Watch collecting can be an expensive hobby, no doubt about it... and I cringe at the thought of my wife asking me what my watch collection actually cost, but I always look at it like this: I can always sell my watches if I need to, it's not like I've wasted thousands on holidays I can barely remember or cars that devalue like a stone. Besides, I don't smoke, I don't gamble and I barely drink... what the hell am I supposed to spend my money on?
However, one day while perusing my watch cabinet it occurred to me that actually some of the watches I enjoy the most in my collection are actually the cheaper ones (which is of course galling and rewarding in equal measure!) and it also occurred to me that if I had say £1000 to spend on watches, I could actually make myself quite a nice little three piece collection...
So here's three ideas of affordable 'collections' you could build out of my watches, using the prices I actually paid as a guide. Sure you might be able to buy better, or you might not... it depends on the market and what's available at the time, I don't get any 'special' prices so these are totally achievable if you put in the work to find the bargains.
OPTION 1 - TOTAL COST £995
Here I've teamed the blue dial 6000 Series (£349) with the original Formula 1 on a resin strap (£200) and a 2000 Exclusive two tone (£446). This combination gives you a sports watch, and two watches you could wear everyday, or as dressier pieces.
OPTION 2 - TOTAL COST £1000
This option gives you an everyday watch in the 4000 Series (£325), a sports watch in the blue Kirium chrono (£400) and a unusual two tone piece in the form of the 3000 Series (£275).
OPTION 3 - TOTAL COST £982
Here we have the perfect everyday watch in the 2000 Exclusive with a blue dial (£255), a travel watch in the GMT (£376) and sports watch in the Formula 1 chrono (£340). The blue dial 2000 Exclusive is one of my cheapest watches but also one of my favourites!
Okay so I'm not suggesting that anyone would necessarily choose these particular groups of three watches together, but the point is if you are on a limited budget for less than the cost of a new Formula 1 quartz, you could build a three piece collection you could be proud of and enjoy for many years to come. And I never even mentioned the 2000 Multigraph, which at £266 could have been substituted for almost any watch bar the original Formula 1!
But yes, okay...clearly there has to be compromise. All of these watches are pre-owned and that might not be something you're comfortable with and the other potential issue is that a lot of these watches are slightly on the smaller side. For a long time I really didn't like that myself, but honestly if you wear a watch long enough I find you get used to it. Now I flit from 45mm to 38mm and it doesn't bother me at all. The only watch that I feel looks a bit small, is the Formula 1 chrono, strangely. It's 38mm, but it sits tall and the thickness makes it look smaller than it is. Oddly, the 35mm original F1 wears much better...
So what happens if we up the budget to say... £1750? Obviously we could get four or five of the watches we've already discussed or we could move up a bit and get some slightly more expensive pieces.
OPTION 4 - TOTAL COST £1750
Now you can get the Microtimer (£650), the 2000 Exclusive Chronograph (£600) and the Link Searacer Regatta Chronograph (£500), albeit I have to make a small caveat when it comes to the Searacer as I think I was more than a little fortunate to pick it up for that price in the condition it's in (I bought it in a sale where it had been reduced twice from a starting price of £995, which seems a bit more realistic - but again, I found it so there's no reason you couldn't). We could switch that out for the 6000 Series Chronograph if you prefer, mine cost me £605 and still keeps the total price well under £2000.
So there you have it, four possible collections you could own (or mix and match) for a pretty reasonable budget. Watch collecting can definitely prove expensive, but it doesn't have to be and if you are on a budget it's much better to buy what you can afford and enjoy it rather than getting yourself into debt. Certain watch gurus will tell you it has to 'hurt', but I would caution strongly against that, unless you can afford it. This is supposed to be a fun hobby after all, and the pieces I've listed are some of the ones that I have the most fun wearing. Apart from anything else, it's a lot less stressful wearing a £250 watch than a £2500 one.
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