Hunting for a Watch vs. Owning a Watch

Before that a watch gets on our wrist, we had to figure out what it is we wanted. We had to have done some research about it to figure out the watch has the style we were looking for. That we could afford it. And that we could actually acquire it (as in: it was available.) All of this constitutes what we watch enthusiasts refer to as “The Hunt.” The hunt for the next watch—or our grail watch—is something we enjoy. But it has to end at some point. Eventually, we will either own the watch or not. And, speaking from experience, we spend a lot of time hunting, and in some cases, not owning a watch. 

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The Great Things About The Hunt 

Every single purchase we make is preceded by the hunt. To me, it was the thing I loved the most about watch collecting for a very long time. Because the hunt goes through several steps and we can enjoy each one. First, an idea pops into our mind. We meet a friend who is wearing a watch we have never seen before. We like it and inquire about the timepiece. Or we figure out we’re going on a trip but we don’t have the appropriate timepiece. So we have an idea and this idea begins the hunt. 

Then, and to be quite realistic here, we spend a lot of time—and sometimes too much—scouring watch blogs and binge watching videos on YouTube about the model we are interested in or researching those that fit our criteria. Because we must know how much we want to spend and what kind of watch we are looking for. As we are doing the research, we start imagining ourselves wearing that specific watch and we get excited. 

After weeks or months spent hunting for the watch, we finally pull the trigger and buy it. Then starts the most excruciating part of the entire process: waiting for the watch to arrive. Whether you placed the order at the authorized dealer or bought directly from the brand online, you must wait. You wonder why it’s taking so long. You want to check in with the AD to see if there is any news. 

Eventually, you get a notification. Either you get a call to let you know your watch has arrived at the boutique and it’s waiting for you to be picked up. Or you get a notification that the package is out for delivery. I know it may sound stupid but the world stops at that very moment. And the world will only resume once the watch is in our hands. 

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The Pitfalls of the Hunt 

Although what I described above sounds exciting, there are some pitfalls about the process of hunting for watches. On one hand, we may get burned out hunting for a watch and feel overwhelmed. The amount of videos we watch or the numerous articles we read start to blend together and our vision gets blurred. A feeling or doubt settles in our mind and we start questioning whether or not this watch is the right one. So we call a friend and ask for our friend’s opinion. Or we abandon the hunt. 

The other pitfall is that the hunt might actually never end. Either the hunt for a particular model or the elusive grail watch will never stop. We spend too much time hunting for the perfect watch that we are not enjoying the ones we already possess. Or we may pay too much attention to the noise that comes from forums and experts’ videos and we no longer want to buy the watch. 

Or because we spend so much time hesitating to buy what we know is the right timepiece, we start questioning our choice and look elsewhere. Maybe we should spend less to buy from a different brand. Maybe that critique’s thoughts are on point and this watch is no longer the right one for us. So we get confused and end up not buying anything. Or the hunt continues now that we have decided we should look for a different timepiece. 

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Eventually, We Need to Own 

But, eventually we need to own a watch because there is nothing better than the experience of owning a timepiece, instead of wishing to have one that we cannot have. The watch we decide on may end up being something very different that we had in mind, but it is ours. We may have come to our senses and realized that a $10,000 watch was not what we were looking for, but that a $2,000 watch is much better. Or that we cannot afford to spend a certain amount of money on a timepiece. 

So we need to bring ourselves back to reality and decide to own one watch. Or maybe 10, but the point is that for some of us the destination is the jam, not the journey. (This contradicts my general philosophy of life, but watch collecting is something different.) Don’t get me wrong, I love hunting for a new timepiece, but I realized over the past few months that I get more pleasure owning a watch. 

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Final Thoughts 

At the end of the day, we know immediately what we like and don’t like. Yes, we may spend weeks or months looking at different watches, talking to our friends and experts about what we should buy. But, truly, we already know what we want. We decided to prolong the process because either we are not sure of ourselves or because we rejoice lingering in the hunting phase. Again, I’m not saying that hunting for a watch is something we shouldn’t do. Because we should. But we should always end up owning a watch instead of only dreaming of it.