When you meet someone who is obsessed with watches, you can often wonder why. Especially when you find out the price of some of the watches as well as the fact they all do the same thing, tell the time. So why would someone spend so much money on lots of watches when they can just look at their phone for the time, why are they so obsessed? There are many reason which I will discuss below.
There Are Plenty Of Other Obsessions
I think those who collect watches get a bad name, like they are somehow different to everyone else, which I feel is wrong.
I am sure if you look into nearly everyone’s life, they will have some sort of interest in something and probably at least one thing they are “obsessed with”. They may not be expensive things, or maybe not even material items, but I believe everyone has a strong interest in something.
So if you like watches, you really are no different to anyone else. Collecting things is quite a common pastime by a lot of people.
Why Does Watch Collecting Get Treated Differently?
I think it’s because we notice it more due to the price tag associated with it, (as well as collectors constantly talking about their watches) and the fact that it’s a pretty obsolete item.
No one really needs a watch these days; you can just look at your phone. So people will ask why would you pay thousands to own one, let alone many of them.
We all know the stereotype that woman love to buy shoes or handbags, but no one says anything about this. Some of these can be pretty expensive and some women have vast collections, but at the end of the day, they are still sort of a necessity. You have to wear shoes and you are probably going to need a bag, so no one really thinks twice about people spending their money on these.
Two Types Of Obsessive Watch People
Watch Collectors
Most of you reading this will fall into this category. You just love watches, you love how they look and feel and you love the design and genius that has gone into making these little mechanical masterpieces.
You don’t care about the price. It is just an inconvenient that they can cost a lot and you can still enjoy cheap watches. Being an obsessive watch collector is fine. It is no different to being involved in any other hobby.
(You can read more about – What Type Of People Collect Watches?)
Status Hunters
These are the people who only want the watch as a status symbol. These are the people who are obsessed over the value of the watch and are quite vulgar about it. They are only interested in telling you about the brand and the cost. Luckily these people are few and far between, but they are out there.
They are not obsessed with watches; they are obsessed with making you think they are rich. Sadly these are the type of people, who also buy counterfeit watches, simply to make you think they can afford many very expensive watches.
Why Do People Get So Into Watches?
There is an endless list of why people get into watches, but here are some common reasons:
Most Popular Male Jewellery
You must also remember that men and jewellery have a funny relationship. Watches and wedding rings seem to get a free pass, so it makes sense that so many men get into watches, for some reason they don’t really see wearing any other jewellery as acceptable.
When you consider this along with the fact that a watch can be a good expression of yourself and your personality it starts to make sense why it draws people in so deeply.
You will also find that a lot of people spend most of their days/week at work, so they can’t really express themselves through clothing. This can be particularly true for men whose fashion range can be quite limited at times. Being able to wear a watch can really allows some people to express themselves.
Emotional Bonds
Watches are one of the few objects that can really form emotional ties with. It is very common for people to buy a luxury watch to celebrate and remember a milestone in their life. Maybe it’s a birth, a wedding or some sort of work related achievement, whatever the occasion, a luxury watch is a great way to convert this time in your life into something solid. Luxury watches will last a lifetime and beyond which is why they are perfect for this.
The fact that they can last for many years, along with the being very valuable means they are often handed down to the next generation. This can then extend that celebration of life by giving your family something physical to remember you by.
Of course not all our watches have this level of emotional attachment, but the ones that do will be very special indeed.
Appreciation Of The Craft
Once you get into watches you will of course start to appreciate them for their beauty, this is what usually lures people in. However, once you start to find out how they are made and more importantly how they actually work, it can be mind blowing. This is usually why people are obsessed with watches. The magic of them along with the rich history is just so interesting to people. You can literally hold a watch now and enjoy something that people have enjoyed for over a 100 year. This type of living history is very cool.
Personally I find myself staring at my watches all the time. They are just fascinating little devises.
The level of craft and skill required to design a watch, then get it to work and also work reliably is simply fantastic.
They really are an incredible feat of engineering and art and it is no surprise that people are drawn to horology and watch collecting.
Investments
Being expensive, there is if course people who will be wanting to buy watches for the investment. Since certain watches will always be in high demand, but in low supply, they are always going to go up in value over time as the supply gets even less.
Maybe these watches will be sold in the future, or just passed down for the future generations to enjoy. Either way they can make great investments and a lot of people like to get into watches for this very reason.
They usually hold their value and can be easily liquidated into cash very quickly (quite often for a profit).
Conclusion
As you can now see collecting things is not that strange and getting into watches is also not strange.
They may be expensive but they are well worth what you pay for them and they generally hold their value. Most people get into watches through a fascination with horology and just finding watches so cool and beautiful but as you can see there are many reasons why people get obsessed.
So long you can control your money and not get into debt buying them; then there isn’t really a problem with being obsessed with watches. They are pretty harmless and are just a lot of fun to enjoy.
(You can read more about – Having A One Brand Watch Collection)
Ian is the main writer at Horology Dream and is a lover all things watch related.
He has been a watch collector for over a decade and brings his knowledge and experience to this site to help you on your own watch collecting journey.
You can connect with him on Social media and talk anything watches or read more about him on his Author Page.
