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Transition one: changing tastes
Early on, my watch buying preferences centered on Jaeger-LeCoultre (see Jaeger-LeCoultre: A Collector’s Gateway Drug And Ongoing Pleasure).
In the early 2000s, I also struck up relationships with two local authorized dealers who introduced me to the worlds of Parmigiani and Ulysse Nardin, leading to a number of purchases.
Building a collection: Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer
Around 2005, something wonderful happened: largely through the kind offices of friend and indie advocate Tim Jackson, I became aware of the fantastic world of independent watchmaking. At the same time, through online forums like The PuristS my eyes were opened to pieces like the Audemars Piguet Equation of Time and Vacheron Constantin’s skeletonized watches.
Over the next few years, the face of my small collection changed quite a bit. Out went my Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface and Art Deco, along with one-time must-haves like a blue-dialed Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer and a Panerai Ferrari Chronograph (in my defense, all that I can say about that watch is that I did own the matching car, more about that later).
Kept the car, sold the watch: Panerai Ferrari Chronograph
Through 2010, incoming pieces included two from Peter Speake-Marin (the Shimoda and his Fighting Time collaboration with Kees Engelbarts), an ultra-thin skeletonized Vacheron Constantin, the aforementioned Audemars Piguet Equation of Time, two Habring2 watches, and the capper, a pink gold Observatoire from Kari Voutilainen.
I also took the opportunity to trade up within my Jaeger-LeCoultre assortment, buying a pre-owned Reverso Repetition Minutes.
Moving on up: Vacheron Constantin Malte Squelette
If you’re keeping track, you may already have noted a clear cheat: starting with each wave of selling and buying, the total value of my collection went up!
For me (and I suspect for many others) selling is only a partial offset to buying; but at least it keeps us in the game.
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