Part 2: How to become a watch collector

In 2008 I bought my first ‘expensive’ watch. It was a stainless steel Tag Heuer Carrera Automatic – which I still have tucked away in a drawer somewhere – and at the time it was a really big deal to me. I had graduated from college and had been working for a couple of years and it felt like the time was right to replace my cheap fashion watch with something a little more substantial. I only had a limited budget and I agonised for what felt like months over the different models available within my fairly limited price range. Even today I wonder if I should have done things differently but that’s all part of the fun of being a watch lover.

Back when I went through the experience for the first time I didn’t have the same plethora of watch-related resources available online that you do now, so most of my information came from visiting dealers and speaking with fellow watch lovers. Even now the process can be pretty daunting the first time if you’re unprepared. If you ask yourself the right questions and do your research however, than there’s no reason why your first luxury watch experience can’t be an extremely positive one.

To help you get started on the right path we have put together a quick guide for some of the key questions you need to ask yourself before pulling the trigger (this is not an exhaustive list by any means.) We’ve also included our selection of five great starter watches at the end in case you really have no idea where to begin on your journey. Good luck and happy hunting!

Without a doubt the best types of watches to start collecting in your 20’s are sports watches and tool watches. There’s a huge range to choose from, literally hundreds (if not thousands) of reputable brands and price points to suit just about anyone. Best of all buying a good sports watch – like an Omega Speedmaster Professional – or a good tool watch – like a Rolex Submariner – is a great way to get instant credibility as a novice watch collector, especially if you do your research and buy a model with some historical significance. Plus, unlike the later and likely more expensive models you will add to your collection, sports/tool watches are designed to be worn and enjoyed every day.

Pro tip: Focus on brands and models you’re already familiar with. Yes, they may be a bit ubiquitous but they are also more likely to be in greater supply, which means better prices and more options to choose from. Plus they will be easier to re-sell in the long term.

Selected watches: A Rolex Submariner or a sports watch from a respectable brand – Omega, TAG Heuer, Breitling, Oris…

If you follow the auction scene you may have noticed that vintage watches are stupidly popular right now, with seemingly innocuous models selling for multiples above their reserve and particularly important models breaking the seven figure barrier. Don’t be put off by this. Yes, the popularity of vintage watch collecting has skyrocketed over the past few years and prices have gone up to reflect this increased demand  however you’ve just spent your 20’s building up a solid watch knowledge, so if you’re patient and do you research there are still plenty of great bargains out there to add to your collection. Plus you can always narrow your focus down a bit by choosing to only collect a certain brand from a certain era. You may buy less watches overall but it will make it all the more fulfilling when you find the exact watch you’re looking for.

Pro tip: When it comes to collecting vintage watches or even second-hand watches it is critically important to buy the seller as much as the watch. There are a lot of vintage watches out there that are, for a lack of a better term, ‘not genuine’ and it’s easy to get caught with your pants down. Just ask any serious collector.

Selected watches: a vintage Chronograph with style and pedigree - a 1960s Omega Speedmaster of course, a vintage Longines, a TAG Heuer Chronograph Carrera, Monaco, Autavia or even a vintage Rolex Daytona if you can afford it...

Depending on who you talk to, you don’t really begin to appreciate the complexity of a complicated watch such as a perpetual calendar or a tourbillon until you’ve had some real life experience. Now I don’t know about that but I do know for most of us it’s going to take at least until we’re in our 40’s before we can start seriously thinking about collecting complicated watches due to price restrictions alone. Plus, by their very nature complicated watches are more fragile and thus not really intended for long-term (everyday) wear, making them less suitable for first-time buyers. These are the watches you will wear on special occasions only, so choose wisely.

Pro tip: Keep in mind that complicated watches are not only expensive to acquire they are also expensive to maintain, so make sure you allow some room in your watch budget for upkeep as they will require regular servicing to keep everything ticking along nicely.  

Selected watches: A Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar - or a Jaeger Le-Coultre Master Tourbillon, Breguet Tradition or A. Lange & Söhne Datograph… Everything that combines high-end movement, brand’s reputation and great elegance.

Now, depending on how new to the watch world you are you may have never even heard of the term independent watchmaking. This is an entire subset of the mainstream luxury watch market comprised of a number of niche brands creating watches that in some cases are truly extraordinary. Again though, not all independent watchmakers are created equal so its important to do your research and understand that these brands do not operate with the same budgets as the major players. That means limited production schedules, small distribution channels and high likelihood that you will need to send the watch back to its maker in order for it to be serviced (which could take months).

Pro tip: Think of collecting independent watches like collecting artwork. Look for and buy pieces that truly speak to you and that have some degree of pedigree. Chances are they won’t go up in value over time but they will deliver untold hours of wearing pleasure plus they’ll make your friends green with envy.

Selected watches: mostly, depends on your style and hobbies. If you want elegance, a Laurent Ferrier or a FP Journe. If you want bold and sporty watches, Richard Mille. If you want extreme watchmaking, MB&F or URWERK.

Grail watches, as the name might suggest, reflect the Holy Grail of watches for collectors. These are the watches you would sell every other model in your collection plus your house and your car to acquire. Usually they’re rare beyond rare, historically significant and dripping with cool although sometimes it’s possible for a brand to inadvertently introduce a new ‘grail watch’. A model that is so desirable and yet so unattainable that it instantly goes to the top of the list of collectors the world over. Generally these types of models come from the likes of Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne and Audemars Piguet but just about any type of watch has the potential to become a grail watch for somebody.

Pro tip: If you really want to acquire your ultimate grail watch don’t wait until your 60’s to start searching. It may take half a lifetime to find the watch you’re looking for and then the other half before you’re in a position to actually make it yours, so no sense in wasting time.

Selected watch: THE one, the watch that you always dreamed about. Something so personal, thought about for so long that we can’t even guide you anymore. It can go from that ultra-rare steel chronograph from the 1950s, to the most complex watch ever or that quite simple watch that reminds you of your grandfather. And because you have achieved such a point in collecting watches, it’s time for us to leave the choice to you and you only.