What do you think of when you think of watch collectors? I imagine folks with lots to spend on fine luxury watches. Think Marvel’s Steven Strange and his drawer full of winders to keep his exquisite automatic movement time pieces running accurately. I certainly didn’t consider myself a watch collector.
That is, until I began to discover watches in drawers, and jewelry boxes, and cardboard boxes around our home. Yes, I’ve always liked and owned a few watches. But never set out to collect them, per se. But when I started thinking about the watches I was discovering, I began to view them as a collection. Not a curated intentional collection. But I started recalling details about each of them: when I got it; how I got it; why I got it. Some were treasured gifts. Some were bought on a whim. Most were bought with a specific purpose in mind. (Seems I’m a tool watch kind of guy.)
I’ve had enough interest in at least some of my watches, that I got a watch repair tool kit and a case press a few years ago. Though none of my watches are particularly valuable, I have taken the time and effort to replace batteries and use many of them, off and on. I certainly didn’t consider any of them disposable, although the argument could be made that a couple have outlived their purpose.
As I began to assemble the collection (and replace batteries by the handful) I began to see them as a collection, which makes me a collector by association, I suppose. I started to think of what each represented as a watch; its features, unique elements, etc. And I began to wonder what I might add to fill out a collection with watches that represent things my existing watches do not. So, I began to compare and categorize them. I also started thinking about what each means to me.
Which led me here, to the idea of cataloging them in some fashion. I enjoy examining each in detail to discover their features, some common, some unique. But a collector must be realistic about whether there is an audience for this information. One thing I’ve realized about collecting things is that others who have no interest or experience in the objects one collects may not care. Some may become interested to learn of the details that have come to fascinate me. Others may not now nor ever care. Rather than bore those friends with show-and-tell, I’ve decided to put that effort into a catalog. If I discover others who may be interested, then I can share.
That is, until I began to discover watches in drawers, and jewelry boxes, and cardboard boxes around our home. Yes, I’ve always liked and owned a few watches. But never set out to collect them, per se. But when I started thinking about the watches I was discovering, I began to view them as a collection. Not a curated intentional collection. But I started recalling details about each of them: when I got it; how I got it; why I got it. Some were treasured gifts. Some were bought on a whim. Most were bought with a specific purpose in mind. (Seems I’m a tool watch kind of guy.)
I’ve had enough interest in at least some of my watches, that I got a watch repair tool kit and a case press a few years ago. Though none of my watches are particularly valuable, I have taken the time and effort to replace batteries and use many of them, off and on. I certainly didn’t consider any of them disposable, although the argument could be made that a couple have outlived their purpose.
As I began to assemble the collection (and replace batteries by the handful) I began to see them as a collection, which makes me a collector by association, I suppose. I started to think of what each represented as a watch; its features, unique elements, etc. And I began to wonder what I might add to fill out a collection with watches that represent things my existing watches do not. So, I began to compare and categorize them. I also started thinking about what each means to me.
Which led me here, to the idea of cataloging them in some fashion. I enjoy examining each in detail to discover their features, some common, some unique. But a collector must be realistic about whether there is an audience for this information. One thing I’ve realized about collecting things is that others who have no interest or experience in the objects one collects may not care. Some may become interested to learn of the details that have come to fascinate me. Others may not now nor ever care. Rather than bore those friends with show-and-tell, I’ve decided to put that effort into a catalog. If I discover others who may be interested, then I can share.
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