Like the title says basically. I could spend hours imagining whole collections which would be cool to own. I mean yes sure holding the real pieces in your hand feels great as well. But I think the anticipated enjoyment is equally as exciting if not more. I am currently starting out with collecting and will soon go for my 3rd watch. Maybe the most important watch of any collection. But let’s see. I hope I am not alone with this 😂
In martial arts, we have a learning part of the class, and then we spar to put that knowledge into practice. We do this spar because it puts our learned knowledge into practical application, and that kind of practice in valuable to have before having to face real life violence. I think our brain is built to enjoy this type of learning and testing, as it confirms correctness of the new knowledge before having to rely on it in survival of the fittest struggles.
Not as serious, but I think imaginary collections are the same. We learn about watches, increasing our knowledge. Then we want to put that knowledge to a practical test of some kind to see how practical our knowledge is in a more realistic environment. The imaginary collection is that mock purchases that tests our knowledge and gives us insight into our preferences and our short comings.