Watches

I’m not as into it as I used to be, but that’s because I bought the watch I always wanted.

Still have a passion for watches, but the urge to buy is non existent right now. Bought quite a few in a short timeframe.

Have one watch I would buy if I got the call for it, but not chasing it. I’m enjoying the watches I have and admiring the ones I know I’ll likely never buy.

A hobby is not a consumer activity it is something one is engaged in because one is fascinated, to turn yon consumer watch activity into a hobby one would probably start by changing the battery on any quartz watches then look into servicing them and maybe even modifying them. It is okay, perhaps even healthy, to put an activity, interest or hobby aside and explore other things .

I have too many interests/ collections/ hobbies. I've been finding a niche in each and sticking to it, so I don't overwhelm myself. With watches I used to be a little interested in everything. But digital Casios are what made me the happiest, so that's what I stick to. Thankfully that's an inexpensive niche.

There is a difference between being an enthusiast and a collector. You have found the line you don’t want or need to aquire new watches. You can still read about them, chat with other nutters about them. Most people who are “into” something, busses trains planes etc don’t own one .

My Dad got really into watches in the mid 90’s, and once he got his grail (Breitling Colt in 2001) he kinda lost interest in active studying and reading about watches.

Now 20 years later, I’m WAY into watches and have got him looking into things again. We just decided he’s gonna ditch his Apple Watch for a Citizen Titanium Garrison.

Yes I feel it as well but not due to loosing my interest but rather due to satisfying my interest. I see a watch, I like it, I research about it, research about other watches in the same category as well, go to the store and test it, buy it, wear it with pride and then I'm good for the next couple years.

Here. I'm losing interest big time. I have great watches and don't want to spend more for another one to sit in a box. I should probably unsubscribe.

I have 4 watches, I never wear one of them and vary use of the other three. The one I wear the most is my $20 dollar stainless Casio. I was recently thinking about getting a smart watch but will most likely go with the smart ring, just to keep tabs on whatever the ring picks up, heart rate, etc... I don't have a chronometer apart from the Casio, I was thinking of a Studio Underdog, Stowa chronometer, Timex Waterbury, or maybe a Tudor. I haven't lost interest as much as I've become more comfortable.

I don‘t really get what about watches is a „hobby“? I mean… you‘re buying them and that‘s it?

If you’re struggling to stay interested because you don’t want to buy anymore then it sounds like your interest/hobby was buying new things rather than watches themselves.

I get it. During the pandemic I also had a lot of time on my hands. And watch collecting literally means having a lot of time on your hands.

I keep the budget pretty fixed and then see what I can purchase with that.

My ceiling price is £150 (although I've never gone above £135), so you have to scout around for watches under that price that tick the boxes (and aren't junk).

I pour far more money into my other hobbies though, so Watches take a side-step.

My interest has cooled a lot lately. I’m glad for it.

I don't buy watches anymore, but still retain some interest in the whole thing. The problem for me is at some point my rational side switched on and I can't justify it anymore

I switches from playing watches to playing with guns. Gun just need keep shooting to keep the desire burning. Haha..

Not so much losing interest, but more that I've bought a bunch if watches and I know what I want in a watch now. At some point I'm going to try to trim my collection down to 6 watches.

I saw a cheap-ish watch recently that made me think that I want to buy it and let that be the last watch I buy for the next few years.

I'll post about it when it comes in.

it was a fun ride! happy to have you for the time we did, see you in a couple years when your interest rekindles, or not!

Recently i have stopped looking at the 'normal' watches. Your Omegas, Gs, Rolex, Tudor etc.

Instead i started looking at some chinese watches that get looked over as not swiss made but have Some really cool watches. Tourbillon for under 1k for instance

My latest is looking at microbrands. I doubt i will ever sell my watches i only own 2. I dont see them as an investment so dont mind spending money on watches no one will know off

Watches are cool and all but they're just jewellery. For the most part they're also not worth spending that much money on them (exceptions: someone's super wealthy, someone's been setting aside money for one for a long time, it's to remember a special occasion like wedding or retirement), at least from my point of view.

