I think another key part of the psychology is the (for lack of a better word) role-playing and romance. People like to escape from their boring lives by imagining themselves as an ocean explorer, astronaut, pilot, military person, whatever.
I got into watches through firefighting. A wristwatch was mandatory during my studies at the rescue academy. I wasn't interested in watches or didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I bought a fake F-91W from Aliexpress. To no one's surprise the watch broke. A couple watch guys from my class recommended that I should get G-Shock. Spending around 100 eur on watch felt like a big thing, so wanted to make sure I got the right G-Shock. I fell down a G-Shock rabbit hole, and found out how certain watches had been a part of military and first responder culture. I bought a DW-5600, as I wanted to get something that had a cultural and historical connection with the world I admired. I think this is true for many other watch enthusiast regardless of their profession. It's about feeling connected to a world through a watch. A watch can be a reflection of the culture we value - a glimpse of what we would wish to be.
What's great about my specific watch collection, being entirely composed of Soviet, East German, and Czech watches, is that they are all quite affordable even today and that there are so many variations out there than one can never get bored even within this niche.
I like Vostok watches, but have kind of a love/hate relationship with them. Yes they're a great mechanical watch for the money, but I haven't had good luck with the movements. I have a Komandirskie I got for $30 pre pandemic, but it randomly stops. I also have a very unique Vostok Kremloviskie (spelling?) that doesn't run properly and the one watchmaker who agreed to work on it wanted like $450, I'm like, dude I only paid $200 for the entire watch. I'm in the Northeast US and finding watchmakers, let alone someone familiar with these movements who will service them at a REASONABLE cost is challenging.
@@mhirst16 They are definitely watches where you end up seemingly underwater spending more repairing them then it cost to buy originally or to buy another (although then you can just end up with another broken one down the line but hey at least you have parts movements). I know we’ve worked on them before although we don’t get them often due to that basic cost benefit analysis equation. I know we have one fully functional at the shop that we just needed a crown from since the spring in there breaks. If you ever needed anyone to take a look we’d at least be $280 instead of $450. The Last Wind-Up in Bozeman MT. $480+ shipping at least marginally beats $450 for just the repairs and service.
What's great about my watch addiction is that I have never had a grail watch. There would be one watch or a few watches that I fawn over at a specific point in time, but they would all be something within my means. At most, I would have to save up for half a year for one.
Very well analyzed. One thing I’d like to add is the fact that hypes and trends may or may not affect your taste and buying. Personally I am not affected by it and have found my own style and taste since at least 15 years back.
A very interesting video and has helped me understand what I have believed to be a 5 year period of stupidity. My phase 4 has been to stop. I regret the mistakes too much. whether I ever start again is debatable.
I would add a category of collector type: the stylist. One who collects watches from reputable brands for the purpose of matching them with different settings or scenarios. Much like we have different outfits for different occasions, I own watches that are specifically for date nights, meeting with clients, working out doors, even one just for attending weddings/ happy dress up events.
I have a tough gshock, a fun swatch, a subtle citizen, a weird cheap skeleton chinese, a rolex to a soviets vintage. I wear all of them on different occasions
Interesting and well structured Video. Well done 👍. I just buy what i like and what catches my eye at a limit of 500€ max per year. I don't care about brand, origin, value or what other people think. I like it i consider buying it and my budget limitation is a pretty good filter beforehand. I got my eyes set on the Jianghun War Drum as my this years christmas gift for example.
Definitely fall into some of your parameters. Think I’m in a transition in my collecting. Been looking at and buying more vintage wrist watches. Going down a rabbit hole with Railroad approved wrist watches. 50’s to 80’s era. Mechanical, electric and quartz. I did collect pocket watches in the 90’s when you could basically just find them at antique stores. Much easier now to buy some nice pieces and have bought a few recently. Pristine examples. Old timers are dying off and the market is being flooded with nice watches. I would say accuracy is becoming more important to me on new purchases so a lot of watches I might have liked earlier in my collecting I have ruled out due to performance.
Suberp video! I really enjoyed the way you took a structured approach. As a viewer, I could really tell your genuine curiosity for watches and collecting as a passion. Excited for more content!
I buy my watches strictly for the way they look. I LOVE vintage-inspired chronographs and military watches. I don't care about movement. Besides a domed or double domed crystal, I don't care for anything else.
I bought some watches because of their Specs to price ratio, and some because I liked their design. So, rationnality and emotion "ought to be both satisfied". Now guess which ones I wear the more often ?
@@SillyVintageWatches I should also mention your wording on the marketing and on how the narrative of the collection sweeps when looking back on it. There's a lot in the narrative analysis and (post)structuralist literary criticism if you're interested!
@@SillyVintageWatches Marketing wise, I think that watches are a part of the XX century re-wrapped and re-sold to us. If it's not status flex or a toy, a watch is a token for something we like to add to our image of ourselves. We can wear them like some historical figure or our grandfather or even some fictional figure from the media used to wear them. But we don't do anything that this figure was supposed to be doing and what he/she was known for. We are just consumers on the hook doing some self-aggrandizing. And that is just the part of what comes into play with the brand narratives. I suppose you know about this subject a lot more then I do.
