Experimenting with independents - an inevitable watch collecting journey?

[Oceanklassik]

That will depend if one is looking at it from an artist/arts appreciation point-of-view, or from an economic sense. Like what you said,

"there is a difference between watch collecting and watch appreciation. Just like arts, collecting is associated with ownership (and the finance to it) but appreciation does not necessarily require so"

If one deems a wristwatch as an art piece and has a well-to-do background, then probably he/she will acquire it. It's also like how some people want to, can afford to, and will buy a vintage vehicle, knowing that the maintenance and servicing costs will be extremely high. One must be wealthy enough.

[taxico]

the below does not apply to any belt-driven or quartz/hybrid-type watches that goes beyond the capability of CW21/traditional watchmakers:

i think the perspective of an independent brand shutting shop and rendering their watches useless because no one will touch them is quite narrow-minded.

most independents do not design their watches to be so proprietary that no one else except him/her can touch them. they design watches with a legacy and longevity in mind. any competent watchmaker MUST and should be able to make the parts required by examining the watch in detail.

but the sad fact is, such watchmakers are exceedingly rare in our country. even the ones that have been trained to do so are unwilling to undertake the work as the amount of work vs payoff is not to their liking.

else where, watchmakers would prefer to be craftsmen first and businessmen second.

jlc/ap/vc/patek/etc does not keep a vast inventory of parts for ALL watches they have made... they may have technical documents for some, but many old pocket and wrist watches sent back to them require parts to be hand made after a period of analysis. accordingly, the bill reflects that.

to overcome the issue of independents shuttering: we need to remain open to that fact that SOMEWHERE out there exists more than a few people that CAN and WILL fix your broken watch made by an unknown person... for sure the bill cannot be equal or more than what the established brands charge for a comparable job scope.

[taxico]

Because I can hardly afford a PP, AP, or VC

By the way I am no collector of watches. I know what you are getting at, but there is a difference between watch collecting and watch appreciation. Just like arts, collecting is associated with ownership (and the finance to it) but appreciation does not necessarily require so.

In my opinion, exclusivity of an item is more related to collecting than appreciation. Hence I can probably understand why a collector wants something exclusive.

that was a genuine question that will, i hope, lead to a few questions answered.

besides the vast network of service centres, why do you like seikos and omegas and rolex?

for example: i love vintage omegas but i do not believe in the "slimline" version of george daniel's escapement that omega had originally adopted. as such, it is extremely difficult for me to accept buying/keeping any watch that features omega's old co-axial design (i've tried and failed). i also abhor their beat rate of choice...

why do i like the parachrom blue over the older hairspring? because the heart of every watch is now entirely rolex made. this does not seem like much to most people - as my friend says, the old spring works just fine. to me, it is important that as many of the parts in a watch were produced internally as possible when a premium is being charged. i can therefore appreciate the efforts undertaken by rolex to integrate everything. the blue spring + microstella balance wheel perfects rolex's "heart".

these little reasons (and probably a fair few more) shape my beliefs (which is not etched in stone) when it comes to watch collecting/buying/wearing. they allow me to understand what a mass market brand can provide, and what they cannot. the reasons why i buy rolex/omega/seiko makes its way into how i question a watchmaker's work/ethos. i do not buy an unusual piece only because it is exclusive - because i know i would be happy to buy it if that piece was made by rolex.

but this is pretty much impossible because rolex does not make watches for the sake of watchmaking, but for the sale of making sales. i, therefore, need to look elsewhere.

i should stress that independents does not = full customization (at least not in many cases). at the end of the day, we are wearing watches that someone else has created (whether with or without our input). if you know what the watchmaker's philosophy are when it comes to watchmaking, and his vision for his brand, you are able to know if his products are the ones for you or not because you know what he wants to achieve.

if you are purely driven by quick saleability, minimal loss and resale value, the world of independents is extremely difficult if not impossible to sell to you. but this is unlikely to be true for most people that buy watches as a hobby. i therefore invite you to share what you like in the watches that you have, or like in the watch companies/pieces that you appreciate.