Confession of a terrible watch collector: Mistakes, I’ve made a few…

Bruce Duguay

I am a terrible watch collector.  I’ve been collecting watches terribly for about 10 years now with no end in sight. It admittedly consumes much of my free time and an embarrassing amount of the money that I should actually be socking away for the time when I can’t do my real job any longer. But the reason for this confession if that hopefully you might be able to relate to my misadventures. Many of us have this sickness and go through similar highs and lows on our nonsensical watch-collecting journeys. Most of you readers also have normal jobs, families, and responsibilities that you ignore for large swathes of time while doom-scrolling forums, blogs, and pre-owned watch listings. Think of this column as an online enabler to reassure that you are not the only one out there doing crazy things like watch collecting.

But as I mentioned, I am a terrible watch collector as these three mistakes I’ve made show. Rest assured, I’ve actually made plenty more than three, however these ones are some of the most memorable.

Mistake #1: I bought an Omega when I was angry.

It was the winter of 2019 and the temperatures were particularly harsh on the Canadian prairies that bitter January. Christmas had come and gone and the short dark days were becoming monotonous. The businessing I was doing at the time wasn’t going particularly well and I had a boss who demanded improvement, but wouldn’t invest in or accept new ideas. I was feeling quite downtrodden so I made the icy drive to a local mall one evening for some of what most would call “retail therapy”.

As I stood there in front of the counter at the Omega boutique, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I didn’t really want a Seamaster 300M, yet I was craving the dopamine hit that buying one would give me. The sheer selection of available dial variants available was also a pleasant distraction from what was actually going on in my life at the time. I ended up walking out with the grey wave dial. You know, the one Bond wears in the Omega advertisement where he is lowered into a tank of water wearing a tuxedo for some bizarre reason?

Don’t get me wrong. I really liked the Seamaster and even hung on to it long enough to write a review, although, let’s be honest and admit I should’ve bought the much cooler white dial variant. Yet, even after the unboxing, my business problems were still there even though I had a shiny new watch (and credit card balance) along for the ride. Even after I moved on to better times, the Seamaster consistently reminded me of that cold January night and those equally cold feelings, which is exactly the opposite of what a watch should do.

Mistake #2 – I bought a Tudor over retail because of hype.

I’m sure most of us remember when, halfway through that first pandemic summer, Tudor dropped the Black Bay 58 Navy Blue and broke the watch internet for a couple of days. “OMG! THEY MADE IT WITH A BLUE DIAL AND BEZEL!” we all exclaimed, as if Tudor had suddenly taken sliced bread and created the next best thing.

It was quite likely the lockdown mentality setting in, but I had to have one. At the time I didn’t have a relationship with any local AD, so I found one on the forums for over retail price and snapped it up. I bought many NATO straps and took many great Instagram photos of it. “Look at me!” the photos said, “I’ve got the latest Tudor!”

Unfortunately, the novelty of having the internet’s opinion of the latest and greatest wore off pretty quickly and I realized that I didn’t particularly like the faux riveted bracelet. Well, let’s be honest, Tudor should melt down all their remaining faux rivet links immediately and issue a formal apology in all major languages. I also found the blue colours to be a bit too cold and the clasp a bit too fussy. Within a couple of months, the watch was seeing minimal wrist time and finally, after stringing the poor guy along for two years, I finally sold it at a loss.

Mistake #3 – I bought a Swatch to diversify my collection.

As human beings, we subliminally seek out comfort zones. A core component of my collection has always been Rolex. I know them, I love them, and there is also the thrill of the chase. That said, one day as I was looking at my watch box and wondering why in the hell anyone would consider me a well-rounded serious collector when I had three Datejusts, my phone beeped with a notification. OMG! THEY MADE A HODINKEE SWATCH COLLABORATION!!!! In my mind this was perfect timing. I could add some diversity to my collection for not too much spend and I would be able to experience what people loved about Swatch.

Now, if you don’t already know, Swatches are made of plastic. Like the whole watch. At first it was fun and I took lots of great influencer photos showing how diverse I was as a watch collector. The novelty wore off quickly and I realised there was no way I could work this watch into my regular rotation. It didn’t go with any of my clothes, I couldn’t wear it to work (the place I spend nearly all my waking moments), and let’s be honest, it wasn’t composed of any materials I actually like. It now sadly sits in the back of my watch drawer, unloved.

At the end of the day, nobody is any good at watch collecting, or does it right. We all make mistakes and like what we like, so collect and curate what makes you happy. Oh look! A Sigma dial 1603…