In Response To: Most Important Advice (jeff stein)

Advice for Tom (or any new collector)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.

I'll post my thoughts in non-bold/non-italic text...

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.

Nope... Don't like rules... Call them guidelines... Rules suggest rigidity, guidelines can be adjusted as you see fit. Some of my best purchases have broken the rules.

• 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
  • Unless you are holding something for an investment usually that's not very realistic, but I've seen Pasadena's that I paid $405 for in 1999 (with bracelet) sell for over $900 without a bracelet on eBay this week...) FIND an occasion, reason or excuse to wear that watch. It's ok not to wear it often, but get it some wrist time, even if it's only a few hours while you surf the web.
• 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
  • It depends on the "mission" of your collection. Many people keep books that they haven't read for a long time in a study or library. Don't necessarily feel the constraint to sell something that you haven't worn in a long time. You've probably heard of "Buyer's Remorse"? Even worse is Seller's Remorse. You can always sell something you have, you may not be able to buy back or buy another example of something you sell.
• 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
  • A well read buyer is often a smart buyer. If you see something truely special come up don't be agraid to act, quickly and decisively. Conversly to Jeff's rule, if there is a series of like items up for sale, try to avoid the need to bid go for the last one offered. Often the bidding will get fierce on the last item of a lot offered and you'll get hammered on price.
• 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
  • Agreed, buy it for you, not for any hopes of profit. This should be fun first.
• 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
  • And in fact that may be the best person to approach if you change your mind! However!!! do give the item a chance, it may grow on you. I was initially disappointed in my 5100 Carrera, I had assumed that the crystal would be a flat mineral crystal and not a domed Acrylic one. It was my first acrylic crystal since I was a kid and my first cushion case ever. I put it away after first getting it for a month or two... One day I was looking for a watch to wear and I forced myself to wear it. Within 10 mintes I had to admit it was a very easy to read watch. The next time I wore it, my opinion had changed from "it's not a bad watch" to "It's a pretty good watch. By the third wearing it was (and remains) one of my favorites. First impressions aren't always valid, give new purchases a little time.
• with a watch, you are buying the dial; just about everything else can be restored, repaired, etc.
  • The dial is the most difficult item to find or replace generally. However a perfect dial won't necessarily balance out a watch that is a basket case otherwise. Also realize that refinishing, repair, restoration is potentially EXTREMELY expensive. It can be very rewarding, but it's often better to keep looking than settle for a watch that will be cost prohibitive to get up to snuff.
• 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
  • And document everything. CC (Carbon Copy) yourself (very visably), take screen snaps, print copies, etc.
• 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
  • Always strive to get a watch in a condition that is in your "comfort level"... If you like NOS or mint examples of watches, seek those. However, if you don't mind patina and a few flaws (especially if you are looking for a daily wearer or even a Beater watch seek out "well worn" examples instead. Nothing worse than being afraid of wearing a watch because it's too perfect.
• It's a hobby; it's supposed to be fun
  • Absolutely, if it isn't fun, figure out a way to make it fun, enjoyable or rewarding. Or it ceases to be a hobby, and becomes a drag...
• try to avoid dealing with jerks or difficult people; it won't be fun
  • Life is too bloody short to waste your time with these sorts.

OK, those are a few of my "rules"; on a good day, I follow most of them . . . Here's to your success and enjoyment in collecting!!

One additional thought that I'll share in addition to my other thoughts... Define early on what you are interested in collecting. Start narrow and widen it as you see fit. I defined my interests early on as this:

I tend to gravitate towards watches that have the following features: Chronographs, almost always 3 Register (I'm not a big fan of Chronos without an hour register). Typically but not always Automatic or Manual Wind. Almost always Titanium, Stainless Steel or PVD coated Stainless Steel with a Bracelet as opposed to a Strap. Usually I prefer the registers to be the same or a complementary color to the main dial color, although as time goes on, I'm losing this predjuce against contrasting sub-dials... The majority of my watches have a black dial but I have but quite a few shich have other colored dials. I am a big fan of Slide Rule equiped watches, Day-Date is a definate plus, and I prefer good readible luminous hands. This is not to say that any or all of these features are a must... I will also occasionally purchase a watch that is unusual or interesting that does not fit this pattern very well at all. For example I am a very avid Bullhead chronograph collector.

That's reasonably tight... No Gold, No TwoTone, no non-chronographs, no chronographs without a 12-hour subdial, few with contrasting sub-dials, etc.

Then you can expand or contract your guidelines as you lear more about watches and you rastes.

I hope this is of some assistance...

-- Chuck