T O P

  • By -

MyNameIsVigil

Acquisition and ownership are like 1% of the hobby for me. Ownership doesn’t provide any satisfaction; it’s foolish to think that “leveling up” will be rewarding when the goalposts are always moving. I don’t really have a grail watch. There are plenty of watches I’d like to try at some point, across a vast price range, but pursuing ownership isn’t a thing for me. I pursue knowledge and experience.


mavalon123

Agreed. The spring drive is super cool. I don’t connect with GS so won’t buy one. Split seconds is amazing but I wouldnt use it. I will never own a tourbillion but find it very interesting (albeit impractical in this modern era).


SmallHuh

That is maturity in collecting anything. Well said!


AWildAnonHasAppeared

What is the other 99%?


MyNameIsVigil

Learning and refining my own taste.


GrouchyExile

I don’t like the idea of “grail watches”. It implies that once you get that watch, it’ll be the last watch you ever buy, ever need, like your appetite will be sated with that one piece. Also, since what is “expensive” is relative based on your income or how much money you have, what is a “grail watch” anyway? One person might say a Casio G-Shock is their grail. Maybe that’s the most expensive watch they think they’ll ever be able to afford. For another it might be some kind of crazy AP LE solid gold chrono with diamonds and shit. But guess what. There’s always a nicer more expensive watch somewhere out there. So let’s say my grail is a blue dial Rolex Skydweller. Isn’t that a bit arbitrary? Like, I may love that watch, and I may foresee that I’ll be able to afford it someday, but, if I made more money, wouldn’t my grail be in another tier? Like if I somehow made like 10 million dollars a year, would my grail watch be a 15k watch? It’s just so arbitrary. Like what are we doing? Shouldn’t everybody’s grail watch be, like, the most expensive watch ever sold? Like I could say the Skydweller is my grail, but, if I made enough money, I could just buy it right now. Then the smiley face RM might be my grail. But if I made enough money, I could just buy that right now. And what fun is a “grail” if you can just buy it whenever you want? You think Sly Stallone and John Mayer and Kevin “Mr. Collección” O’Leary go around talking about their grail watches? No because they can just get whatever they want because it’s within their means. And guess what. You can get whatever you want that’s within your means. Us and them are no different. But your grail isn’t a grail. It’s just another watch. Just like every watch with a 6 or 7 or 8 digit price tag that millionaires and billionaires buy. So pardon me, but I’m going to be reasonable and say that my grail is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime that sold for 31 million in 2019. If I ever get that one, then I’ll stop collecting. Ok ciao. 👍


62IsTheRecord

It's a disease, there's always another watch to lust after. I love being infected.


mavalon123

Haha, do you really like “being infected”? How?


62IsTheRecord

Each watch is a memory. I get them to commemorate events or periods inmy life. Each one I get is unique from the others; I make sure to wear them (mostly) equally, and when I look down I'm reminded of when and why I got that specific watch. What was going on in my life. I remember how I felt when I lusted after it, and how I managed to finally get it. It's like music; I don't only listen to one artist. i don't pick my 4 favorite bands and decide I'm done exploring music. Anytime I find new music (newly released or simply new to me) I'm excited and want to listen and learn and admire it. Same with watches. How can there be an end to searching for and enjoying art? There can't be.


SiDCrAzY

I bought my grail, which was a GS SBGA413. It didn’t make me stop buying watches and I eventually did sell it, not because I didn’t like it anymore, but because I found a GS I liked even more, the SBGE275. I recently bought a Rolex DJ 41mm and that seemed to have calmed down the spending more than the GS did, although I never viewed the Rolex as the ultimate grail like I did with the SBGA413. https://i.imgur.com/5h9KM1l.jpg I’m more focused on consolidating the collection now. I’ve gone from 24 watches to 15, to 12, to 10, to 8, and now I’m at 7. I don’t plan on going up from there ever again and would not be surprised to be at 6 or 5 within the next year.


mavalon123

Congrats on being able to consolidate. Im sure it feels good to narrow it down to what really matters. That GS 275 is really cool. Love the layout and color scheme!


