Barbells, books and…

What, you might ask, is the difference? Dear reader, you might think that using the phrase “watch snob” is judgmental and more than a little pejorative. Perhaps it is, in some cases, but not in other cases, it’s not. The beauty of watch collecting is it’s highly personal with a strong emotional component. There is so much choice, so why I buy a certain watch vs why you buy another watch can be completely different. Design, engineering, quality of the finishings, functionality, brand name and, granddaddy of them all, the movement, are but of few of the aspects that inform a buyer’s choice. In my experience, there are 3 types of watch collectors: the Watch Snobs (of which two species exist), the Watch Geeks and finally the Watch Enthusiasts. In this post I will give my highly opinionated take on what defines each type of collector.

Once upon a time…

Before I start, however, I’ll briefly describe my watch collecting journey so you, dear reader, can decide which type of collector your fearless scribe is. One caveat: unlike most of the subjects I discuss in this blog, this is the one I have the least hands on experience, meaning discussions with industry experts, attending industry events and the like. I am a dilletante of sorts, I read obsessively and watch endless youtube videos about watches and horological subjects that interest me…and, of course, collect the watches that really catch my fancy. My interest in watches started very slowly. As a kid growing up in the 70s I, like many of my peers, had a watch with one of Peanuts (i.e. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, etc) characters on it. If memory serves it was a Timex, Snoopy was on the dial and, by God, I remember having to wind it so it must have been mechanical. Honestly, I didn’t wear it that much. I wasn’t the sort of kid to run around with a watch and I’m guessing you probably weren’t either.

My first serious bout of wearing a watch as useful tool was after I graduated from high school. I was working night shift as a baker’s apprentice for a high end restaurant in Boston. I needed a rugged, dependable watch that was very readable and had a few key functions. I bought a Casio 343 MMA Dive style watch with a rubber strap – not because I was cool and did a ton of research (this was well before the internet) but because I liked how it looked. It goes without saying that it was a quartz movement. Nevertheless, I lucked out. This was a great watch, a highly useful watch. In the beginning, I used it for telling time and the alarm functionality. However, I discovered what the rotating bezel was for completely by accident…and my mind was blown. This was really useful at work as elapsed time is a big factor in baking and in school (timed exams and the like). I wore the hell out of that watch in all situations until, sadly, I lost it backpacking in Central America in mid 90s.

In the early 2000s I kickstarted a vague interest in watches, albeit by accident. I ended up having a decent amount of credit at jewelers in the town where I still live. I wasn’t interested in any of the jewelry they carried which meant that the watches were really the only item they had that interested me. This particular jeweler was was Tag Heuer dealer. I chose a watch based purely on looks – and this watch was definitely a looker. It had, and I cringe now to think about it, a quartz movement. I cringe not because quartz movements are uncool (they aren’t, in my opinion) but because it was such a lost opportunity to discover the world of quality automatic movements. I could have easily had another Tag with an automatic for price I paid for this particular watch. I loved that watch, it paired equally well with business suits and or more casual wear. And, because of the quartz movement, it ran like clockwork (ironic play on words fully intended).

Nonetheless I didn’t really start watch collecting until I received two gift watches with automatic movements in the mid 2010s; a Seiko and a Tissot. Granted, these weren’t high end watches but they were great looking watches with decent quality movements. I was intrigued by the automatic movements – they reminded me of my crappy Snoopy mechanical watch. ”Why would any sane adult put up with a watch that wasn’t quite as accurate as a quartz and required constant input?” I thought. The constant resetting, hacking, winding etc. of a watch that hasn’t been worn for a few days seemed like archaic, unnecessary babysitting. However, it was the see-through display caseback on the Tissot, especially, that provided the “eureka” moment. You either immediately get it when you first look at an automatic movement in action, or you don’t, I suppose.  I’ve been obsessed with watches ever since. At first, I was brand name, automatic movement snob which I now realize is the first rung on the watch collecting evolutionary ladder. We all have to start somewhere. I’m currently interested in all types of watches, all movements, provided they are interesting, well designed and reasonably affordable -from beaters to the sub-10k category. I’m a fan of some established brands (Seiko, Hamilton, Sinn, Tudor, Omega, etc.) as well as, increasingly, some microbrands (Farer, Baltic, Christopher Ward, etc.) I don’t find it interesting to read about watches I’ll never own – your Patek Philippes, APs etc. 

