All of us have been there. There are still some of us. You’re new to watches and want to learn everything you can about them and purchase some great items, but you’re not sure where to begin. Or perhaps you are aware of where to begin but are unsure of what to do next. Or, even worse, you believe you are competent yet you are terribly mistaken. It’s hard. There is a lot of false information available, yet watch collecting is a hobby that is all about the specifics. There is a ton you can do to improve your odds of success and get more out of this enjoyable little hobby of ours, though, even beyond studying the details, memorizing reference numbers, and being familiar with a challenging movement.
Thinking a Watch Is Just a Movement- To be clear, movement is an essential component of every watch, but it does not create a watch. Think of the Valjoux 72 or 7750, or any number of Lemania calibers. Think about the ETA 2892 or the Peseux 260 caliber—these movements have been employed in timepieces across a range of pricing points for many years. Avoid getting sucked into the movement comparison game that many watch enthusiasts like playing. There is much more to a watch than simply the movement, and when evaluating the quality of any watch, experts pay just as close attention to the case design, dial layout, and exterior finishing as they do to the movement features (not to mention movement finishing). Although other things are also important, movements do.
Lack of Enough Respect for Rolex- Any true watch enthusiast’s grasp of and admiration for Rolex tends to follow something resembling an inverted bell curve, in our opinion. If you don’t know anything about watches, such as that there are other brands out there, you might think that Rolex is the world’s top watch manufacturer. There are so many friends who are startled to find that there are watches from other brands that are even more expensive than a Rolex that I can’t even count! Then, as you dig a little deeper, you discover Omega, Jaeger, IWC, and eventually, Patek, Lange, Vacheron, and other watch brands. At this point, people often begin disparaging Rolex and praising the advantages of hand-finishing, rarity, and limited editions.
Source: Bloomberg