Greg:
Here is my topic du jour: What watch do you own that you have “fallen out of love with”? Why do you think that you have? And what do you plan to do about it?
Mine is my Chaika Stadium watch. A couple of years ago I went on a Soviet watch kick. I bought watches from nearly every manufacturer in almost every condition. I thought the Stadium was unique, without antecedent. I bought it cheaply. All the cost was in its gentle restoration. I had to source a new crystal from Ukraine when that was much easier. It now looks as good as it probably has in thirty years and keeps great time. And the bloom is off the rose. It is not just that all things Russian are now held in disfavor. It is just that my tastes have either become more refined or have always been thus and the Stadium was a brief departure from my norm. I have always said that my “sweet spot” were watches made from 1945-65. I love the evolution of styling that gave us those watches. The Stadium is from the late 1970’s when the style and culture had coarsened. It is big and bold. But it is not pretty. It is very thick for me, and wide at 44mm. It wears heavily. I have also come to the conclusion that old watches from communist countries can never have the fine finishing found in other countries. Soviet-made watch cases were still plated decades after all other countries had moved to stainless steel. The Stadium is a novelty and is consigned to weekend and occasional wear.
I have not given up on it entirely. I have not decided to sell it as I have with others recently. Perhaps, it is the “sunk cost” fallacy at work. I put too much time and effort into getting it to its present condition. So, it will remain in “collection limbo”, neither in full rotation nor consigned to a drawer or eBay.
Anyone?
Ryan:
Boy, am I a lovesick bastard.
I’ve fallen out of love with at least two watches now. I suspect that number will increase to three or four soon. The first is my Casio Edifice chronograph.
This was the most money I’ve ever spent on a watch. Crazy, right? I bought it right after I turned sixteen and loved it like the obsessive boyfriend that I am. The Edifice, much like many young ladies these days, fell victim to an irresistible cougar homewrecker, my Camy Club-Star. 42mm stopped looking good on me. I started feeling her weight more and more. My cougar was light on her feet and gave me a whole different feeling. My Edifice began getting worn less and less. I started dressing more formally; my idea of style and what I wanted to look like fell under a great schism not many months after purchase. The Edifice was casual and sporty, while I was becoming the opposite. It’s a shame really, the Edifice is a such a good watch and built so solidly, but I never want to wear it. I don’t want to sell it either, because, well, it was the most money I’ve spent on a watch yet and I bought it a month after I turned sixteen. It was a stepping stone in my outlook on collecting. I thought she was everything I wanted, but some hearts had to be broken for me to realise that I like to do things differently.
Next up is my Seiko 5. This was a marriage that ended in bittersweet divorce, although we do hook up occasionally. She was my first mechanical watch. She taught me how to do everything, with great patience. “Wind me that way,” “touch me there,” “it’s okay, you’re learning,” “as long as you’re happy,” et cetera. While her efforts are appreciated, she doesn’t have much else going for her. She’s not particularly pretty, rare, complicated or fun to wear. A Seiko 5 with the 7S26C movement is as basic as it gets for entry-level Japanese mechanical watches. It looks a lot more expensive than it is, but I don’t care about that anymore. In fact, I’m the opposite now. I enjoy wearing my vintage Nivada Antarctic Spider because it’s worth a lot, but nobody else knows that. My Seiko 5 is just too basic and too bland to get my attention anymore. When I wake up and think about wearing a watch with a gold dial, I think about my Eterna Matic. I didn’t want to break her heart, but I did. She’ll likely find a new home soon. The sizing is also a problem. It’s very thick and 38mm doesn’t tickle me as much as it used to. I also hate the display caseback. Sometimes I wear it when I need something that is sturdy, but won’t break my heart if it breaks, like riding rollercoasters or playing basketball on a tar court.
Sherwin:
It would have to be the Tissot PRX 40mm Powermatic 80 with the blue waffle dial. I bought it in November 2022, a month after falling in love with watches. So my first major purchase after the Omega SMP 300M that started it all. Didn’t know anything about watches except that certain brands have more pedigree than others and I had no opinions about Tissot one way or the other. I pulled the trigger on the PRX without giving it a second thought really. It was just a watch. I didn’t even know about the hype surrounding it. The AD was pushing it hard but I had no prior experience with ADs so when she said it’s their best seller, I just thought they always say that about everything. I thought it was quite expensive but not Rolex expensive. When I first wore it, it fit like a glove. I love the weight, the shimmering bracelet, the design, everything about it was perfect. But as I got deeper into the hobby and as I got more interested in vintage, getting used to smaller sizes, the PRX slowly lost its “it’s a perfect fit” standing. I now find it too big and too heavy. I still like the design. And I still use it from time to time (like once every two months or so and only when I’m feeling particularly guilty about not giving it wrist time) but it’s now mostly relegated to being the museum guard of my watch box.
As to what I plan to do with it: it’s been posted at several online marketplaces for sale. I must admit to being particularly difficult to deal with over the PRX when inquiries come as if I’m trying to make it impossible for buyers to pull the trigger. I have been polite but standoffish when answering questions. For example, if a person asks if I could go lower in price, I would write back, “Perhaps it’s better if you look elsewhere. Sorry.” Polite but not really polite. I don’t really want to sell it, to be honest, but I don’t see myself keeping it. It’s a wait and see kind of situation with the PRX.
Chris:
I don’t believe I have truly fallen out of love with any watch, as one would question if I was ever in love with them in the first place. I consume a lot of random watches, and very rarely move them on, so if anything the substitute bench merely serves as a reminder as to how fickle I am, and how I need to just take a step back.
Failing that, if you want me to name and shame, my Spinnaker Haas x MCP and Picard because of the QC issues, Scuba Amfibia because of the bs that is the strap and connection into the case, and a 1960s Citizen Parawater because the indices are proper wonky. Not good.
Celine:
(Welcome Sherwin!)
I have a box of “dumped” watches that I never really loved in the first place or have fallen out of love with. They were either gifts, terrible purchases, pieces I inherited from family members, or watches I simply outgrew. This box will be given to my daughter when she turns 21 (or graduates from university, whichever comes first) and she can decide what to do with them. Yep, I’ll pass the buck to “the next generation” because I don’t have the energy to decide the fate of these unloved watches.
Kaysia:
(Artist’s interpretation of Dr. K contemplating the limitlessness of time and space.)
Greg:
Of course, as the one who posited the question, I bear responsibility for its framing. Maybe “love” is the wrong word or emotion. But that is another discussion. Perhaps I should do some reading on the subject.
The Escapement Room 