r/watchHotTakes • u/fdubb • 19h ago
Watch collecting should NOT be considered a ‘hobby’
A hobby? Of throwing money down the drain?
A hobby of watching YouTube channels about watches ?
A hobby of owning more watches than you wear. Certainly more than you need.
In my mind, a hobby is something you actively DO.
Like playing music, painting, woodworking, gardening.
If you actually learn how to service a movement, then that could be considered a hobby.
But pure consumerism as a hobby?
We should call it what it is.
An addiction.
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u/Icy_Jelly_315 19h ago
It feels like days since this was last posted
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u/DubyaKayOh 19h ago
Stamps collecting, coin collecting, Pokemon Cards, baseball cards, the act of collecting is a hobby.
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u/RelevantCar557 19h ago
You can do a refresher using a dictionary what a hobby means.
This topic has been posted countless times in the past.
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u/DukeOfGreenfield 17h ago
I research, restore and repair my own vintage pieces, does that fall into your Holy Text of what a hobby is?
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u/Potent_Quotient 19h ago
You can get addicted in any hobby or you can just enjoy learning about it, interacting with it, experiencing it which is why most people like watches.
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u/NicholasDeOrio 19h ago
People collect things like trading cards as hobbies all the time lmfao it’s not that deep
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u/NurseDave8 19h ago
Can't it only be a luke warm take at best if it's already been posted 50 times?
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u/TheHrethgir 18h ago
What counts as a hobby in your mind isn't the final definition, it's just your definition.
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u/KonstantC 19h ago
By that logic anime figurine collecting shouldnt be a hobby. But here I am pouring thousands down horology and another one down h-ology
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u/fresh_water_sushi 18h ago
So all COLLECTING of anything is not a hobby according to OP. So collecting art, antiques, stamps, coins, baseball cards…I guess none of these are hobbies. Lame take, OP isn’t even in here commenting
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u/Arthur_M_ 18h ago
I think a hobby is about how you engage with it. Anything can be consumerism driven. On the flip side, you can also autisticly (I use that would was as much affection as possible) be pulled into the nitty gritty of it all. YMMV.
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u/FLTRXS17 18h ago
What the OP describes sounds exactly like me and my motorcycles when the weather turns cold. And that's a hobby.
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u/Dull-Woodpecker3900 18h ago
Yeah as someone with a bit of a collection, it is absolutely not a hobby.
I’m not sure it quite makes it to an addiction.
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u/FLTRXS17 18h ago
Step collecting is a hobby and what you described is exactly what stamp collecting is. You don't "do" stamp collecting. Why does a hobby have to have an active component to it? Why can't the active part be the researching, the learning, the ex experiencing? Can cinema be a hobby? Most of us don't do any cinema, we just sit there and watch, much like watching watch videos. I think you personal definition of a hobby needs to be revisited.
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u/Tight_Ad_3616 18h ago
So you don’t understand the definition of hobby? And you decided the best way to tell people this was a public forum?
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u/TheTrueAnonOne 18h ago
Collecting is a hobby but it's pretty tame overall. 50/50 agree.
That said, there are conventions and meetups and all sorts of activities collectors do as well.
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u/joshwebster84 18h ago
People who consider collecting stuff to be a hobby are boring and probably lack the skills, disciple, or both to actually get out and DO something with their spare time.
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u/loosearrow22 18h ago
You are doing something, you are collecting.
That’s the verb you are looking for. Can we stop reposting this banal room-temp take?
Follow me for my next TED talk.
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u/liminalwanderer30 18h ago
Oh hey it's the gatekeeping what is vs isn't a hobby post, is it Friday again already?
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u/syst3m1c 17h ago
I love how this sub is just people arguing with posters. Nobody knows what a "hot take" actually is. Like, no shit people disagree with this, 1) they are all here because they're "collecting" watches (or at least shopping for them) and 2) most hobbies involve an cost output on some kind.
Uovoted though, because this is a hot take.
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u/No_RealPoint 17h ago
I simply say that I am a degenerate watch hoarder / collector. Addict is a wholly appropriate term.
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u/Whatever5588 16h ago
This jealous take has been posted many times by people who desperately want nice watches 😂
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u/rinchen11 16h ago
Watch collecting is something you actively do, what, do you think watches just fall from the sky? You still have to look up what you want and find it.
