Does the Holy Grail of Watches Keep Changing?

Angelo writes,

Looking at the photo of the Citizen Pro Diver, it occurs to me that for some, perhaps THAT is the Grail. And you've moved on from it (which sort of means it wasn't the Grail???). And someone might buy it from you because it's THEIR Grail at the moment. And will the Tuna be a final stop? I don't think it will be. Does the goal post keep moving? And how does this relate to interpersonal relationships? Or even "the Grail of people?" Starlets always seem to be replaced by other starlets. I liked Megan Fox, but now I like Emily Ratajkowski better. I don't want to have a Grail of watches. I want to be satisfied wearing any number of the ones I own and I don't want a watch that will make me stop wanting others. But I don't feel that way about Emily Ratajkowski.

Herculodge's Response:

While I'd love to get a $1,700 Oris Aquis 46mm Diver, I have to say that for me the Grail does stop at the Tuna. I cannot sustain my watch addiction now that I've arrived at the one thousand dollar Tuna. The watch will sate my desires, or so I believe. There is a precedent: I filled my house with high quality radios a few years ago and I no longer accumulate them.

Another point about the Tuna: I will probably like it so much that buying more watches will be giving the Tuna more wrist time competition, a state I want to avoid.

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Comments

[jonnybardo]

I agree with Angelo's point - that there is no final grail, and that beyond one level of satisfaction is further agitation and desire. That said, it could be that you find a way to being satisfied with the Tuna...at least for a considerable length of time. But my guess is that the itch for a new watch will strike again; maybe not this year, but I could come summer next year you getting a hankering.

For myself I find that it all depends upon how much I choose to feed the obsession. What you feed will grow, so we do have some freedom in our obsessions by virtue of how much we feed them. I'm consciously choosing to not "feed the beast" - at least for awhile, but I'm also pretty sure that it will rise again.

Angelo, I had to google Emily R. While she is certainly visually impressive, having seen that video I have to say that she moves and acts like an automated mannequin.

[Jeffrey McMahon]

Jonny, I'm ready, like you, to feed the Beast less, to see if a break from the Beast might do me good. The Tuna should give me a lot of satisfaction. I'd like to broaden my world beyond watches. Obsessions can make me so myopic.

[jonnybardo]

Jeff, think of how much you've spent per year on watches on average over the last few years. Halve that number. Now imagine the great watches you could get if you vowed to buy just 1 or 2 per year.

I could live with buying a $2K watch if it were the only I bought all year.

All that said, don't be surprised if I end up buying a Tempest Viking and/or Oris Titan before the year is done. Those are the only two that are really pulling me right now.

[Angelo]

Jeff: The radio obsession isn't a perfect analogy. As I recall, you were buying some vintage radios along with some new ones. But a few things: Radios are larger and harder to store than watches. For that reason, they're not an easy thing to collect. Once you've tried the best of the vintage radios and a few new ones----there aren't many more to drive new interest the way watches do, because new watches are being released constantly----and being shown on shopping channels, online, via e-mails, etc. No one solicits radio purchases to this extent----because it's a bit of an event when an exciting new radio is released, while desirable new watches are the norm. And many, many well meaning people----intelligent, good people---who have vices----vow that "this is the last time" and they really mean it. Now, I'm thinking of cigarettes, alcohol, illegal drugs, legal drugs for that matter----things that are negative for the most part. So I'm not drawing a parallel to the watch or radio hobby. But the point is, these people really do believe they've stopped. And they do stop sometimes. Sometimes they stop for a long while. But most of the time, the itch returns.
Jonny: I think models are live versions of mannequins----deliberately so. There are aspects of that video that support your assertion, but there are other cuts that show her to have expression and movement that is not at all "mannequinesque" (I think I just came up with a new word.). Did you watch the unrated version, or the clothing version? Or both?

[herculodge]

If the watch obsession doesn't slow down the way mine did with radios, I may find myself in some financial trouble. One $1,500 watch a year might be doable but we'll have to see.

[Angelo]

I'm not convinced that you'll have to spend as much or more on your next watch. It could be as simple as feeling a need for a beater---or something durable for washing the car----and you'll spend far less.

[herculodge]

I already have my beater, my Seiko Black Monster. I'll wait a year and get an Orient Saturation Diver for about $1,300.

[Gary]

There are some very distinctive micro-brand divers available for quite a bit less than the OSD, for example those from Boschett and Hexa.

FWIW, I think your soon-to-be-here Tuna is a far better looking watch than the Citizen Pro Diver that you're selling. It's much more refined, yet still unique with the tuna can shroud.

[jonnybardo]

I agree re: the Tuna, Gary. As I said to Jeff, in many ways the Tuna is the ultimate along a certain watch style - the toolish Japanese divers.

But I don't think a Hexa or Boschett will fulfill the same niche as the OSD, which is often considered the best diver you can get for under $2K. I love my Hexa, and may get a Boschett eventually, but the OSD is just an amazing watch.

If the Tuna is the ultimate of (affordable) toolish Japanese divers, then the OSD is the ultimate of the (affordable) dressy Japanese divers - a solid step up from the Sumo.

[Ed]

Man is a beast who is never satisfied; he always craves more. This trait has both desirable and non-desireable results throughout history. The quest for more and better has driven exploration and research and invention.

[Gary]

The OSD may very well be a fine timepiece, but I find the distinctive styling of the various micro-brands much more appealing. To me, the OSD looks too much like the cheaper Orient models, notwithstanding its higher build quality.

[jonnybardo]

I hear you, Gary, in that I also like the unique looks of micro-brands - my Hexa being an extreme example of that.

But to compare the OSD to, say, the Mako, would be like comparing a Seiko MarineMaster with a Black Monster - there is a whole world of difference.

As beautiful as the OSD is in pictures, you don't get a sense of what a great watch it is until you hold it in your hand - its such a solid, elegant piece of craftsmanship.