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[Question] Anyone losing interest in the hobby? (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by MotherAd1865@alien.top to c/watches@style.land

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Like a lot of people, I got really interested in watches during the pandemic when I had extra time on my hands, and disposable income that I couldn't spend on other things. Like many, I dove head first into learning as much as I could from Youtube, websites, books, etc.

But now a few years later, does anyone else feel like they're losing interest in the hobby?
I still love the watches that I bought, but now I'm more likely to spend my disposable income on trips/restaurants/concerts etc.
How do you keep the passion going when the initial love affair is over? And when I'm not actively buying new watches...

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[–] dodgycool_1973@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I have found my interest in the hobby has changed rather than abated.

When I first got into it I went mad and bought every thing I could, then realised that was stupid and got rid of a load of them. Then I decided that having a few good watches was the way to go, then got bored saving up for them. I now do a lot of browsing on AliX for homages and I can spend hours finding the gems. I can usually get one a month from there and it’s a much cheaper hobby. Lots of fun too as I got over the “I must have a Rolex or Speedy” hype train.

I am also really into micro brands as that is where all the innovation and interesting stuff is. Usually for not much money.

[–] PM-me-your-moods@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

10 years ago I was on WUS every day (under old management and before the exodus) and enjoyed learning and the debates and excitement of the rise of microbrands.

I bought some stuff that are still favs, like my Seiko SARB, HKEd 1963 manual chrono, and a Vostok Amphibian that has neither CCCP nor Сделано в России (Made in Russia) on the dial because nationhood was uncertain in 1991 while the factory continued production.

I reached a point at which I couldn't justify spending $2000 for my fav Nomos and didn't find enough pleasure in doing DIY repairs and memorizing historical Rolex ref numbers to go all-in and become a true horologist. Around that time, interest in vintage was growing and auction sites like Goodwill and Ebay no longer provided solid buying opportunities for vintage Seikos, Bulovas, NOS trench watches, and the like.

So I have dabbled in some interesting Chinese upstarts and mushroom brands (eg, the Nakzen Pagoda and an original design from San Martin), avoiding near-reps, but my enthusiasm continued to wane.

I still might buy a NTH dive watch, Archimede Outdoor Protect, or Halios, but I still have trouble pulling the trigger on $750+ watches. Maybe in 2024 I'll find the time to sell off ~15 middlin' watches and buy one that I really want.

[–] mike93940@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

Same for me. In addition I got into a little manual labor on watches. Not servicing movements as I don’t have room for all the equipment but building watches from purchased parts and buying old watches and restoring them. Polish cases and clean dials, replace hands, crystal and straps, etc. it’s been fun.