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Culling the collection question

3K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  wlinc 
#1 ·
I’m just running out of space. What are your thoughts and suggestions for getting rid of watches? Does price or resale even enter into the equation? I’ve kept record of what I’ve paid and put into repair, but it’s probably time for some of these bad boys to move on. Very curious as to what others method is


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#2 ·
I've sold and traded watches knowing that I had way more in the original purchase price + repairs than what they were actually worth. Nitpicky collectors (such as myself) get way more concerned about getting a watch "correct" as opposed to considering what it's current market value is. Unless you are careful, patient, lucky or some combination it's hard to "flip" and make money unless it's a rarer watch.

If you seriously want to liquidate some watches, I would list as no reserve auction on the bay. If you just want to pare your collection down and in no hurry, have a reserve price set.

My 2 cents.
 
#3 ·
Selling price, loss of investment, replacement of the exact same thing if you ever find a need to have the same item again. All thoughts go into buying and selling. You thought of me not buying a watch for 17 months sounded kind of crazy. That thought doesn't sound so bad now does it. :biggrin: :thumbup1:

Having too many or not enough is just a frame of mind. It depends on where you are at any particular point in time. I am similar to rollerberg200. I personally have a smaller Accutron collection but all of them are extremely clean, fully restored, and as close to Bulova factory appearance as possible. So I collect fewer watches but put more thought into their appearance and authenticity. That fulfills my interest in collecting. Other people just buy and sell or flip to make money or to entertain themselves with a hobby but don't take it very seriously. Different strokes for different folks.

So if you are in a mindset of having too much, the first thing to do is (quit buying). Then you can sit back and think about how you want to thin the herd. I would rather buy than sell so I try to keep my watch collection size to a level I can metally justify. I also see many people buy and buy and buy and then complain they run out of money and have to sell in order to buy again. That makes no sense to me.

***Side Note: I have a nice collection of early 1900's Trench watches. If I ever thought about selling them, even with the background they have on who restored them, but I would still lose about 1/2-2/3 of the investment value if I sold them now. I learned my lesson on those and will never recoup any value in them but they are nice watches so I keep them. I won't buy anymore, but I won't sell them either.
 
#4 ·
I have certainly collected my fair share of rare accutrons. I love them. So many varieties that it is difficult to pare down. I have sold a lot of them though. I like to sell off some in order to fund a more rare watch or build a more accurate one like SM2 did. I won't be selling off any more solid gold accutrons at no reserve. It ended up in the hands of gold speculators who melted it down and made me angry. My tuning fork watches are all pretty amazing, so there isn't any particular model I might want these days. I am trying to build a 1962 yellow dot and I have the crystal and handset so far.

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#11 ·
I have certainly collected my fair share of rare accutrons. I love them. So many varieties that it is difficult to pare down. I have sold a lot of them though. I like to sell off some in order to fund a more rare watch or build a more accurate one like SM2 did. I won't be selling off any more solid gold accutrons at no reserve. It ended up in the hands of gold speculators who melted it down and made me angry. My tuning fork watches are all pretty amazing, so there isn't any particular model I might want these days. I am trying to build a 1962 yellow dot and I have the crystal and handset so far.


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Hey, that's my watch ! lol


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#5 ·
I’m looking more at when to get rid of something. You’ve got the investment pieces, (or pieces you’ve invested in), core collection, heirloom/emotional significance, fun, and other?
So my issue is mainly in ‘other’. I’ve got, not exactly junk, but not moving the collection forward. Those are the ones I need to move. And the possibly the core collection, to fund another, more refined version of the core collection. I’ve got more dress watches than I can really use, and some lower end more recent Bulova that can also go. I’ve got some military as well, and only so many days in the week, and wrists to choose from.
So that gives me some food for thought.


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#6 ·
Last Winter I started making a list of the Accutrons in my collection I would keep. Ended up being most all of those I have. LOL Not an easy decision! Only sold one Accutron from my collection. Really should be selling more to both reduce the size of the collection and to afford to service more of my watches.
 
#7 ·
I’ve got documentation of how often I wear them based on my Instagram feed, so I’m going to use it as the basis of the cull.
I’m torn on my military issue watches. Both are ORD dept, the one from the 40’s is more correct but the case is chewed up. The Korean era one has a replacement crown.


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#9 ·
I actually sold 2 in about 30 min. Unfortunately I still have 4 left waiting. And that strangely opened up a window for offers on all the watches in my Instagram feed, rather than the ones I listed for sale. So let’s see... can I get $750 for a Spaceview T with the wrong crystal??? (I don’t particularly want to sell it, but #profit)


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#13 ·
It’s good to see I’m not the only one who looks at getting these back in shape and putting the money into them to make them perfect (to our standards at least) rather than collecting to make a financial profit on them later.

Means we love what we have for what they are. I do the same thing with fountain pens. If I ever want or need to get rid of some, I’d probably sell them at a loss.
 
#14 ·
I started keeping track of what I spent a few years ago, but that’s just for my records, so I can keep track of this obsession, and decide when I’ve gotten out of control. I haven’t sold that many. So it’s going to be interesting. I’ve got an Oceanographer 333 G that I put a lot into, but the crystal has crazed, so unless someone has a spare crystal, it may go for a significant loss. It’s a nice piece, but I just don’t wear it enough, when I’ve got a few other Super Seville, Presidents and Ambassador models that do the same job. And that’s without getting into the 666’s which, by the numbers, are twice the watch!


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#22 ·
If you like perfect lume, then vintage watches are probably not your thing. The issue is that lume deteriorates over time including the hands on my one line astro watch. Sadly the hands on my 62 had to be relumed, but that is just the way vintage watches go. So even if you bought a watch with perfect aged lume, the dial and hands might crack from exposure to different climates the watch was originally in. A watch that sits in an air conditioned house in a drawer for 30 years might not enjoy the hot humid climate of Florida or the intense heat in the sun of Texas. I have owned 3x M2 watches and helped a few members source the parts to build a few more, but I have sold all but one. That 62 will stay in her air conditioned drawer until king midas comes along. :tongue_smilie:
 
#23 ·
I think that I have spent too much time looking at Speedmasters and the lume, though aged, always seems to be neatly applied to the dial. Most of the lume on the Astronaut dials look "okay," but I saw one that was for sale that looked truly bad. Maybe it is part of the vintage appeal.
 
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