After over a decade of watch collecting, I've distilled a few simple tips to help guide you on your watch collecting journey. From choosing what you love and judging condition to connecting with fellow enthusiasts, these insights will support you in building your collection.
Part of the intention in setting up Generalist was to invite new people into the watch collecting hobby and to show that desirability is about more than just sporty steel watches. Over the past 15 years, I’ve met and engaged with many different collectors and watchmakers who have shaped my perspectives on how to collect. This article highlights some of the simple lessons I’ve learnt that helped me throughout the journey.
I. Buy What You Like
A simple adage, straight from the forums. The core of buying what you like is understanding what works best for your aesthetic and what appeals with you most, and being willing to part with an appropriate amount of cash for it. Even if you believe that watches are an investment, I promise you that you will not just stumble onto an investment grade piece overnight. You need to spend time trying out, buying and selling away pieces before you can understand what makes a watch outstanding.
You will not be making bank on every piece. You’d likely make losses, especially if you buy retail. That is the reality of buying luxury goods. Therefore, take time to consider whether you are getting any joy out of owning and wearing this piece. If you buy pieces at good prices and you are willing to exit at even a small loss at times, you will find that you are able to engage with a wide range of watches and amass a unique and interesting collection.
II. Learn to Judge Condition
Thanks to auction aggregator platforms, it has become significantly easier to source for interesting watches. Whereas just 15 years ago, collectors and dealers would be travelling to important trade shows and auctions, the exponential growth of sales via social media and online auction platforms has allowed more enthusiasts to also source for unique pieces.
Therefore, its important to hone the skill of judging the condition of a piece and determine the fair value for it. A good collector will need to have an eye for the detail to spot what issues could affect the value of a piece. Critically, some issues also indicate deeper damage, potentially making the piece a headache down the line.
The easiest way to practice this is to identify a reference you like, such as an IWC Mark XII (IW3241), and scroll through every listing on Chrono24. It is likely that the most beat up pieces are at the bottom of the price range with heavily polished pieces from registered dealers just above, and unpolished or full set pieces being at the top. From here, start judging each piece and try to spot the differences in the dial, hands, crystal, and lume condition. You’ll start to slowly judge for yourself what fair value might be, even if you’re not buying any pieces.
III. Engage with the Community
Whether its watchmakers, sellers, collectors or even strap makers, there is often something to learn from the experiences of others. These individuals would have handled hundreds if not even thousands of pieces over the course of their careers, and therefore can share insights and perspectives that you would not easily find online.
For example, I’ve always valued building a good relationship with watchmakers. Each of them brings a wealth of knowledge about what keeps watches ticking over a long period of time and if you interact with them enough, you can quickly learn about red flags to watch out for in your journey.
Conclusion
Collecting has changed a lot over the years but some core aspects of it will endure. You do not need to be a snob to be able to enjoy it and I hope tips like these allow you to engage with the hobby in a meaningful way.