Why Collect Wrist Watches?
Written by Leo Hamel
I
have often been asked why a man would want more than one watch. This question often comes from someone who has never owned a fine watch. Once you experience the pleasure of wearing of a fine watch (Swiss or German) you will feel a little differently about them. Most men do not wear a lot of jewelry and their watch is sometimes the only piece besides the wedding ring. So a watch can mean different things to you and can substitute for the collections of jewelry a woman may have. Pride of ownership and appreciation of craftsmanship are reasons to enjoy a second watch or even a third. After wearing a fine watch a person often finds themselves wanting another. If the first one was a sport watch then a dress watch starts looking desirable or even “necessary.” So two becomes the irreducible minimum until another reason comes along and a specialized need often fills that bill. The two-time-zone watch for the traveler, a chronograph to clock the horses, the 3000-foot waterproof
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divers watch, or the moon watch (just in case) all come to mind. There are watches for doctors, nurses, pilots, race car drivers, yachtsmen and even cave explorers! So there you have three reasons why a man could have at least three watches. But a strange thing happens at three. This number now makes you a collector and collecting becomes a hobby of sorts. Our watch collectors often know more about the watches than we do. They become a study and no detail is too minute to be important. In the old days collecting meant vintage watches but now modern watches are collected with more intensity than even the older ones. This is a new and exciting field which didn’t exist when I first started this business. To collect, wear, show off or to treasure in private, the choice is yours. Check out the amazing Ulysse Nardin collection on the next page (pg. 28).
LEO HAMEL TIMES 27