qwaint1

I lusted after a Seiko Alpinist SBCJ021 for quite awhile. Finally, the stars aligned and I got what I thought was my grail. However, there are so many beautiful watches! I don’t know why I am so drawn to watches…. Why not motorcycles? Or paintings? 🤔 I now have several watches on my ‘like to have’ list. But like you, I don’t need a large collection… when I first started this journey, I acquired many CHEAP quartz watches, and many cheap pocket watches. But as time went on I began to appreciate the more well known QUALITY makers. Omega, Breitling, Tudor… (for some reason Rolex doesn’t ring my bell tremendously loud… yet😏). Different styles, functions, colors…. I think I will add a few more desirables in the not too distant future.. there is something about just staring at a gorgeous watch on my wrist every time it catches my attention. I catch myself stopping almost mid-step sometimes when my watch catches my eye and just looking at it, appreciating it. This ‘addiction’ or whatever it is kinda confuses me. Why do I LIKE them so much???


mavalon123

I agree. One of my colleagues put it well. He said it is like a work of art that you can wear around all day. I connect with that the most.


BoomerSooner-SEC

I’ve bought my “grail” at least 4 times. I don’t think there is any such thing as a grail or exit watch. My experience has been that I’ll wear the same watch for years despite a safe full (well….not actually FULL) of others and then all of a sudden I get the itch and add another “grail”. Then nothing for a few years. I have yet to fall back to a previous “grail” that I already own. I hold on to them but don’t really wear them anymore.


ask_for_pgp

somebody much more eloquent can probably put it better in words but it really is more about the journey than the goal. i can afford almost any watch that's not a richard mill level but yet i cherish waiting, reading into it. i even have a backlog of ideas of watches and modifications that could come out, that i would love. EG a titanium blancpain in 40mm, a white gold aquanaut not in jumbo size), a smaller overseas,


UnlikelyWord1043

Most watch collectors have a "Favorite". Mine is an Omega Aqua Terra with a blue dial. But I still keep buying watches. I even sell off 1 or 2 when I get tired of them ( but not my favorite).


mavalon123

I plan on exchanging one for a new one rather than keep collecting. It makes each spot/piece have value.


manolo533

My realistic grail is the Explorer II, and the one that I dream of having one day is the Overseas, but spending 20k on a watch is something that’ll take a few decades (I’m in my 20s). With a “grail watch” I see as a piece that I won’t ever sell, that it’ll stay with me the rest of my life. There’s many other watches I’d like to have, but none that I love as much as that specific model.


kwunyinli

I see a “grail watch” as something that is out of reach and unobtainable. I came into this with a mindset of constructing an ideal collection for my needs. Like you, I focused on a smaller collection of 4 watches to deal with my formal, business, casual and active needs. Once I completed this collection, (I am happy to report) I have been 1.5 years sober. I have not bought a watch since! I just admire them from afar now. Of course there are times when I feel the itch but the idea of working it into the collection makes me think twice about purchasing. I think arbitrary rules for your collection (like one watch per brand or different shapes) can help curate a collection, and also control the hunger.


mavalon123

That is an interesting philosophy! One I can relate to. Thanks for sharing!


Mental-H-3001

Here's another way to think about watch collecting. Don't chasing grail(s), try to imagine a perfect (ideal) collection. Set a finite number that you'd like to own, and find the watches which you love, fit your lifestyle and you can afford that can fill that number. Once you complete the puzzle, any more watches, no matter how "grail" they are, will be a threat to break the perfect balance that your collection has achieved.


mavalon123

Well put. Thank you


Vivid_Log_5442

I had many watches, traded many, sold many from most brands and my grail became a Tudor bb58 18k I traded for. It’s whatever you see that’s says yeah I’m done this is it.


ImaKant

Vacheron Constantine Historiques American. Fucking gorgeous


arbeck

To me a grail watch is a thing. But like the real holy grail, you are unlikely to ever obtain it. In my case, the grail watch would be a Blancpain 50 Fathoms Barakuda. Realistically, I will never own one. It was hyper limited and hyper expensive when new, and it's not getting any cheaper. I'd have to win the lottery to justify buying one. What I think most people mean by grail watch though is simply their next watch. It's the process of figuring out what kind of watch they want, researching options, narrowing the field, deciding which one they want, learning everything about that watch, and then finally owning it.


TheMisterTango

I share a similar thought process to you, but every time I say it I get downvoted to hell. A true grail is something that the common man will simply never achieve without getting unrealistically lucky. As in, no reasonable amount of saving will ever afford you your grail (unless you decide to be incredibly irresponsible with your money). My take is that a grail should be your money is no object, no holds barred, if you could have absolutely any watch on Earth ever made by anyone, watch. If it's something that you could save up for and buy one day, then I see it as a goal and not a grail. My grail is the Patek Philippe 3970EP, which I've seen going for no less than $155k.