Watch Snob

So, on to the different type of watch collectors. First up is the genus of the Watch Snob, of which their are two species. The first species (Crassus Horologicus) judges you first by the brand name of the watch you are wearing and secondly by how much that particular model of watch costs. Sometimes, but not always, this species knows a thing or two about movements, and will use that as another metric to judge your watch and, by extension, you. (Your fearless scribe had an unusual upbringing so, in spite of being quite literally penniless himself, went to high school with kids with who wore Patek Philippes. This made me equate watch collecting = inveterate asshole for much longer than it should have.)

The second species (GreyPouponus Horologicus) in this genus is the Knowledgeable Watch Snob. While the Crassus is all about signaling social status, the GreyPouponus has a deeper horological interest. Their natural habitat is amongst the higher end brands, but only those rarified models that are technically more interesting which means there is usually little overlap with the Crassus. This species is primarily attracted to automatic movements, the more complicated the better. The GreyPouponus can sometime be spotted slumming in lower altitudes amongst the Hamiltons, Tissots and Seikos of the world when it wants to let its hair down. It is not unknown for this species to own one high end quartz movement (say, Grand Seiko), if only to cleanse the palate, as it were. The overall distinguishing characteristic of this genus is that both species are very judgmental. ”Tell me what what watch you wear and I’ll tell you who you are” is their motto.

Watch Geek

The second type of watch collector is the Watch Geek. This is a person who has deep abiding interest in all things horological in general and the watchmaking industry in particular. The Watch Geek loves the history behind industry and is conversant with all the major trends of the last century. They can quote you model numbers and specs of hundreds of watches from memory. The Watch Geek loves all watches, from the most humble beater to most expensive, provided they are well made and technologically interesting. The Watch Geek definitely knows how to use ALL of the functionality on their G-Shock and is always happy to demonstrate. They will wax poetic over the engineering marvels of ultra high end watches they will never own and perhaps never even see in person. The Watch Geek typically owns a cross section of watches from the cheapest beaters to Swatches to relatively expensive but within reason watches. They will own quartz movements, automatic movements and any other type of movement, like the Casio Eco-drive, that elicits their interest. The Watch Geek is above all analytical rather than judgmental. An exception to this rule is any watch from a brand who primary activity is not watchmaking and/or has a bad reputation i.e. Guess, MVMT, Tommy Hilfger, etc. (However, the exception to that exception are the mighty Cartier watches. ) All three types of watch collectors agree on this point. The difference is the Watch Geek won’t look down on you personally if you are wearing a Michael Kors watch, but it won’t really ping their interest as a “real” watch.

Watch Enthusiast

The third and final type of watch collector is the Watch Enthusiast. This is a person what has an abiding interest in watches and has graduated from thinking of a watch as purely mechanical jewelry or simple tool – although a watch is definitely both things. The Watch Enthusiast might care about some of the same things as the Watch Snob or the Watch Geek, but a “lower case” sense. Additionally, the Watch Enthusiast is often more interested than the other two in the design and fit/finish aspects of a watch. This is not to say that Watch Snob isn’t, but a Watch Enthusiast will not limit themselves to well-known high end brands. Well-respected microbrands are often the natural habitat of the Watch Enthusiast. In some ways, the Watch Enthusiast is the most emotional of the watch collectors. They are more about how a particular watch makes them feel, which is often a combination of the design of the watch, what makes it technically interesting and, yes, some street cred for their relatively more refined taste in watches. The Watch Enthusiast’s collection typically will be similar to the Watch Geek’s, although with a higher percentage of automatic movements. Nevertheless, the Watch Enthusiast is a value for money buyer. They might occasionally purchase a lower end expensive watch, but rarely will venture into the eye-watering higher end. The Watch Enthusiast is less judgmental than the Watch Snob but more so than the Watch Geek. The Watch Enthusiast, like the Watch Geek, will judge how interesting your watch is, regardless of how much it costs. Like the Watch Snob, however, the Watch Enthusiast is likely to conclude an opinion of you based on your watch choice.

There you have it, Dear Reader. Which of the watch collectors do you identify as? I’d love to hear about it in the comment sections.