Well, I have officially started collecting watches. My first decent purchase was a few months ago, but I’m counting it as a collection now because I have more pieces than is functionally required, which arguably is 1 in the cell phone era.
Why collect watches? Well, first of all they’re modern Mens jewelry. Mens fashion has changed remarkably little in the century, especially compared to Womens'. So with suits that may stay “in style” for 2-6 years depending on the cut, men only have a few places to go to express their style: shoes, watches, ties, and cuff links.
Further still, very few men under the age of 25 (my group at the moment) wear suits. I usually wear a button up or t-shirt to work, and rarely wear any pants more fancy than jeans. This leaves me shoes and watches. This of course also limits my shoe choices a bit, as does the weather in Chicago and my commuting method of choice (bike).
So, that leaves the lonely watch as my main fashion item. What I particularly love about watches is their intricacy, especially mechanical ones. What I love even more about them is how functional yet counter-functional they can be. Watches do one thing quite well: deal with the passing of time. But at the same time, they’re hardly required in the era of LED signs, car clocks, and cell phones. Furthermore, many have far more complications (features beyond basic date & time) than most people will use. How many people actually time things with their chronographs? How many divers watches rated to 200m go futher underwater than 8 feet? Not many.
At this point, I have two pieces in my collection which I will photograph and post later:
- A quartz Fossil chronograph, with leather band.
- An Invicta Pro Diver Automatic, in stainless steel.
I enjoy both quite a bit. The Fossil has a surprising amount of sentimental value for me already, as it was my Valentine’s day gift this year. But I’m also growing to love the Invicta, it feels more serious with its weight, and the hands glow to a degree I’d never seen before.
Next step? Time to start hitting up estate sales and thrift shops in look of a hidden treasure.