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a few months ago, i went to a safe deposit box to pull out a few watches to sell to fund an incoming watch.
neglected in a small pouch at the inner corner was an old sub with no bracelet. i stuffed the watch in my pocket, packed a few other boxes into my bag, locked up and left.
i had been, at this point, wearing an omega seamaster for the past many weeks. my rational mind told me it was the best suited watch for me.
the price was affordable and it was easily replaceable. the movement was tried and tested by now. it has a wonderful domed sapphire crystal. the gmt hand tracks my home time. it was very slim for a 4 handed 300m dive watch with exhibition back. and best of all - i can disinfect it regularly!
it was basically a go anywhere, do anything watch. rationally, it was the perfect watch for me.
after leaving the bank, i took out the sub from my pocket and stuffed it into my wife's car's door and forgot all about it until yesterday...
i wanted to see if it was timing well, so i quickly attached a bracelet on the watch to wear the watch out for dinner yesterday.
looking at watch... the bracelet has hollow mid links. the end links are hollow too. it rattles that familiar rolex jingle. the watch, in general, was a mess. very scratched and probably due for a service replacement case before stocks run out. the tired corroded hands stagger around the dial, almost as if it was out of breath.
but almost as soon as the clasp was locked in place, i remembered why i love vintage rolex... it was extremely comfortable and felt extremely at home on my wrist. i actually felt relieved to be not wearing the seamaster. the corroded hands told very good time, with the movement running at +0s/day.
the sub (now) costs more than the omega but can't do much more. it is physically/technically, inferior, in every which way, but it feels perfect despite its imperfections (and being a vintage sub, it has A LOT of imperfections).
there are many posts on this forum by members about whether this watch is right for them, or if that watch is a better buy, and should they buy this or that, what about selling that to buy this...?
watches are a hobby... something meant to be fun and bring us joy. sometimes you luck out and someone's recommendation works for you. other times, the buyer is simply easily satisfied with the purchase. these are not regular occurrences but fret not...
because if you don't try out different watches, you might never know if you've got the "right" watch or the "perfect" watch. there is little point in asking other people what you want because they are not you.
singapore, being an asian country, has a lot of people that try to use sense to justify an expensive purchase. especially a luxury item like an expensive watch. yet many forget that some purchases can never be measured emotionally.
it is akin to questions like "should i buy a toyota or a [INSERT EUROPEAN MAKE HERE]?" that probably a quick google will show is a common question... especially on local forums.
if you've only driven reliable japanese cars, then you are missing out on what it means to OWN an unreliable italian car that, in some mysterious way, evokes great emotion when it is not in the workshop.
alfa romeo comes to mind... so i shall use that as a personal example although i shall preface this by saying such ownership experiences are not for everyone...
i can honestly say that the short dread of starting up an alfa romeo (and hoping that everything SOUNDS normal IF it starts up), and the pain of calling a tow truck to bring the car to peter's workshop is outweighed by the sheer fun of driving it when everything is working just "okay..."
not working "perfect" mind you, because perfect moments are rare - italian cars are always a work in progress. (IMO, a perfect italian car is an undriven one that has just finished its factory assembly or full restoration but i digress...)
the feeling of wearing a vintage plastic submariner outweighs the practicalities of a modern seamaster gmt in ways that should not, and does not make sense. on paper, the seamaster should be MY perfect watch but it certainly doesn't feel that way.
so don't over think a purchase... members on the forum will not be able to tell you what is the right purchase for you. there is also no such thing as a "perfect" watch.
go to the shops, try it out, walk away. repeat, repeat, repeat. then pick the one that you feel more/the most for.
if you regret it, sell off the watch (or not), and buy another one. it's not the end of the world to buy the wrong watch or lose some money when you sell it on... that's life!
should both (or more) watches make you feel the same way - flip a coin or two. it will be on YOUR wrist, and when YOU look at it, it should make YOU feel like every cent spent on it was worth it... (and you might not even end up with a rolex because you like something else more!)
