How Often Should You Buy A New Watch?

Buying a new watch is a great feeling and filled with lots of excitement and it’s very easy to get addicted to this feeling. However, buying a new watch every day isn’t exactly sustainable, so how often should we buy one?

Honestly, there is no real answer to this. Everyone will be different. You just need to buy a watch as often as you feel it is right.  

It Depends On What Type Of Watch Collector You Are

How often you buy a new watch will depend on what type of collector you are and really there are no rules around this.

Some people like a small collection and they rarely buy a new watch, maybe every couple of years, where as some people buy much more regularly, maybe one or two a year.

Then you have the collectors that are always buying and selling their watches and may be buying at least one a month, sometimes even more frequently.

However, just because someone is buying at a certain rate now, doesn’t mean this cannot change.

You will probably buy more at the start of your collecting journey until you get a real feel for what you like and what you want your collection to be.

As you start to refine your tastes you will become more picky and slower to buy. You will also probably be happier with your collection and feel like you do not need to add more to it. 

Just do what feels right and you can’t really go wrong.

(You can read more about – How Many Watches Should You Have Or Need?)

Price Will Play a Role

The price of the watches you are buying will probably affect how often you buy a new one.

If you are buying super cheap watches, say anything under £100, you can buy these all the time and it will not really make any difference to things.

However, if you are buying a watch that is a few thousand, you might not be able to buy one so regularly. It might take you a few years to save up in between purchases. The same goes for watches that are extremely expensive. Unless you are extremely wealthy, it may take you a number of years to be able to get a new watch.

This again comes down to what type of collector you are. If you are happy to buy affordable Casio’s or Vostok’s you will probably be buying a new watch a lot more often than someone who only wants to collect high end Swiss pieces. It is just so much easier to buy the cheaper watches as there is really no financial barrier to entry.

There Are No Rules

Some people buy watches every couple of weeks and some people buy them every few decades. There is no right or wrong and there is no general frequency to how often you should buy a watch.

You can easily find as many people who will buy watches often as those who do not. You should just focus on your own collection journey and do what you feel is right and you will probably find that this will change over time anyway, so it’s hard to actually measure what is an average amount of time in between buying watches.  

Just buy a watch when you feel it is right for you. It is as simple as that.

Am I buying Watches Too Often?

There is no right or wrong when it comes to how often, but my general advice would be to not rush. Just pace yourself. If you think you are buying too many, or buying them too often, then take a step back and slow down.

Why Are You Buying A New Watch?

I would ask you to stop and think about why you are buying another watch. Do you really need and more importantly, will you be able to wear it?

We only have so many hours in a day and we can only wear so many watches. Your collection will at some point get to the point where some watches are not worn that often. Adding another watch is only going to make this worse. Of course you can get around this by selling some watches, but it is still something to think about.

When Did You Last Buy A Watch?

You should also ask when you last bought a watch. I have found that if I bought two watches too close together it’s not great. 

The one I bought first sort of gets pushed to one side while I enjoy the newer one. This doesn’t seem like it’s that bad, but I just felt I didn’t really get to enjoy the first watch fully.

 It sort of felt like the honeymoon was cut short. I am sure I can go back to that watch, but I really should have just waited a few more months and then I think I would have been more ready for a new watch and would have felt like I got more form the first watch before getting the second.

Can You Afford It?

Buying a new watch often isn’t a problem, unless you can’t afford it.  You shouldn’t be buying watches if it is going to trouble you financially. You should not be going into debt or putting off other responsibilities over a watch. Even if it’s a £10 Casio.

If you need that money for something else, just wait for the watch. It will always be there when you are ready.

(You can read more about – Are Expensive Watches Always Better and Are They Worth It?)

Buy For Sentimental Reasons

A good reason to buy a watch is to attach it to an important event, like a birthday, a wedding, the birth of a child or some sort of achievement.

This will add a lot of personal value to the watch and will probably mean you are buying watches less often, but when you do, they are full of meaning

Conclusion

So long as you can afford the watch and you can justify its purchase to yourself, then you should buy the watch. It doesn’t matter if you only bought one yesterday, or if you bought your last one 10 years ago. There are no rules or expectations.

Just collect the watches you want and get them when you feel you are ready for them. If you want a new watch, get it. If you think it’s best to wait a while, then do that as this can often be a good way to be sure if the decision is right. 

(You can read more about – Affordable Watch Brands That Are Not Just Homages)