THE HOME OF WATCH CULTURE

The Collector’s Crossroads: Why I don’t have a grail watch The Collector’s Crossroads: Why I don’t have a grail watch

The Collector’s Crossroads: Why I don’t have a grail watch

Ricardo Sime

It’s that time of year again. Black Friday. Where authorised dealers are pitching some of the best deals you’ve seen all year. Brands are ready to turn over old stock at amazing discounts with some of the marquee watches of the past slowly whispering in your ear: “Buy me. You know you want to. I can make you feel good.” Yet, even with all the savings to be had, chances are there is one watch you won’t find as you search all those deal posts on forums. It’s your so-called grail watch.

And I’m here to tell you why that concept no longer applies to how I collect.

A.Lange & Söhne Saxonia Outsize Date

One of the earliest concepts of collecting I was introduced to was the idea of a grail watch. It immediately made sense to me that in a hobby/passion where material items are constantly being bought and sold, one would aspire for that pinnacle piece. The idea was so captivating, that I immediately started thinking about which watch would take that top spot for me. Would it be a Rolex? Maybe an Audemars Piguet, if I could fast track a couple rungs on the corporate ladder.

For years, I continued to ponder my grail, but for some reason, I could never pick a watch to target. Every time I came close to settling on one, something else would hit my radar. A new release from a brand that seemed to have all the right specs. Or a beautiful dial that I just had to experience on the wrist. After a while, I found myself giving up on the idea of a grail watch entirely.

Rolex GMT Master II

Recently, the grail watch idea has made its way back into my thoughts. I wondered if they were still a thing and what effect this hyped piece had on the concept. A bit of scouring the internet answered that question pretty quickly. So many posts referenced how this watch was a grail and that watch was a grail. Add a ton of angry comments about waiting-list lengths and people buying hyped pieces just to flip them and you can see it’s not exactly the best time to have a grail watch.

It’s this atmosphere that just reinforces my position of having no need for a grail watch. With multiple watches getting released every year, giving so much focus and attention to just one defeats the purpose of collecting for me. My goal is to experience as much as possible as a collector, growing and evolving throughout the process. Furthermore, if I had a grail watch, I would be worried that once it was eventually mine, it could never live up to the pedestal I placed it on.

These are the thoughts that run through my mind when I now think about a grail watch. What about you? Do you have a grail? Has it always been the same watch? Has the current environment changed your mind about having one? Email me at [email protected] and let me know.