try to remember that watches should be a fun journey. i almost forgot that.
neglected in a small pouch at the inner corner was an old sub with no bracelet. i stuffed the watch in my pocket, packed a few other boxes into my bag, locked up and left.
i had been, at this point, wearing an omega seamaster for the past many weeks. my rational mind told me it was the best suited watch for me.
the price was affordable and it was easily replaceable. the movement was tried and tested by now. it has a wonderful domed sapphire crystal. the gmt hand tracks my home time. it was very slim for a 4 handed 300m dive watch with exhibition back. and best of all - i can disinfect it regularly!
it was basically a go anywhere, do anything watch. rationally, it was the perfect watch for me.
after leaving the bank, i took out the sub from my pocket and stuffed it into my wife's car's door and forgot all about it until yesterday...
i wanted to see if it was timing well, so i quickly attached a bracelet on the watch to wear the watch out for dinner yesterday.
looking at watch... the bracelet has hollow mid links. the end links are hollow too. it rattles that familiar rolex jingle. the watch, in general, was a mess. very scratched and probably due for a service replacement case before stocks run out. the tired corroded hands stagger around the dial, almost as if it was out of breath.
but almost as soon as the clasp was locked in place, i remembered why i love vintage rolex... it was extremely comfortable and felt extremely at home on my wrist. i actually felt relieved to be not wearing the seamaster. the corroded hands told very good time, with the movement running at +0s/day.
the sub (now) costs more than the omega but can't do much more. it is physically/technically, inferior, in every which way, but it feels perfect despite its imperfections (and being a vintage sub, it has A LOT of imperfections).
there are many posts on this forum by members about whether this watch is right for them, or if that watch is a better buy, and should they buy this or that, what about selling that to buy this...?
watches are a hobby... something meant to be fun and bring us joy. sometimes you luck out and someone's recommendation works for you. other times, the buyer is simply easily satisfied with the purchase. these are not regular occurrences but fret not...
because if you don't try out different watches, you might never know if you've got the "right" watch or the "perfect" watch. there is little point in asking other people what you want because they are not you.
singapore, being an asian country, has a lot of people that try to use sense to justify an expensive purchase. especially a luxury item like an expensive watch. yet many forget that some purchases can never be measured emotionally.
it is akin to questions like "should i buy a toyota or a [INSERT EUROPEAN MAKE HERE]?" that probably a quick google will show is a common question... especially on local forums.
if you've only driven reliable japanese cars, then you are missing out on what it means to OWN an unreliable italian car that, in some mysterious way, evokes great emotion when it is not in the workshop.
alfa romeo comes to mind... so i shall use that as a personal example although i shall preface this by saying such ownership experiences are not for everyone...
i can honestly say that the short dread of starting up an alfa romeo (and hoping that everything SOUNDS normal IF it starts up), and the pain of calling a tow truck to bring the car to peter's workshop is outweighed by the sheer fun of driving it when everything is working just "okay..."
not working "perfect" mind you, because perfect moments are rare - italian cars are always a work in progress. (IMO, a perfect italian car is an undriven one that has just finished its factory assembly or full restoration but i digress...)
the feeling of wearing a vintage plastic submariner outweighs the practicalities of a modern seamaster gmt in ways that should not, and does not make sense. on paper, the seamaster should be MY perfect watch but it certainly doesn't feel that way.
so don't over think a purchase... members on the forum will not be able to tell you what is the right purchase for you. there is also no such thing as a "perfect" watch.
go to the shops, try it out, walk away. repeat, repeat, repeat. then pick the one that you feel more/the most for.
if you regret it, sell off the watch (or not), and buy another one. it's not the end of the world to buy the wrong watch or lose some money when you sell it on... that's life!
should both (or more) watches make you feel the same way - flip a coin or two. it will be on YOUR wrist, and when YOU look at it, it should make YOU feel like every cent spent on it was worth it... (and you might not even end up with a rolex because you like something else more!)
try to remember that watches should be a fun journey. i almost forgot that.
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