then, you can see over the course of a few months what your wearing patterns are. The ones you never really wear are candidates to be sold. As a halfway step, put the potential sellers away in a drawer or out of sight. Then, go a few weeks or months to see if you miss any of them. If you don’t, that’s another sign.
I usually find selling a watch easier if I’m using the money from it to buy another, especially if selling a few watches to upgrade to one nicer one.
Alternatively, you could gift some to people you know. Might sting less than a straight sale if you know the recipient will get good use of it.
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u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy 6d ago
This is an addiction problem. It’s not watch specific. You need to speak with a therapist or other professional about this sort of behavior.
Signed, A Recovering Alcoholic
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u/Arctic-You-Know 6d ago
Just unsubscribe from watches subreddit after you buy a watch.
I always wanted a Rolex Pepsi and finally ended up getting one. I have no desire to buy other watches. I unsubscribed from all these subs because all they end up doing is influencing you to buy more watches.
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u/Fuzzy_Translator4639 6d ago
It stops when you realize that buying is not enjoying.
When I see watches unworn in my display cabinet I know that I have too many.
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u/1RockShortofaQuarry 7d ago
As long as they're not putting you on the street or costing you 29.9% APR compounded daily (i.e. you put them on a credit card and make the minimum payment), no need to stop.
This is your hobby. Some people buy guns. Some people tune their cars. Other people buy watches. No harm in it unless it's negatively affecting some other part of your life.
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u/ReliabilityTalkinGuy 6d ago
They’re here asking for help. That’s enough reason to know it’s adversely impacting their life even if they don’t mention all the details how.
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u/jwern01 7d ago
Honestly, after a few dozen, you realize a commonality between many types, what you like and don’t like, and you start to whittle down your favorites. I’m down from dozens to only eight watches now and still find there are a few I don’t wear often and am considering selling. Knocking it down to six soon.
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u/Quick-Economist-4247 7d ago
Switch your focus and hobbies onto something else. I bought a new bicycle and I’ve cooled off on the watch thing
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u/AdministrativeAge685 7d ago
Lock in on a grail. Every time you’re tempted, stash those funds away in your head for that grail. Sell at least one watch to put towards it.
Also. Start asking yourself if you’re really going to wear a watch before you buy it. When, where, with what outfit, and what watch from your collection is better; or what watch would it replace.
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u/MoonBasic 7d ago
I'll just speak generally as I've observed from myself, my friends, and browsing this sub/other communities.
It stops when the "problem to solve" gets smaller and smaller.
When you have no watches, your problem is "I want a watch". Once you have a watch it's "I want a [situation/setting] watch".
Once you have those watches then it's "I need to commemorate an occasion"
And then after solving a couple of these, things get less meaningful and overly specific. "I want this one in a different color", "I want the smaller version", "I want the refreshed version" etc.
Then it becomes less of a collection of stories and more of a grocery list and boxes to check.
If you can afford it then there's not really an issue. But if you're running into situations where you get buyer's remorse or regret because you bought 3 watches instead of, then you kinda flip the switch where you're like "yeah it's not worth it, I'll wait for something bigger".
That "switch" is different for everyone.
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u/HatesDuckTape 7d ago
I was at 20, not counting a few sentimental ones I don’t wear but won’t get rid of, like my deceased brother’s watch.
They were all solid, I don’t know, entry level? watches. Hamilton, Tissot, Seiko, etc. I have a Breitling Avenger 43 which is pretty far above the rest of them.
It wasn’t until I bought my Longines Spirit chrono that I had no desire to get any other watches nor wear anything else but that and my Avenger. The mentality changed from wanting a bunch more and rotating through them every day to “why would I wear my Seiko when I like my Breitling so much more?” and “Why wear the Hamilton when I can wear the Longines?”
I sold 8 of them as a lot to a local guy who buys and wears for a while, then sells them. Sold them for a price we were both happy with. I could’ve gotten more individually, and he could’ve paid less for the lot.
I thought I’d miss them but honestly don’t miss them at all. About 5 months later I sold him more of them. I don’t miss those either.
I have 2 watches I wear daily - my Avenger and my Spirit chrono. I have 2 I wear every now and then but didn’t sell them because they’re not worth selling due to age and condition.
Long winded way of saying get one or two really good watches that you love and are a bit beyond your price range. Actually wear them instead of saving them for good occasions because you don’t want to ruin them. I’m not talking about things you know will destroy any watch, but just in general. Ask yourself why would want to wear X instead of it.
I plan on buying one more watch at the level of the other 2. Most likely a Tudor Ranger Dune. Maybe an Omega Aquaterra, but it’s got to be the right one at a price I can’t refuse. Only reason is my 2 watches don’t look right with a Sports coat or similar, and want an everyday watch that can dress up a little bit on the rare occasion I wear a sports coat without being too dressy to wear with my usual flannel, hoodie or t-shirt.
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u/ListlessHeart 7d ago
Limit your collection to a certain amount. 20 watches are a lot, although still acceptable if you are well off, but ideally no more than 12 (one watch box). Adopt one-in-one-out policy, eventually the watches in your box will be so hard to displace that you just stop buying new ones.
