Like a lot of people, I got really interested in watches during the pandemic when I had extra time on my hands, and disposable income that I couldn’t spend on other things. Like many, I dove head first into learning as much as I could from Youtube, websites, books, etc.
But now a few years later, does anyone else feel like they’re losing interest in the hobby?
I still love the watches that I bought, but now I’m more likely to spend my disposable income on trips/restaurants/concerts etc.
How do you keep the passion going when the initial love affair is over? And when I’m not actively buying new watches…
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It’s a self fulfilling cycle , ppl get tired of their awesome watches and sell them on the gray market for other enthusiasts to enjoy who then die and relatives go on Reddit to ask if they are worth anything.
Don’t forget about grandpas fake watches.
Nope. Bought my second watch in 1981. My third in 84 or 85. Celebrated college graduation with another. And so on. The pandemic had no effect on my interest in watches.
It’s the circle of liiiiffeee. Holds watch in the air
It’s common. Hobby comes and goes…
Just put the hobby aside for now. It happened to me a while ago as well, but then it came back again :)
Ive been into it since my first real adult watch in 2nd grade in 1992, a real 1970s seiko kinetic, yes I still have it. Over the yrs it will always wax and wane, ffs I have a smart watch on now and feel like Ive given up on life fully. But, you never fully lose a hobby, you just see other people from time to time.
It’s more fun looking at them, learning about the history, and looking for a good deal than actually buying them.
Watches are a weird interest/hobby because it can be very expensive. Even if you’re focusing and buying cheaper watches, it adds up very fast. It doesn’t help that for many collectors it eventually reaches a point where you have to save up for what you want and that can be monotonous.
I haven’t bought a new watch in a few years. I had just bought two nice pieces for my income bracket at the time and a few cheaper pieces I really like. I didn’t feel the need to buy one or look into them much.
My interest shifted to a different passion and I started investing in that. Now I have enough new pieces of equipment in that hobby that I’m satisfied in, and this year will probably get myself a new watch I’ve been eyeing for awhile.
But I don’t think it’s uncommon to go some time without visiting the watch blogs and YouTube and subreddits. It’s an ebb and a flow. Pretty natural.
I’ve been interested in watches for a long time… my grampa bought me a Casio f91w when I went back to my parents home country as a child and I’ve worn a watch ever since as a tool. I wear it 24/7, so i can check the time when waking up, how long I’ve showered, etc.
So because it’s a tool, I just keep refining the tool. I have 3 on rotation. My Omega Seamaster as a daily, it replaced a skx007, my daily needs to be durable and waterproof. A seiko grand quartz for a dress - I love quartz as a dress so I never have to adjust time, its -/+5sec a year, so near atomic time without needing radio signals. An Apple Watch (yes I consider it one of my watches) for fitness because as a tool/gadget it’s probably the best, I switch to it if I’m doing some fancy cooking for the timer/stopwatch and Siri voice commands.
I don’t really get bored of my watches because end of the day, they’re just tools for me! The hobby is refining those tools.
Cool story, would be great to keep an F91W in the rotation just in honor of gramps
I switches from playing watches to playing with guns. Gun just need keep shooting to keep the desire burning. Haha…
It’s getting too expensive now with the cost of basic needs skyrocketing. Lots of traditionally affordable watches have shot up in price 30-50% in the last few years. The basic Moonwatch now retails for $7,000 when it used to be around $4,500 when I first started collecting in 2014. You could find nice used ones in the low $3000s.
you go in and out, I was really into them from 2012-2014 then took like a 10 year break and now I’m randomly super back into them
did you sell any of your watches during the lull?
It waxes and wanes, like all my interests. Other things come up, to occupy my time, etc. I’ve found that my interest spikes when something cool and new comes out. That happened to me when Grand Seiko became its own brand, and came out with the spring drive, etc. I made a trip to another city, just to go to a GS dealer and look at it. Suddenly all of watches took on renewed interest for me.
Just my experience. I’d say if your interest is ebbing, give it a rest. Something may pique your interest later, to bring you back.
Still have a passion for watches, but the urge to buy is non existent right now. Bought quite a few in a short timeframe.
Have one watch I would buy if I got the call for it, but not chasing it. I’m enjoying the watches I have and admiring the ones I know I’ll likely never buy.
Recently i have stopped looking at the ‘normal’ watches. Your Omegas, Gs, Rolex, Tudor etc.
Instead i started looking at some chinese watches that get looked over as not swiss made but have Some really cool watches. Tourbillon for under 1k for instance
My latest is looking at microbrands. I doubt i will ever sell my watches i only own 2. I dont see them as an investment so dont mind spending money on watches no one will know off
Every time I buy a new watch I kinda don’t even think about the next one. I find myself losing interest in the subreddit and watch channels the few months after buying a new piece. Then I’ll maybe catch a glimpse of something and dive headfirst back in until I buy a new watch and the cycle continues.
After I bought my bb58 I’m basically done with watches. At least, I’m done until I make rolex money. Which given what I’ve heard about rolex stores, might actually be never (and I’m fine with that). At the end of the day I’m only going to wear one watch and when you need to wear your watch to keep it ticking, multiple automatics become a hassle.
I like watches. I like looking at watches. But that’s about it. I bought plenty of cheap microbrands back in the day to know what I like and what I don’t like. These days I like talking to watch people and I like my bb58.
The ridiculous luxury watch bubble we have was only inflated by ‘covid rich’ blow-ins so now they’re bored they can sell their watches for a loss which will be great for actual watch enthusiasts.