Horological Meandering

Upgrading the collection -- sold, bought, and held

 

Greetings to all! 

As some of you may recall (and my watch buddies know all too well, having heard from me about it virtually nonstop this year), my participation in the January watch festivities in Switzerland served as a real wake-up call.  Talking with collectors I respect, seeing great pieces everywhere, and considering my own holdings, I came to the conclusion that it was time for me to consolidate my collection and go up-market -- fewer, but more treasured pieces.

I've posted a few times over the past months on this journey, mostly in response to others' topics, highlighting the criteria that I have been trying to apply (mostly having to do with whether the watch in question represents the essence of its maker).  I'm not saying that the watches I sold are "bad" and the ones I've bought or kept are "good" -- far from it, in fact, as I really miss many of the departed!  Some tough choices had to be made, however, and this is the record...

What follows are the sold watches, the purchased and incoming watches, and the pre-existing pieces that I kept -- concluding with a few observations and reflections.  I'd welcome comments on any or all, including thoughts on whether you would have made the same choices.

Here goes -- no longer calling my wrist, safe, or safe deposit box home (but, hopefully, bringing joy to their new owners) are:

1. Speake-Marin Shimoda RG No. 1, with the violet foundation hand done especially for me by Peter.  Selling this one hurt:

2. The Speake-Marin Thalassa LE in WG.  A great watch, but at the end of the day just not right for me, especially given the need to raise funds for incoming pieces.  Sold this one earlier this week and the new owner has already worn it more days than I did...

3. Panerai Ferrari FER013.  OK, this one might fall into the "what was I thinking" category, but in fairness it wore well, was beautifully made (note the knurled crown and pusher guards that match the accessory knobs on a Ferrari) and I do own the matching car, so I'm not a complete poseur:

4. UN Executive Dual Time in SS with ceramic bezel.  A really striking watch on which I got many compliments -- but just wore too big for me.

5. Parmigiani Kalpa Grande in SS.  I owned both the bracelet and strap with deployant for this watch, and kept switching them back and forth to try to make me love the watch.  I originally bought the Hebdomidaire, thought it might be too big, and swapped it for this watch.  Should have kept the Hebdo, which has that gorgeous form movement and I would likely still own.  I also opted for the polished bracelet on this one, which was a bit much -- had I kept the watch I would have had them brush the center links.

6. Parmigiani Kalpagraph, SS with silver/black face.  Saw a photo of this one in a booklet and bought it even before its formal introduction.  Like the UN Executive, a great watch but just wore too big on my wrist (partially due to the case shape).  This watch is actually bigger than the Hebdo, which again (in hindsight) likely was the right choice.

7.  UN Monopusher in RG -- the non-LE, but still with the FPJ-designed movement.  I wore this one a fair amount, and miss it -- but relative to the chronos I replaced it with, no contest.

8.  JLC Memovox (prior generation) in RG.  Oddly enough, I miss this one almost as much as the Shimoda!  Something about that gorgeous blued center seconds hand swinging around the dial and the massive, solid backed RG case.  It wore bigger than its 36mm size, and was really cleanly made.  There are lots of days now when I would love to pull this one out of the box and strap it on.

9.  Last but not least, the VC OS Dual Time in YG, on the massive YG bracelet.  Otherwise known fondly as the "Bling Special," although the brushed bracelet and upper case surface tone down the watch a lot.  My wife detested this piece, but I wore it a lot!  Had a real "man of substance" feel about it, along with a guilty pleasure aspect -- and the weight was marvelous.  I sold this one right before the price of gold skyrocketed and everyone and his brother started touting YG as the next PT...

Farewell to thee, old friends!  So -- on to happier things.  I would like to say that the following additions and incoming pieces were fully funded by the above, but if you want to think about whether I am getting a fair exchange, please visualize a few bags of Swiss Francs here, added on to the war chest raised by the above divestitures.  That said, here's what I added (and am expecting):

1.  VC OS Chrono, SS/Titanium.  I wanted to have a robust daily wearer that would be great for weekends, suitable for business casual daily wear, and something that I could wear lots of days per year for a long time.  Having looked at the Fifty Fathoms, IWC Inge, Royal Oak (well, not really as for some reason I've never warmed to it -- sorry), even a pre-owned PP 5085, I was drawn back to VC.  A home run, in my opinion -- everyone who sees this watch loves it, and for me it's going to be a fantastic "beater."  Looks good on both the leather and rubber straps, and I've just ordered the SS bracelet with the Maltese Cross links so that I won't jones for the Bling Special too badly.  Bought new at my favorite VC AD.

2.  ALS Datograph in RG.  I won't go on too much about this one, but when lots of folks say "Lange," they think "Dato."  Of course, they mostly think "Platinum Dato," but I'm still enough of a contrarian that I don't care.  Bought pre-owned through a well-known private (oxymoron alert!) dealer.