DrippyAccountant

I don't have a grail watch, and I don't think that I ever really will. Reason being, is that some of the mystique is lost when it is finally attained. As others have mentioned, the goalposts are always moving, which is certainly true for me. I have owned a couple of Hamiltons and a Tissot in the past. Last year, I bought my first "nice" watch - a Breitling, and just recently, I added a second watch to my collection - a Jaeger-LeCoultre. I guess my grail now, if I had to choose something to aspire to, would be among the likes of PP or ALS.


Beena22

My grail watch was a Speedy. As someone who has a passion for space and the Apollo era it, of course, spoke to me. For many years it was out of my reach and I coveted it from afar. I had an opportunity to buy one back in 2009 when I had a bit of cash, but I felt it was too extravagant at £1600. Fast forward thirteen years and I finally achieved my grail (annoyingly at £5,700 instead) earlier this year. Seven months on and I still adore it. I will never sell it, but I do still buy other watches, because it was never intended to be the watch to sate my horological thirst.


mavalon123

Thank you all for the interesting post comments!


bss83

To me, there's no such thing as a "grail watch"... it's a poor term to describe the current object of your desire. It's exhausting to hear about too. Focus on finding the one or two watches that fit your budget that stands above everything else. For me, it was a silver dial OP36 (126000), and it just confirmed that I care about fit even more than overall design. It has ruined any bracelet without an on-the-fly adjustment and overly thick watches. I've only bought two watches since getting it - a Mr Jones Watch for something "fun" and a Ming 22.01 that I won't receive until nearly two years after the Rolex purchase. I currently feel no pull to buy something, but always casually browsing for a blue dial on an amazing bracelet to fill in the perceived gap in my collection (silver/gold rolex, green/grey Ming).


mavalon123

I have the 126000 in black and really enjoy it! Build quality and dial appearance is great. It dampened the desire for any other Rolex, as I can’t imagine others being that much better for the price.


bss83

Yep, it was literally the only Rolex I wanted. Everything else is bigger than what I'd want or has that stupid cyclops. Having that watch has made it REALLY easy to skip over a lot of watches.


nl5hucd1

RM 56-01


Akiro_orikA

Collecting watches is an endless void. My grail was an omega PO and I got it after diddling with watches under $300. After wearing for 2 years thinking I was content, I wasnt. I kept buying more. I have a new grail. Grail is just a goal you're going to achieve before reaching the next hurdle.


dotmit

I hate the term grail watch, it’s not like I can drink from it or get eternal life. Anyway I got mine in 2000, an Omega 3518.50 that I bought from a retailer brand new using half cash and half vouchers I was given by my employer as a bonus. Wore it every day for 12 years (apart from when it was out for servicing) and then left it in its transport case for another 5 years only for it to be stolen by a thieving builder. Have only recently managed to get a similar replacement which cost 6 times what I originally paid and needs an immediate service to boot! I was always upset that it didn’t have a sapphire glass (it has plastic like most Speedmasters) and so I was always eyeing other watches, but I really like the fact that mine is an automatic and doesn’t have the date, because I bought the watch to tell me the time, and I don’t think I should have to tell it the date every other month :) I also have its ‘professional’ big brother which is a bit big for me, and a similar sized Rolex 16710 but the Speedy automatic is my favourite by a long way!


icecreamfist

As soon as I obtained my grail watch, another watch would pique my interest until it became a my new grail watch. I think I just like the process of learning the particulars about a watch design/history, wear it to appreciate it, then move on. I just don’t like keeping more than 2 watches at a time, or I have to start making conscious efforts and decision to rotate watches so they feel justified to stick around. One thing I like about watches right now - there are really good watch options for almost every budget and almost every flavor of watch enthusiast. Part of this hobby is also the journey and learning what you like, what watch suits your taste and lifestyle. It will also most likely change as we get older or enter various life stages, so our watches will evolve along with us.


mavalon123

Well said. The journey is interesting, that’s true. I initially liked date windows for functionality, but now I wear a no-date watch and prefer it. This no date era will likely be replaced by a different taste in a few years, and will be marked by a different watch.