Welcome to This Watch Journey. Part 1 tells the story of how I got into watches and the 3 watches that set me on the path to becoming a watch collector.*
(*My self-appointed official title is amateur watch collector as I have a lot more to learn!)
To get started, I want to answer 2 basic questions in this post.
- What started this journey?
- What is Thiswatchjourney all about?
What started this journey?
Up until a couple of years ago, I owned 3 watches. A Galaxy Smart Watch, a BOSS Grand Prix Chronograph my wife bought me for our wedding day and an old Rotary Watch that belonged to my late father.
The BOSS watch was my special occasion watch, the one I brought out and wore for family do’s, work do’s or the occasional date night.
The Rotary was worn occasionally when I felt like I needed a reminder of Dad, but was mostly kept safe in a box as a physical reminder of him. The Galaxy Watch was my everyday wear. It was my go-anywhere, do-anything watch, which only left my wrist when it needed charging.
As a regular Smart Watch wearer, my usage of it was very limited. I never registered payment cards to pay with it, I didn’t really use it track fitness. I did find the sleep tracking a useful reminder that it’s possible to survive on limited sleep and still act like a (slightly) responsible and coherent human being. It was really just another screen on my wrist showing me the same notifications of sports-related stories or breaking news with the occasional reminder that I’d been sitting down too long and should break the cycle by standing up!
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am easily distracted and have a very limited attention span, so I decided it was time to break away from the smart watch and remove the screen from my wrist. It didn’t feel right wearing nothing after having something on my wrist 24/7, so I dug out Dad’s old Rotary, cleaned it up, got the battery replaced and found a new strap for it. On my wrist it went, off I went, still able to tell the time when needed, but without the risk of being notified of a breaking news story. A simple wristwatch to serve one purpose. Display the time. (and the date…so ok two purposes)
This continued for a few months, I was happily a two-watch person wearing the Rotary most days and the BOSS when I needed the ‘nicer’ watch. But, over time, I felt I needed a work watch, a watch that looked professional and was suited to the office. On to Google, I went and the search began. “Best watches for office wear under £100”
Enter the Seiko 5, my first automatic watch. I instantly loved it, but more importantly, I loved the thrill of searching for it and finding it and more importantly, discovering other watches and brands alongside it.
A wanted watch list was created, and many, many watches were added to it. Countless hours on YouTube watching reviews, learning more and more about watches, discovering more brands from Luxury ones, mainstream ones, Microbrands* and Independent watches. I discovered Aliexpress and the China watch market… I was hooked…The Journey began.
*Research into Microbrands dominated about 70% of my total watch learning and probably still does to date
What is This Watch Journey all about?
This Watch Journey is my way of sharing my passion for watches. Showcasing some I own or want to own. Helping to share new brands others may not have seen, but also sharing my Journey in watch collecting, what I have learnt, and most importantly, the watches themselves that shape and have shaped my collection.
There’s no real goal or aim. I’m one person with a hobby that I hope others might find interesting. Maybe I’ll share a review that helps someone find the perfect watch for their collection, or maybe gives a brand a platform to get noticed. If something I post helps just one person, the journey is a success.
“This Watch Journey is my way of sharing my passion for watches.”
Love it, continue to do so, please!