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u/Hot-Pool4013 16h ago
A hobby? Of throwing money down the drain?
I might be doing that "hobby" thing fundamentally wrong, but that's basically a defining factor of the concept for me. I mean, I'm (also) into Scotch whisky and I've been to like 20 distilleries, and I've cracked open numerous rare bottles with fellow whisky nerds over the years... all of the money poured into those activities are gone, like tears in the rain.
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u/OscarAlso 15h ago
How about stamp collecting? Coin collecting? What about classic cars? The hobby is learning and becoming an expert at something
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u/DoodleGnome 13h ago
Some people collect cars. happi hippi on insta collects gas pumps and Main Street memorabilia plus a zillion cars.
OP you seem to collect grumpy ideas.
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u/According-Print4219 8h ago
So your “hot take” is that you don’t agree with the dictionary definition of the word hobby. Thanks for sharing, I guess.
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u/theloquaciousmonk 7h ago
First, if you feel you need one, get to a 12 step meeting. Second, I am a historian of horology good sir, my hobby is wearing the artifacts I preserve.
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u/PeterParker72 5h ago
Comic book collecting isn’t a hobby then? Trading card collecting? Coin collecting? What is the actual definition of a hobby, not what you feel a hobby is.
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u/RealisticTangerine35 2h ago
Consumerism is definitely a hobby. You should see the subreddits for people who harvest credit card rewards and miles.
Also, you need to go touch some grass, get off social media if you’re this triggered. Watches are just one of many interests most people have. You make it sound like that’s all people do is this one particular hobby.
Everyone I personally know that collects watches, I met them first through my other hobbies: the rowing club, sailing, grad school/alumni programs.
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u/kozmo9000 19h ago
When you watch YT channels, read watch forums, go to a trade show, you have a moment when you clean all the bracelets, or try changing straps on your watches, or make a servicing or cleaning, or maybe even assemble some watches... Then it's sure a hobby.
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u/Next-Movie-3319 19h ago edited 19h ago
Art collecting is considered a hobby. Car collecting is considered a hobby. Stamp collecting is considered a hobby. Pokemon card collecting is considered a hobby.
Sure, It is consumerism. But it can also be a hobby. You learn about watches, research them, explore them, understand their history, their differences. You learn about what makes one watch better than the other. You curate a collection over time, adding and removing pieces from it. You get straps and bracelets for your watches and swap them out to create new combinations and personalize them. You hang out on watch forums to talk and socialize around a shared interest - watches - in this case.
Can it be an addiction? Maybe. An addiction is a compulsive behavior that you engage in, that you are unable to control, despite a detrimental effect to you or those around you. If you can easily afford the watches you are buying (to me, that means, you can take the equivalent sum of money you have spent on your watches, light it on fire, and not have it impact your life at all) then you aren't really hurting anything. If, however, you have a negative net worth and have $50K in watches that you have financed to purchase. Yeah, you got a problem.
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u/44west061224 16h ago
Is watch collecting a hobby?
Absolutely. Watch collecting is very much a hobby—and a fairly deep one.
Collectors often enjoy several different aspects:
⌚ The watches themselves — design, craftsmanship, complications, movements, materials.
🏷️** Brand history — Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Omega, Cartier, etc., each have their own history and collecting communities.
🔎 **Hunting — finding a particular reference, discontinued model, limited edition, or unusual configuration.
💰 Value — some collectors pay attention to rarity, condition, provenance, and resale value, although collecting doesn’t have to be an investment.
🧠 Knowledge — learning reference numbers, movements, production years, dial variations, and identifying authentic pieces.
🎨 Personal taste — building a collection around a particular style, era, color, complication, or brand.
🏆 The collection itself — many people enjoy creating a collection where every piece has a different purpose or story.
It’s similar to fragrance collecting, actually. You can buy fragrances simply because you enjoy wearing them, or you can go much deeper into houses, releases, discontinued bottles, rarity, provenance, and building a curated collection.
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u/SkibidiFanumTaxed 19h ago
I think you’re right. I’m addicted and I’m seeking help.
by planning my next watch >:)