How to Start a Watch Collection
From watch movements to winning models, here’s everything you need to know about collecting timepieces.
A great watch collection doesn’t come together overnight. As singer/songwriter and noted watch guy John Mayer once said, “The first 12 watches, you think you’re amassing a collection—but you’re not.” Mistakes will be made. Like any hobby, collecting watches is a journey. But unlike most hobbies, the mistakes can be expensive.
Where do you even start? Here’s what to consider as you dip your toes into the horological deep end.
Buy Smart
It starts with a lot of research. Knowing what you like in a watch, rather than grabbing the first thing that catches your eye, will result in a thoughtful watch collection.
For Isaac Wingold, watch expert and Content Manager at Bezel, a leading online marketplace for pre-owned luxury timepieces, that often means gravitating toward watchmakers with real history behind them—not just the flavour of the month.
“At the same time,” he adds, “you can buy something that is perfectly logical and checks all the right boxes, yet doesn’t really speak to you on a deeper level.” In other words: know the specs, but listen to your gut—it’ll help you hold onto your watches longer and avoid costly regrets.
Made to Be Worn
Your first few watches should be versatile enough to handle whatever your day throws at you from work and formal events to your leisure time. A clean, simple dress watch or a classic dive watch can do a lot of heavy lifting. Stick to something that feels easy to wear and fits with your style across different settings. Don’t buy something that will sit in a drawer.
Mechanical vs. Quartz Movements
A quartz watch, that is, a watch that relies on a battery and a circuit board, is appealing to newcomers who aren’t looking to blow the bag. They’re cheaper, more accurate and more durable. But as the price tag climbs, the traditional mechanical movement offers not only craftsmanship and complexity but a lot of soul.
“That’s one of the first things that really attracted me to watches,” says Wingold. “This thing on my wrist has 250 components inside of it, all meticulously crafted by a team of people who all work together in perfect, beautiful harmony to do something as mundane as telling the time. There’s something nonsensical and special about that.”
New vs. Pre-Owned
Most watches lose value the moment you walk out of the store—unless you’re buying a popular model that trades above retail (Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet, among others). However, you can often save 15 to 20 per cent through the resale market on solid watches. “I would go used versus new in most situations,” says Wingold. “Especially for first-time buyers who aren’t looking to totally break the bank.”
What about scratches and signs of wear? Buying new comes with the literal white-glove experience—but also the pressure of putting that first mark on it. Wingold prefers something broken in. “I’m partial to watches that already have scratches on them,” he says. “A new watch, depending on your perspective, can end up owning you rather than the other way around.”
A great collection isn’t about price, it’s about personality. The best watches speak to you and not others. Whatever route you take, try on as many watches in person as possible. Fit and feel matter more than you’d think. “You can research and sell yourself on how well you think it’ll fit into your life,” says Wingold, “and then you’ll put it on your wrist and go, oh wow, this is totally not for me.”
5 Watches to Start Your Collection
Tudor Black Bay 58
Ben Kriz is a Toronto-based freelance writer covering menswear and culture for publications like GQ, SHARP, and NUVO. He’s held a range of roles across the retail industry and was most recently Head of Editorial at Harry Rosen. He still likes to wear a tie now and then, and his favourite restaurant is L’Express in Montreal.
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