LAUNCH PAD:
Decide early about which genre of watch that interests you.
If more than one steals your heart, categorize your collection – for example:
• dress watches (quartz),
• dress watches (automatic),
• solar watches,
• Swiss Made watches,
• special mechanisms/dial or case materials,
• watches from automobile brands,
• custom watches, etc.
MONEY MATTERS:
Have a threshold beyond which you will not spend on a watch, however tempting it may be to stretch your budget. A sobering thought is that ultimately any basic mobile phone offers unmatched accuracy in time-keeping!
Shop around virtually. Some sellers may be offering great deals at different times of the year.
Place the watch you wish to buy in the shopping cart and wait for a week. At the end of that period, if you still want it as badly, or even more than you first did, buy it. This simple yet difficult practice has helped me avoid wrong purchases on many occasions.
Remember, it is very easy to buy a watch but selling it off is a Herculean task and will definitely result in a monetary loss.
DUE DILIGENCE:
Do a thorough study about the watch manufacturer's background and experience in the field.
Check out your dealer's authenticity and policies with reviews available on third-party portals.
Take the time to carefully read the post-sales policies, especially the return/exchange policy.
Pay special attention to the basic fundamentals of the watch - case material, movement (should be easy to service with spare parts available in the long run), crystal type, belt/bracelet material, etc.
Check out reviews - some provide good insight into the pros and cons of the watch on your wish list.
Others suggest better options.
HOMAGE OPTIONS:
Homages are legal. Although they may carry over the complete design from the mentor wristwatch, they brand their products without pretension.
For homages, shortlist all those available for a particular mentor brand and select the one that mirrors the greatest historical significance.
Study the visual preciseness, attention to detail.
And of course, take note of the basic fundamentals of the homage watch - case material, movement (easy to service in the long run), crystal, belt/bracelet material, etc.
CARE TO CARE:
Maintain every watch with equal love and care. After every use, soak a small section of a clean, soft cloth with glass cleaner and clean up your watch case and metal bracelet, especially the areas that were in contact with your skin. Human sweat is the prime cause of blemishes and corrosion. Take extra care of non-stainless steel cases.
Invest in good quality watch organizers for storage. Buy watch-organizers with sufficient slots for the long-term. Store them in a dry area, away from direct sunlight.
Avoid unnecessary handling of your watches. Besides depositing body oils, fingerprints and sweat on them in the process, there is a high chance of dropping them and causing expensive damage.
Strive to maintain every watch in your collection in mint condition. Some advocate 'enjoying' watches and letting them get beat up but I wouldn't. It should be a matter of pride to maintain a wristwatch in pristine condition.
PACKAGING & PAPERWORK:
Always preserve the original packaging and paperwork for every watch.
Store extra links from your bracelet in its original box for easy access in future.
DETAILED DOSSIER:
Maintain full details of every purchase:
Source/dealer name
Website/store details
Invoice
Date of purchase
Price
Also preserve the most informative YouTube review and any other information you may find interesting about the watch.
Preserve soft copies of publicity material issued by the manufacturer for any special/limited editions.
Gather technical data on the Make and calibre of the movement powering your watch. These come in handy when you wish to get them serviced or repaired at a later date.
Always preserve the original packaging and paperwork for every watch.
Store extra links from your bracelet in its original box for easy access in future.
DETAILED DOSSIER:
Maintain full details of every purchase:
Source/dealer name
Website/store details
Invoice
Date of purchase
Price
Also preserve the most informative YouTube review and any other information you may find interesting about the watch.
Preserve soft copies of publicity material issued by the manufacturer for any special/limited editions.
Gather technical data on the Make and calibre of the movement powering your watch. These come in handy when you wish to get them serviced or repaired at a later date.
NEVER EVER
Never purchase based on trending styles like oversized watches, flashy designs, etc. They are short-lived.
Don't chase brand names. Buy any watch with strong fundamentals that will return a long life and which will always render immense happiness when on your wrist.
Avoid watches from fashion brands with no horological background. They are manufactured by run-of-the mill third-parties and invariably powered by very basic movements for which you pay a huge premium chiefly for their brand name.
Avoid keeping up with the Joneses. Remember, your purchases should give YOU the maximum satisfaction and long-term love for your watch.
Never buy fakes/replicas. Besides being illegal, they are generally of dubious quality and when in the company of other horological enthusiasts, will speak poorly of your ethics.
ALWAYS & FOREVER:
Focus, focus, focus!
Never purchase based on trending styles like oversized watches, flashy designs, etc. They are short-lived.
Don't chase brand names. Buy any watch with strong fundamentals that will return a long life and which will always render immense happiness when on your wrist.
Avoid watches from fashion brands with no horological background. They are manufactured by run-of-the mill third-parties and invariably powered by very basic movements for which you pay a huge premium chiefly for their brand name.
Avoid keeping up with the Joneses. Remember, your purchases should give YOU the maximum satisfaction and long-term love for your watch.
Never buy fakes/replicas. Besides being illegal, they are generally of dubious quality and when in the company of other horological enthusiasts, will speak poorly of your ethics.
ALWAYS & FOREVER:
Focus, focus, focus!