Is 30 the Tipping Point for Watch Collections?

Addressing Angelo's collection, Jonny writes:

With your Belair I count 25 watches, plus your beaters and you're close to 30 it sounds like. That makes your, my, and Jeff's collections all around 30...I wonder if there is something about that? Is 25-30 the tipping point between a moderate and massive collection?

I remember reading some folks on Watchgeeks who owned literally hundreds of watches - I seem to recall one member having purchased 90-something watches on the Sunday Run in the last year.

I find that the functional collection size is less than a dozen. That gives you half a dozen regular rotation watches, a few special occasion watches, a beater or two and a novelty or two. Beyond a dozen is excessive; nothing wrong with that, but when you get to two dozen and more there are just watches that you'll never wear.

I'd like to whittle my collection down to two dozen, even twenty or less so I can fit them in a watch box. We'll see, though. I can still look at my collection and imagine selling half a dozen more watches, but beyond that it gets tricky.

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Comments

[Angelo]

Jonny: Our collections are different though----because my watches include a few gifts----some that I inherited----and a good measure of inexpensive watches, that I keep because I really couldn't sell them for very much (though I must say, I do wear them all). That pads my number. You and Jeff seem to be collecting in a more methodical way, investing hundreds of dollars on each purchase and selling some off as you acquire new ones. If our collections were appraised, my watches wouldn't be worth as much in a group, though I have a couple that are valuable. And while I do have 30 watches----a few of them have dead batteries and I haven't gotten around to replacing them. That means I have about 25 watches active----and as the active watches develop a dead battery, I will have batteries installed in some that are dead now----that I haven't worn in a while----keeping a reserve group of dead battery watches rotating. It's nice to have a battery installed in a watch that I haven't worn in a year or more----feels like it's new again.

[jonnybardo]

I admire your ability to wear all of your watches, Angelo. I'm tempted to make a monthly chart and make sure that I wear (almost) every watch I own at least for half the day (I usually just wear one watch a day, but occasionally change it).

It seems that one of the differences in your collecting habits, and mine and Jeff's (which are similar, as you say) is that both Jeff and I went through a recent "conversion experience" so we're both going through a kind of switch-over in our collections from Invicta-dominance to Seiko-dominance.

Another difference is, to be honest, you seem less obsessive than Jeff and I, both of whom seem to have relatively addictive of personalities (and I'm probably more impulsive than Jeff). So kudos to you for your self-restraint!

[Angelo]

I could be very obsessive-compulsive on some purchases. When I used to collect music (vinyl albums) I was addicted to trying to collect---and went crazy filling in collections. I have also found myself buying radios I don't need----even doubles if the price is good. I think I've definitely shown restraint with watches----though when I find a Tauchmeister or Aeromatic that strikes me the right way, I'm a sucker.