3.  Speaking of Platinum, here's the Mighty Lange Double Split (why they leave the word "mighty" out of their marketing collateral is a mystery to me, as the very word must have been coined to describe this watch).  Oddly enough, it does not wear too big for me -- sits great on the wrist, has the same (or even greater?) heft than the Bling Special, and the movement is out of this world.  Bought at auction through one of the world's leading auction houses, who were in my opinion not entirely forthcoming about the true condition of the watch.  Now enjoying a spa trip to Glashutte, from whence it will emerge as-new and with a full 2 year warranty:

And, just because I feel like it, a group shot of the movements of these prior two:

4.  Moving right along: the Vianney Halter Antiqua, in RG with PT dials.  Sublime, and one of the very few watches that in my opinion can actually be considered an "icon."  Bought from another collector in a deal brokered through folks who heard I was looking for one of these -- for once in my life it's nice to be in the "deal flow"

Then, two pieces that are incoming (one perhaps somewhat sooner than the other), both very eagerly awaited. 

1.  Vyskocil V 30/49-01-A (now there's a name that trips off the tongue, eh?)  Like Natalie Wood in "Miracle on 34th Street," I believe -- I believe -- I believe!  Mine will be in YG, although I have to admit that this white metal one with black face looks pretty tasty.  When this baby finally arrives, it will be the greatest watch story ever!  Photo credit to Don Corson:

2. Mystery Watch from Noted Nordic Watchmaker -- Hoping against hope for January 2012 pick-up on this one -- I promise less blurry photos when it arrives!

If you are still with me at this point, you have some endurance!  Time for a quick look at the keepers from my starting collection.  As Mr. Anderson famously said to Beavis and Butt-Head when he hired them to do yard work: "Remember boys, it's not what you prune -- it's what you leave behind that matters!"  In that instance, they toppled a tree onto Mr. Anderson's house -- but I digress.  Survivors from my starting point:

1-5.  The other members of my "big 6" from earlier this year:  In addition to the Dato, which I had by then, the VC Malte Squelette, AP Equation of Time, Voutilainen Observatoire, JLC Reverso Repetition Minutes, and Speake-Marin Fighting Time, with the great Kees Engelbarts dial.

6.  The original JLC Geographique, in YG -- a watch that I "had to have" and eventually tripped over at the Brussels Airport, of all places.

7.  The JLC Master Ultra Thin, in SS.  In addition to being an all-time classic in my opinion, it's also a gift from my wife -- so it ain't going .  Great to wear this one and the Double Split on consecutive days.  A rare (for me) online grey market purchase.

8.  An original-version Omega Ploprof Seamaster 600.  Never fails to bring a grin to my face, and one of the only two "sport" watches (if you count the VC Chrono) that I have left.  Hmm...might have to do something about that...  Bought online from another collector.

9 and 10.  Two great wearing watches from Habring, the original Jump Seconds and the Sincere Chrono with the wild burgundy dial.  I do have a steel bracelet for the Chrono, so perhaps it qualifies as a third "sport" watch depending on the season and configuration.  Both bought through Collectors' Marketplace on PuristS.

I've left out a few (my Accutron Spaceview, the Bucherer that was the first watch I ever bought for myself, 40 years ago, etc.) but the above is pretty much the SOTC as of now.  There are two other watches that I'm angling to buy from friends (one sportier bracelet watch and one classic dress watch) but those are perhaps left for another day!

A few comments/observations for anyone who is still with me:

1. Even though I bought all of the watches recently sold as expenditures rather than investments, I still ended up doing OK: for the 9 watches sold, I recaptured just over 85 percent of my original purchase prices.  3 out of the 9 sold for what I paid or slightly above; the worst I did was 55 percent of the original price.

2. My purchasing patterns have changed over time.  All of the 9 watches I just sold were bought new, 8 of those purchased through ADs.  My "keepers" are more of a mix, and for the 8 pieces added in the past 12 months or incoming, 5 were pre-owned, 2 are coming directly from their independent makers, and only one (the VC) is an AD item.  For me a fair amount of that is about affordability, as well as buying pieces at depreciated price levels so that I am less likely to "get hurt" in the event I eventually want to sell. 

3. By and large, the pieces in my going-forward collection are either ones that I've owned for more than 3 years, or acquired over the past several months.  Almost all of the ones that I sold are from that "in between" period when it seems that to some extent (with the exception of the Speake-Marins) I was just "buying watches" rather than being thoughtful about building a collection. 

4. Photos that I took to showcase new pieces and treasured keepers seem to be a bit better constructed than those for FS ads

5. I'm on a bit of a chronograph binge recently -- we'll see if that endures.  Also, as mentioned above, I've managed to clear out almost all of the sporty pieces -- probably should have kept that old Omega Speedy of mine that I sold a few years ago.  Without intending it, I'm also down to a single two-time-zone watch -- how did that happen?  Of the 16 pieces that will remain, 5 are time only, 5 chronos, 2 QPs, and a scattering of others (RM, Dead Seconds, Dual Time, RDM)

6. As a general rule, don't buy a watch just because your significant other likes the way it looks if you're not sure about it -- you're the one who is going to end up muttering under your breath that you can't sell it to get something else!  Similarly, be cautious about buying something your spouse hates -- I'm tempting fate with one of my recent purchases, but as I learned with the Bling Special, getting the stink-eye from one's beloved every time you wear a particular watch is no way to live...

Enough!  I hope that for at least a few folks these musings will be useful as you consider your own collections and how they change over time.  As I mentioned above, I'm not 100 percent certain that I wouldn't be just as happy having a similarly sized collection of more modest but interesting pieces, but at the same time it's a privilege for me to be able to wear these beautiful expressions of watchmaking art on a regular basis. 

All the best,

Gary G

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