How I made it one year without buying a watch
Buffy AcaciaWhen my watch-buying habits were at their peak, it started drawing attention from my friends. Not in the “wow, look at your new watch” way which I would have preferred, but in the “wow, how much money have you wasted” way. Although my buying and selling habits were fairly tame compared to some, I can admit now that I see why it was concerning. I didn’t have that much money to splash around, but whatever savings I did have went towards watches.
The bet was struck in mid-2019, where I’d promised my friend that I wouldn’t be buying any more watches for the rest of the year. If I failed, I had to buy him a Seiko. Well, by October he was wearing a new Seiko ReCraft SNKP27. I’d lost the bet quickly, but it became a bit of a running joke as to when I’d stop saying I was happy with my collection, only to repeat the selling and buying process in a matter of months.
Like many addictions, it turned out that the easiest way to beat one was to replace it with another. In 2022 I started collecting tattoos, but unlike watches they can’t be sold off after a few months. Tattoos took up the majority of my expendable income, but I have to admit that I was still buying the occasional watch. Generally they were much more affordable quartz watches than the Swiss ones I had been buying in previous years, but still – the itch was there.
When 2023 and its subsequent rent (and general cost of living) increases hit, the budget really began to suffer. Tattoos came to a standstill, and most of my money-draining hobbies dried up. I’m grateful that it actually turned me back onto my old habits of reading books and writing creatively, but it can be difficult when money has to be reserved for the absolute essentials. But, I did manage to squeeze one watch purchase in. On January 19th, 2023, I scored this bargain of four vintage Seikos for AU$44. Cycling through these in addition to my family heirloom Omega Seamaster was more than enough to keep me occupied for the whole year.
It only occurred to me this week that I may have actually made it an entire year without buying another watch, and then I checked the date of that bulk lot eBay order. Sure enough, January 19th is the magic date. There wasn’t a load of iron will and determination on my part, but there were definitely times when my finger was hovering on a purchase button before I remembered I have a lizard and three ducks to take care of. It’s been a tough reminder of how prohibitively expensive the watch hobby can be at times, but also helped me to truly understand you don’t need to be rich to be involved. The only question now is what should I buy to celebrate this milestone?