Watch collecting

[Astro2212]

Bros
Quite curious abt a few tngs in collectin watch...
Theory-wise i believe if u surf net n do more readup sure u can get more knowledge...just lik another hobby of mine where there r 2 local forums with alot of 'knowledgable' pple insid but when u c their collections n the price they paid... ...paid $100+ but get a $2k-$3k of market value holiao!!!
Ok mai OT again...

Watch collectin is fun but i somehow feel not easy...
U hav 2 knw quite a number of tngs abt a particular pc b4 hootin bo wil either kana chop carrot or get a 'LE' where somewhere is not veri rite...another tng is the risk of gettin 'outsider' watch dat nobody 'play'...
Between the REAL n FAKE,how u guys c???read n c pic frm the net/book???ask so-called 'knowledgable' experts???or get a few REAL stuffs maybe frm frds or shops than study the actual tng than hoot???chk the market value b4 hooting 4 example ROLEX 6694 which is abt $1k-$2k n the pc u r offered is $400???

As 4 me,i usualli ask a few pple including a few bros here n a few dealers/watchmakers abt the value,wat 2 spot if dat particular pc i din handle b4,worth hootin(unless veri cheap price dat i tnk can just buy n play play).......
Paiseh i usualli dun read frm net/book coz is more POWERFUL than COUGH SYRUP...the more i read the more i SAIR!!!
But hope bros dun huck me hor...tnk is my 第一次 so ALI

So bros,wat u guys usualli do b4 hootin???
1.theory gd til can as 4 a degree in watch collectin
2.practical gd til 1 look can tel wat is wrong abt a watch esp vintage
3.ask ard n 'molest' ard n c ard(basicalli is 文武双全)

[roo7]

Basically, it's very simple. It's like buying a mattress, computer, tv, car, hi-fi set and so on....

If you do your own research well, you know what's the price you should pay for and you just pay what you think is acceptable to you.

If you don't, walk into any of those "black" shop in Sim Lim Square and buy a digital camera, you get conned and paid $200 extra. Who's fault ?

Again, this applies to what ever vintage collecting, if you know what you are buying, you are safe. If you don't know and you still want to buy it, you have to accept that risk of either over paying for it, or buying a "fake" or one with after-market parts.

Or to be on the safe side, just buy brand new from reputable shops.

End of the day, $ is a relative figure, to some, $1000 for a watch is expensive, to some, maybe $10,000 is considered expensive...

To some, $400 for a simple camera is reasonable compared to spending $1000 for a DSLR.

[Ed.YEO]

From my first owned watch, which is a 25hrs chrono, till now... it has been about 18yrs since i went full steam.
To date, non in my collection are 2nd hand items. All fresh from the stores and counters. Hence, when it comes to 2nd hand watches, it's really a tough challenge for me to identify how legit one offered piece can be.

I don't flip as well... to date. Hence, some of the watches, especially quartz piece, goes up the lorry when times goes by. I remembered that when i first goes full steam in this hobby, i watches from ESPIRIT, ELLESSE, 25hrs as well as University of OXFORD. The first 3 are the ones that up the lorry, except for UoO which surprisingly with japanese miyota movement, still works till today.
In addition, i hv not good idea what kind of price to ask, when it comes to flipping. Too low, i loogi, to high, bad blood brews...

From japanese quartz chrono, to SWISS quartz chrono, then to Japanese auto, till SWISS autos to SWISS AUTO CHRONOs now...
Over these years of collecting, i realize that i would not want to really over pay for any branded makes. I want more watches, not more names to boost my hobby identity... hence, my focus had been "good movement with good built and budget price", in short, affordable grails.
I don't really know how to appreciate in-house movements, elabore/decorated movements, or even chronometers, even though all 3 types mentioned are well known to be "value boosted" when it comes to flipping and returns.

[lunarin79]

for me

i buy what i like

of course, you learned lessons along the way

[Astro2212]

for me

i buy what i like

of course, you learned lessons along the way

U r 1 with both theory n practical knowledge n also veri updated pricelist in ur 'memory card'!!!
When come 2 SEIKO i always knw who 2 look 4... esp vintage SEIKO dresswatch...

[Astro2212]

Bro roo7 agree with u on some points lik pricing-wise...
Wat i actuali 1 2 ask is between the fake n real...
May not b vintage watch...even latest ROLEX SUB C also avail in bkk n kl now...
So just curious how bros learn n get their knowledge frm...
Personali i m not veri clever n with gd memory(maybe always tnk of gals)...
So i hav 2 c n c n c many x b4 i can actuali c the diff
Dats 1 of the reason y til now i dun even dare buy any watch frm CSC...
Just lik ah goh always tel me dis case polished b4 n dis unpolished but til now i stil dun reali catch the ball unless dat particular pc reali polished until 'out of shape'...

[lunarin79]

\
U r 1 with both theory n practical knowledge n also veri updated pricelist in ur 'memory card'!!!
When come 2 SEIKO i always knw who 2 look 4... esp vintage SEIKO dresswatch...