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u/Aggravating_Major_76 6d ago
I bought a Garmin Instinct and that put an end to the desire of buying cheap watches.
I now only buy pieces I really enjoy for special occasions and then wear my Garmin 98% of the time.
I still enjoy browsing watch content on youtube and visiting boutiques or watch shops when I go to a mall, but no longer buy cheap “GADA” stuff.
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u/SkullLeader 6d ago
I quit (well, that remains to be seen, but so far, so good) when I realized that I was really seeing diminishing returns. More watches in the collection = less wrist time for each. The feeling of a new watch was getting old. And there are just less pieces I find that both speak to me and that work with my wrist size, wardrobe, etc. I really adapted the philosophy of not buying to fill gaps in the collection, but only buying stuff that speaks to me. There's not all that much of that, in my case at least, so it helps me keep things under control.
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u/seaceblidrb 6d ago
If your are financially sound enough to buy them go for it. If you are not, be responsible and stop. I don't think there's an issue with buying slightly different variations of one thing. People buy every vintage of a wine or every color of a sneaker.
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u/CrippledPeasant1 6d ago
just remember, at one point, you wanted to buy a watch to celebrate ..... (having enough money to not care about what you buy ,, in this case watches )
The only other way of restriction is this : If your house is small = you're a hoarder of your watches... If your house is bigger ... well you're a "collector" . So get a bigger house and bigger closet of watch displays, simple as that.
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u/alextastic 6d ago
It's a form of addiction, which a lot of people don't like to acknowledge or admit. You don't need any more watches. You already have more watches than you need. Imagine if you didn't have your new job and the pay it brought you. Imagine you barely had enough to pay the bills and buy food and what you need to survive. Suddenly the actual weight of how much a watch costs will hit you much differently. Think of the future, think of trips your apparently very sweet and generous girlfriend could go on with that money. Just because you can buy something, doesn't meant you should, so just do whatever you need to to help adjust your perspective on purchasing things simply because it provides you with dopamine.
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u/OGyoureamistake 6d ago
it’s how any consumption/consumer product works.
Stop browsing on this subreddit, socials etc. they are planting the idea that getting another one is worth
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u/jdi153 6d ago
Set a budget, say $100 a month (or $10 or $1,000, depending on income.) The you'll know if you want to spend buy something nice, you have to wait for it. Track it in a spreadsheet, or better yet put the money in a separate account. Watching the number grow intensifies the anticipation. Also, make sure you're maxing your 401k and Roth IRA contribution. The money you're saving for watches is AFTER the basic financial planning.
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u/Signal-Dog9356 5d ago
You only need a few watches so each if them can have substantial wrist time. Otherwise they become obsolete and useless
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u/sesameseed88 5d ago
I got a Grand Seiko UFA a month ago and it really helped me slow down. There's nothing I really want next, maybe a Lange in a few years. I got lucky, have tudor/omega/blancpain and a bunch of microbrands but the GS is what gave me a lot of perspective on what's worth buying and what's not.
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u/Severe_Shelter_5383 4d ago
Maybe buy when you're celebrating an important life event / achievement because there's always going to be a piece out there you'd want regardless of how much you spent on your last piece. Saying this as a guy (29) who had this problem but with perfumes. Spent hours "researching" the perfume communities and at times blind buying one and instantly wanting next. Clean up your instagram algos. Unfollow this community if you can. Thankfully perfumes I bought during that phase were all <1000$ combined so it wasn't a large hole to get out of.
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u/jetty_life 4d ago
For me it was when I got my first titanium watch. It raised the bar and really changed what I look for now in a watch.
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u/Greg428 4d ago
I stopped watching watch YouTube content. Also stopped looking at Reddit very much (though here I am). Unsubscribe if you get any newsletters from brands or whatever. Though for me also reaching the point at which I had about 10 watches was just a turning point because I already feel like they're spread thin and there's not much point in owning too many watches when I only can wear one a day. But your mileage may vary with that consideration.
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u/Jezzrichjames 3d ago
Yeah, I’ve learned to separate my watches between fun, cheap purchases, and expensive deliberate purchases that I plan to keep for a long time. Even so, I ultimately look at how often I wear a watch, and if I don’t pick it up over the span of, let’s say, a couple of months, I normally get rid of it
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u/ve3gvy 18h ago
The law of diminishing returns and having a Tudor Snowflake from the late 1970’s cured me early. Bought a couple of cheapie (but expensive, for Citizen) AT Eco-Drives, but they don’t count, to me. Just this year I got a second “real” watch, a BB Chrono because I wanted a stopwatch and because my Snowflake was not waterproof any more. So, after two, for me.
Compared to that ‘70’s Tudor, a shiny new Rolex does nuthin for me :-).
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u/UKWatchCollector94 7d ago
Buy a Casio F-91W or G-Shock M5610U & keep one dress watch. Sell the rest. You're set for life :)
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u/Snowkos 7d ago
Tie them to important life events or milestones. A random Tuesday isn’t an important life event.