How do you think about collecting?
Curious, what's your collecting methodology with watches? Are you a "have to have them all" a "curated few" or something else? This year I restricted purchases to the single G5600ue and upgrade for my workout/hard work watch that was looking a bit worse for wear, thought it probably could've gone on forever. As I've tracked my watch wears on a spreadsheet this year I've come to realize that I have a couple different collections within my overall collection. My sentimental watches - gifts from friends or tied to memories that won't leave. The Gshock received as a gift from my brother, my first "expensive" Seiko purchased on a honeymoon, (the first watch my wife ever gave me) the Citizen Avion, the green seiko chronograph received as another gift from her. My accessory collection - fun pieces to change things up, try a new color or style. The Promaster, The Addiesdive Frigid Willard, the Militado ML-05, Homega, Vostok, Benrus. My core collection - The are the ones that wind up on my wrist time and time again, week in and week out. My Mido multifort, My Glycine Combat Sub, and my Casio G5600ue make up this core. I set out in 2025 to be more intentional about purchases and my personal consumption and its made me realize that the FOMO on new watches is really only temporary and taking that slow methodical approach is how I want to move forward. I don't just want the next shiny thing that sits in a box looking awesome but never actually going on my wrist. If I'm going to add to the collection I want it to be pieces in the sentimental or core collections that have meaning and importance, pieces that get wear counts in the high double and triple digits. I want pieces that one day my grandkids can say "this was my grandfather's watch, I remember him wearing it when" That's wear I'm at in my collecting journey closing out 2025 and moving in 2026. How about you?