based on the message below, it appears that Tom will be buying the Carrera that we have been discussing, but he also seeks advice as he sets off on his collecting career. It might be useful (and friendly) for us to give Tom and other new collectors our best suggestions. Realizing that we all have different preferences, budgets and objectives, let's give it a go and see what we come up with.

Some of my rules are as follows. I realize that these reflect my own preferences, and I expect that others may have entirely different and conflicting suggestions.

• only buy it if you will wear it; if it is too valuable or precious to wear, then I don't want to own it
• if you haven't worn it in a long time, consider selling it; selling frees up some cash, makes you believe that you are controlling the collecting obsession, and gives you some room in the drawer / box
• when buying, try to let the first one go by, and buy the second, third or fourth one that you might chase; there is a real learning curve here, and the first one will often turn out to be the wrong one
• don't buy anything expecting to sell it at a profit; particularly with everyone seeing everything on ebay, it is difficult to buy an item at a price that will allow you to sell for a profit
• conversely, remember that if you buy it and don't like it, you should be able to sell it at a relatively small loss; on ebay, there is usually a bidder just a few dollars behind the winner of the auction
• with a watch, you are buying the dial; just about everything else can be restored, repaired, etc.
• come up with a (mental) list of standard questions and don't forget to ask these questions (mentally or actually) before you buy; it is bad when you receive the chrono, find that it doesn't work properly, and then notice that the listing said nothing about the mechanical condition of the watch; read the descriptions carefully and ask lots of questions
• in collecting, "condition only matters on the second one"; you want the "first one" of a particluar model to own it and see it (and see whether you like it), even if the condition is not ideal; then you can be patient in looking for the next one, that will be in better condition, to improve the quality of the collection