I could buy a Glashuette Original Panomatic Lunar right now; but also that's like 10% of a downpayment for an apartment in my city and an apartment obviously offers way more utility than a wrist trinket.

Don't get me wrong, I think trinkets are great; I just have a modicum more self control than a magpie (way worse plummage tho) so if I REALLY want to get a watch, I'll get a Casio.

It's common. Hobby comes and goes...

Just put the hobby aside for now. It happened to me a while ago as well, but then it came back again :)

I go through phases with watches for sure. You could explore tinkering? I bought some tools and some practice movements and had some fun taking them apart and putting them back together. Eventually would like to do some restoration stuff.

I don’t. Because just buying stuff is not something I consider a hobby, that’s just plain consumerism. I like to work on them, especially pocketwatches, as they’re more of a restoration than a fix usually. Getting a watch to perform as good as can be is a lot of fun. A lot of frustration, but also a lot of fun. It helps that I have the education needed, but I would simply not be into watches if I didn’t get to fix them.

Buy some straps fam

I did the same thing with colognes and watches during the pandemic. Went from 3-4 bottles to almost 30 bottles and two display stands. Started out with 1 Citizen eco-drive and now have 6 more. Now that things have opened up again, I find myself not really interested in searching for more of them.

Looking at your edit, it's prob just not for you.

There's less new "stuff" that I see that is super interesting to me any more. I've bought pretty much everything I want at a price that I feel good about. I think the chase of finding stuff I like has slowed, and I feel less interest because I already have more than I really wear. Short of selling a big chunk of my collection and consolidating down to a much fancier setup, I'm kind of "done" with collecting. I like having the option of a bunch of different pretty fancy watches vs one or two super fancy watches.

I was into watches well before the pandemic, but my reason for "losing interest" is different. The watch that I wear the most is now a Garmin Fenix 7. Technology made this relatively cheap watch more useful. I sill love watches, but the odds of me spending 10's of thousands of dollars on something have gone down exponentially. There are some watches that I might get some day, but the list is pretty short. With that being said, I won't be cashing out my existing collection. They just get used much less.

If the thrill of watches was in purchasing them, and not enjoying them on your wrist, watches weren't your hobby.

Shopping was your hobby.

Nope. Still collecting. Correcting newby mistakes.

If you’re content with what you’ve got and aren’t energized by researching/learning at the moment, set the “hobby” aside. Wear your watches as they are intended, pursue other interests, and at some point maybe you’ll get the itch to start digging into it again either just out of pure interest or in anticipation or desire to buy something new. Or maybe you’ll just move on, and you’ll have the watches you bought for life as a relic of this period in your life. That’s totally fine.

Personally I’ve gotten my collection to a point where I really enjoy the (very limited) options available to me. Because of that, I can still watch and read watch related content without the desire to add anything to my collection. It’s just enjoyable to see what’s new, what’s out there…that doesn’t mean I need to own any of them. I’ll probably buy a new strap once in a while to keep the options fresh.

its not really losing interest in the hobby and being an enthusiast but having bought all my grail watches already i dont really actively look at new pieces all the time. im happy with what i got

Why do you have to keep the interest going? Why can't you just lose interest?

I try to be deliberate about my watch purchases and only own 2-3 at a time. It makes new acquisitions more exciting and satisfying, and forces you to enjoy what you have more.

You grew up

I think social media burnout has affected mine more than anything else. The channels that catalysed my enthusiasm have gotten almost as formulaic as other parts of YouTube and media culture. I loved watches for their individuality, complexity and expression. But many new releases and watch YouTubers remind me of click bait, fast click trends and copies of the same shit.

Still love what I have, but just feel like I've slowed down partly because of the above