错了，人还是会失手的，哈哈

[roo7]

Actually, between real and fake, I think it comes with a lot of experience.

If you ask me to see if this russian watch is real or fake, maybe 95% of time I can tell you, if it's real or fake.
If you ask me about Seiko Divers, maybe 65%,
If you ask me about Seiko 6138/6139 Chrono, maybe 25%.

Rolex, I probably say 0%.

Hahahaha....

[lunarin79]

that's y there is a forum

unless you are a super seasoned expert who is able to see/tell/differentiate the real & the fake, then you are on ur own out there

but for me, my level is only 70-80% nia,,lol

in this forum, there are some who are experts in this but not that, there are some who are experts in that & not this
..so overall the balance is there. Ultimately, the question can still be answered.

But of cos, there are experts who know this & that

[Astro2212]

If 1 day i 1 'play' russian... u can c me hangin everyday at ur market wait liaozzz...

Yah theres many knowledgable bros here n some r reali veri helpful 2 me so far...

Bro roo7 if u 1 'play' ROLEX go find my ROLEX ADVISOR in s'goon garden...sure no salah 1!!!

Aiyah maybe is just me...
Brain abit slow so need take longer x 2 absorb or maybe i tooo greedy 1 2 knw tooo many diff brands liaozzz...

[watchlooker]

Can write a long story.... but can sum up into one...

Buy all the variants of a series.... examine and discuss with fellow collectors.... take pictures of fake one as you encounter and cross-examine... that's how you learn.... but not 100% proof-proof one!

[big-e-294]

U win some... U lose some... But the journey of passion & learning is priceless.

[tanwill]

It also depends on whether the collector's interest is towards the watch design or movement.

Amature generally collect watches base on outlook design, whereas slightly more indepth collector tends to base on movt type.

[fireal]

just a hobby bah ... i got a lot of different hobby "collections" from beer bottle caps , movie tickets, knives etc...
just something to keep life interesting, something to look forward to at the end of each work day

as to being as able to tell real from fake , valuable from junk
i guess its from experience , from reading forums , books magazines, talking to people , hands on etc... pretty much like going to school
how much u know really depends on how much effort you put into it
if you have passion and thirst for it then everything will come naturally

anyway everyone have different expertise in the field of watches
if u ask me on vintage watches maybe i know a little here and there
but if u ask me on how a tourbillon works id be totally clueless

[eguy899]

for me when I want to buy something I like, especially Seiko or Orient, I come HERE.

[feilong108]

For me...i like i buy as long within my meagre budget...

Usually i goes along with my feelings...

Must love the watch as main reason...not resale value,rare or whatever as main reason....

Afterall i am a mere hobbist not a hardcore collector metality nor a purist...

[Gecko]

I got burnt a few times before I appreciated the term "buy the buyer". The thrill of the hunt is exactly that and learning along the way.

Not too long ago I have decided that there are only a few sources that I will get my vintage seikos from.

[feilong108]

I am lucky in a way that when i came to seikos, there are alot of kind hearted bros here to guide,advice n tell me where to buy n what to look out for..

They shared their knowledge,experiences n lobangs with me although i have yet to meet up with most of them...

Greatest thanks to Bro Devil00,Bro Watchlooker,Bro Lexong,Bro Lunarin,Bro Becky,Bro Bear,Bro Pst,Bro Zw,Bro Kermit,Bro Fireal and many more ....

[herzausstahl]

Reference to Astro's post, I do (1), (2) and (3) as much as time and wallet allow.

When I read up on the internet, I also take note of the source of the information, who posts it (nationality/culture), and of course the nature of the forum (international, US-biased, europe-biased etc). There are inherent biases present depending on these, and I will try to be discerning when reading.

For lack of a better word, there is sometimes significant "astro-turfing" of information. Trace the info, and we're sometimes led back to that one or two posters or articles. On forums, there is also significant confirmation bias. And confirmation bias works very well with astro-turfing. When we have no opinions, no knowledge, no experience, we tend to agree with "senior" or "experienced" members, even when the particular information at hand is questionable. My personal view is that this could be more prevalent in global forums, where a poster is assessed almost solely by his posts and transactions.

So this forum is a valuable resource for me. Because it is very local, I get to meet the people behind the posts (proper la kopi interaction), and that is when you really develop a feel for the authenticity of that person's knowledge and credibility. Some may think that in the internet age this is a very provincial attitude to take, but the fact remains that a lot of so called "information" in forums are near-impossible to verify, so while we can globalise the proliferation of information, authenticity of information remains a challenge.

[Watcha]

Watch hobby eats up a lot of reading time.
That's part of the fun I think.

There are so much info that seems endless to learn.
Only thing is budget is not endless.

Seikos are what I wore after I started working.
Love my quartz perpetual calendar before it kaput.
10 years batt. Cool.