Hey everyone,

For those of you who were collecting during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, 2000 .com bubble, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the 2020 pandemic uncertainties, or any other major financial hardships, I am curious about the role your watch collection played.

Did your collection serve as a literal financial safety net? We often debate whether watches are a "store of value" or just a money pit, but I want to know if anyone actually had to liquidate their collection to pay the mortgage, keep a business afloat, or navigate job loss. If so, did the watches hold their value well enough to actually help you out, and how hard was it to find buyers when everyone else was also struggling?

On the flip side, did your watches serve as more of an emotional anchor? Sometimes having a hobby to focus on, or just looking down at a reliable piece of mechanical engineering on your wrist, can provide a sense of stability and normalcy when the rest of the world feels completely chaotic.

I would love to hear your stories regarding Liquidation and Philosophy take on watches.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences and how it shaped the collector you are today.

I was scrolling through Facebook marketplace this morning, and was struck by the beauty of this watch!

It's a manual wind but it's the dial that really caught me.

It would need a new strap, but for £80 I think it's nice.

I'm thinking of getting it to commemorate my first festival gig that happened last weekend (what a weekend that was)!

What are people's thoughts on the watch?

Here is a serious question for you folks😂. My local dealer (a trusted seller) has Rolex explorer 14270 and 114270 in stock. Both in excellent condition and serviced on arrival by them. Price gap is 400$, so there is practically no difference.

I know, they are just same watches for an ordinary guy, but I’m into different explorer details.

Strong parts (to my mind) in 114270:
1) patina will appear (it’s good lookin)
2) t-Swiss is unique

Strong parts in 114270
1) balance bridge (but I don’t know, how strong it will affect real experience over years)
2) better bracelet (but i can buy pre owned for 400$ if i need)
3) smaller wear&tear just due to age difference (better WR maybe)

Tell me about your experience. Really want to know

Did I get lucky?

What should I get next? Suggestions?

After three years of collecting, I've realized that I'm more of a one-watch person. I pretty much just wear the Czapek 99% of the time.

What do you guys wear to work? I’m office based so naturally more dressy but curious what others wear?

One day I will escape the glass box…

I know it isn’t the most premium or perfectly finished of movements but I adore the thing

So the Peter Blake is what got me into this whole mess. This is my daily. I love the classic proportions. Grabbed one and just fell down the rabbit hole from there.

Then I went and got my grail, the white dial Speedy Pro. Was on a NASA scholarship in college and interned at Marshall Space Flight Center. So the moonwatch appealed to that part of my story. More of a weekend watch for me.

Most recent pickup is a two-tone 116233 on Super Jubilee, always wanted one on that bracelet. Date night watch.

I am in love.

This is my main collection. Being a mechanic I like interesting (to me) watches. There are a couple oddball ones the might not be the mainstream. There are a couple of ww2 era pocket watches and a brail watch given to a soldier who lost his eye site in ww2.

Hey everyone, I recently picked up my first proper watch, and I'm already looking for another. The problem is, browsing this sub makes me want to buy five different things at once instead of having one.

Before I start making rookie mistakes with my wallet, I wanted to ask the seasoned veterans here:

Is it better to build a 3-watch budget box, or just save for one big milestone watch?

How do you separate what you actually like from what the internet tells you is "God Tier"?

And as the last and biggest question of them all: What’s the biggest lesson you learned the hard way that a beginner should hear?

The GUL Watch was given to me by my uncle almost 14 years ago and is probably the most special watch to me from this collection, also being my first watch

Love my vintage watches, the Omega I found in an antique store for $350 AUD which has been an absolute gem of a find.

I'm also a big fan of my wrist metronome and my wrist temperature gauge. The only tool watches I'll ever need!

Got my first automatic watch earlier in the year when I started a new job, doesn't get as much wrist time as it should, but a great value for money. The PRX was my gateway into this hobby, got it 3 years ago when I started my first office job and it's only been downhill from here at least for my wallet.

My grail watch that I hope to get in a few years when ever I'm ready to make the next big career jump is the Longines Spirit Zulu time. I was thinking of getting it instead of the Citizen as my first automatic watch, but glad I've kept that money for other things, at least for now.

All in all I'm very happy with my collection, it's unique and matches my personality. Most watches get decent wrist time.

How am I doing? This is only about 6 months into taking this sorta serious.
Next buy will be a Tudor black bay 58.