Buyer's remorse. It's a well known phenomenon in the watch world (and not just the watch world). You get all excited about that shiny new toy, you convince yourself to part with the cash and for the next 24 hours it's the best thing in the world. Two days later you wake up and think, "What have I done? This cost me an arm and a leg and I don't even like it that much...!!!"
Equally of course, there is 'seller's remorse', though I don't think this is ever really quite as bad, not least because while it might be difficult to buy back a watch you've let go, at least you have the cash in your pocket (unless you sold it way too cheap of course).
While I've definitely experienced 'buyer's remorse' a few times, as yet I'm lucky enough to have avoided 'seller's remorse', at least as far as watches go (I can think of at least five guitars I've sold that I really wish I hadn't). Still, I thought it would still be worth taking a look at the watches that have slipped between my fingers, even if I don't actually miss any of them all that much - or maybe I do?
Let's find out together!
WE1210-R
The first watch I sold, was the first 2000 Series I bought off eBay. It was way too small for me and the bracelet/clasp did my head in right from the start. And so I learned my first 'buying watches on eBay' lesson... check the size! It may look like a regular 2000, but at 32mm it was ridiculously small on my 7.1/2" wrist and the clasp curve was never designed to accommodate a wrist like mine. Fortunately a friend of mine has a much smaller wrist and he took it off my hands. Phew!
SELLER'S REMORSE: 0/10
WK1110.FT8002
The next watch I sold was one that I do miss now and again, and one that I actually would have back for sure. The problem wasn't so much the watch itself (although again the bracelet/clasp was an issue - easily resolved with the purchase of a rubber strap), as my belief that I couldn't wear a watch smaller than 40mm. I was constantly questioning the dimensions (37mm) and eventually I gave up trying to convince myself and put it back on eBay, eventually recouping most of what I'd paid minus the rubber strap - which I should have kept given that I would eventually have to buy another one for my 2000 Multigraph!
Now that I've got used to wearing smaller watches I have looked on eBay to see if I could buy another 2000 with a black dial, but they seem to have gone up in the meantime and now that I have my Multigraph, I don't miss it as much as I once did. Perhaps if I can find one super-cheap without a bracelet then I can use the rubber strap I have on both...?
SELLER'S REMORSE: 6/10
WAH1110.FT6024
You know, I thought I didn't miss these watches... but doing this is making me want some of these pieces back again! This one was my daily wearer for eighteen months, until I sold it, ironically because it was my daily wearer. Y'see my collection was growing steadily and yet I continued to wear this day in day out, until it got it to the point where it was a full on wrist blocker. Not because I was so in love with it, but because I was so dead set against wearing my other pieces to work.
Thankfully, selling the Formula 1 did cure me of that and I now wear all but six of my watches daily. But in hindsight, what I really wish I'd done was just put this watch away somewhere for a while rather than selling it. Again I bought a different rubber strap for it, and once again I should have kept it... Ugh!
I do miss this one for sure, especially the amazing two-coloured lume this one had and those huge stencil type Arabic numerals. I struggled to sell it for what I wanted but I still think somebody got an absolute bargain. I would definitely buy this one back and maybe I will one day.
SELLER'S REMORSE: 7.5/10
CAU2012.FT6038
Ah, the CAU2012... what a whirlwind romance I had with this one. Hunting one down for years (much like the WAY208C in fact) only to be gravely disappointed and to end up deciding it wasn't for me. Truth be told, the honeymoon period ended the second I realised that the only lume on the whole dial was on the hands. No really... not even a lume pip. Baahh! I won't ever fall for that again.
And that was just the start! The 'unique-to-this-model' rubber strap looked great, but the clasp was terrible and I couldn't wear it without putting plasters on my wrists first - so, yet again I bought a buckle and pin rubber strap, which was fine... but it didn't look as good and just over a year later it was out the door.
SELLER'S REMORSE: 2/10
S95.713S
Thankfully, I think that's the worst over with... this next one was a stupid mistake that harks back to the first one in this list. I found this on eBay, with less than an hour to go. I couldn't find the dimensions anywhere and the seller didn't contact me before the auction finished... can you guess where this is going?
Yes, it was tiny! Another 32mm disaster... thankfully, I managed to sell it on a few days later for a £10 profit (well, if we ignore the eBay fees that is!) so it wasn't a complete disaster. I did actually really like it, and if it had been 38mm I'm sure it would have been very welcome. I guess though, if it had been 38mm it wouldn't have sold for £125 would it? Doh...
SELLER'S REMORSE: 0/10
WAV5111.BA0901
I traded my CAU2012 F1 in against this really rather nice Grand Carrera Calibre 8 GMT. The problem was, I really wanted a Grand Carrera 'chronograph' and I compromised. Bad move. Not least because the dial on this is a huge empty expanse, if I'd gone with the 41mm Calibre 6 with the small running seconds this might have been acceptable, but alas no. Also, I don't need a GMT and I definitely don't need a GMT that doesn't distinguish between AM and PM... in fact, doesn't that make it rather useless?
I did like this one, but it was too 'dressy' for me and I rarely wore it. Which is a shame because I really do quite like the Grand Carrera and one day I would like to get another one - but it has to be the 'right' one, ideally the blue dial limited edition, but failing that a black or brown dial chronograph.
This one lasted six months before it was returned whence it came, oddly enough a trade-in for the next watch featured on this list.
SELLER'S REMORSE: 4/10
CAF1112.BA0803
When I got this I really liked it, the blue dial is fantastic and the red highlights made it a winner in my book, and yet... I barely wore it. When I did wear it, sometimes I liked it, sometimes I didn't (which is ironic because that's almost exactly how I feel about the watch that I bought with the money I got when I sold this one... is this transaction cursed or something?), but most of the time I found the bezel rather 'unattractive' and ultimately I think that is what sealed it's fate.
The guy who bought it from me on eBay was over the moon with it, and I know a lot of other people out there really like this model... because they told me so, but it wasn't a keeper for me and I really don't regret it at all. I didn't like the silver subdials either if I'm completely honest. Ah well...
SELLER'S REMORSE: 0/10
CA1212-1
The last watch I have sold to date, was this classic F1 chrono on a bracelet and again, I really haven't missed this one at all. I like the look, but the watch never looked good on my wrist, it's too 'button' like (I don't know how else to explain what I mean, sorry) for my tastes and as a result I never chose to wear it. Oddly I much preferred my classic resin-cased Formula 1 which is 3mm smaller but is so much more appealing.
When the opportunity came to trade this one away I jumped at it, perhaps a little hastily... but again no regrets and to be completely honest, I might have struggled to remember this one had I not been looking at a list of past purchases!
SELLER'S REMORSE: 1/10
So it's pretty clear then from the scores that the watch I would most like to re-purchase is the WAH1110 Formula 1 quartz, and I think really that it's the only one of these that I would genuinely think about buying back. Having said that, there's so many TAG Heuer's out there to choose from I think I'm far more likely to pick something else up rather than revisiting something I've already owned. Also, when you look on eBay the going rate now is about £150-200 more than I sold mine for two years ago, and for that money I think I could get something a little more exciting to be honest!
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