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I think another key part of the psychology is the (for lack of a better word) role-playing and romance. People like to escape from their boring lives by imagining themselves as an ocean explorer, astronaut, pilot, military person, whatever.
Role playing yes. a military person, office guy from 1960s and a Japanese executive (have a GS in my collection) haha
I got into watches through firefighting. A wristwatch was mandatory during my studies at the rescue academy. I wasn't interested in watches or didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I bought a fake F-91W from Aliexpress. To no one's surprise the watch broke. A couple watch guys from my class recommended that I should get G-Shock. Spending around 100 eur on watch felt like a big thing, so wanted to make sure I got the right G-Shock. I fell down a G-Shock rabbit hole, and found out how certain watches had been a part of military and first responder culture. I bought a DW-5600, as I wanted to get something that had a cultural and historical connection with the world I admired.
I think this is true for many other watch enthusiast regardless of their profession. It's about feeling connected to a world through a watch. A watch can be a reflection of the culture we value - a glimpse of what we would wish to be.
What's great about my specific watch collection, being entirely composed of Soviet, East German, and Czech watches, is that they are all quite affordable even today and that there are so many variations out there than one can never get bored even within this niche.
That is if you can pick up ones that weren’t made on Monday or Friday
I like Vostok watches, but have kind of a love/hate relationship with them. Yes they're a great mechanical watch for the money, but I haven't had good luck with the movements. I have a Komandirskie I got for $30 pre pandemic, but it randomly stops. I also have a very unique Vostok Kremloviskie (spelling?) that doesn't run properly and the one watchmaker who agreed to work on it wanted like $450, I'm like, dude I only paid $200 for the entire watch.
I'm in the Northeast US and finding watchmakers, let alone someone familiar with these movements who will service them at a REASONABLE cost is challenging.
@@mhirst16 They are definitely watches where you end up seemingly underwater spending more repairing them then it cost to buy originally or to buy another (although then you can just end up with another broken one down the line but hey at least you have parts movements). I know we’ve worked on them before although we don’t get them often due to that basic cost benefit analysis equation. I know we have one fully functional at the shop that we just needed a crown from since the spring in there breaks. If you ever needed anyone to take a look we’d at least be $280 instead of $450. The Last Wind-Up in Bozeman MT. $480+ shipping at least marginally beats $450 for just the repairs and service.
What's great about my watch addiction is that I have never had a grail watch. There would be one watch or a few watches that I fawn over at a specific point in time, but they would all be something within my means. At most, I would have to save up for half a year for one.
Very well analyzed. One thing I’d like to add is the fact that hypes and trends may or may not affect your taste and buying. Personally I am not affected by it and have found my own style and taste since at least 15 years back.
A very interesting video and has helped me understand what I have believed to be a 5 year period of stupidity. My phase 4 has been to stop. I regret the mistakes too much. whether I ever start again is debatable.
I would add a category of collector type: the stylist. One who collects watches from reputable brands for the purpose of matching them with different settings or scenarios.
Much like we have different outfits for different occasions, I own watches that are specifically for date nights, meeting with clients, working out doors, even one just for attending weddings/ happy dress up events.
I have a tough gshock, a fun swatch, a subtle citizen, a weird cheap skeleton chinese, a rolex to a soviets vintage. I wear all of them on different occasions
Great video. Lots to think about. Examining the consumer psychology can be very enlightening and a bit frightening.
Interesting and well structured Video. Well done 👍.
I just buy what i like and what catches my eye at a limit of 500€ max per year. I don't care about brand, origin, value or what other people think. I like it i consider buying it and my budget limitation is a pretty good filter beforehand. I got my eyes set on the Jianghun War Drum as my this years christmas gift for example.
Definitely fall into some of your parameters. Think I’m in a transition in my collecting. Been looking at and buying more vintage wrist watches. Going down a rabbit hole with Railroad approved wrist watches. 50’s to 80’s era. Mechanical, electric and quartz. I did collect pocket watches in the 90’s when you could basically just find them at antique stores. Much easier now to buy some nice pieces and have bought a few recently. Pristine examples. Old timers are dying off and the market is being flooded with nice watches. I would say accuracy is becoming more important to me on new purchases so a lot of watches I might have liked earlier in my collecting I have ruled out due to performance.
Watches are less hassle than relationships.
Great Video. Thanks. I love watch philosophy 😊
The main problem is to get rid of watches ⌚️ I don't want to wear anymore
Ikr, i have a lot of watches that doesn't get much use and i should sell them, but i just can't 😂
I wish there was that button where you click it and everyone becomes not interested in a certain watch and you get to buy it at an acceptable price!
Suberp video! I really enjoyed the way you took a structured approach. As a viewer, I could really tell your genuine curiosity for watches and collecting as a passion. Excited for more content!
My dear Friends! You know, perhaps with a watch, we are trying to reduce entropy, logically believing that maximum entropy is death
A thoroughly enjoyable and informing watch. More of this please, great job! Thank you. :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is really good content - well done
Guys like watches because it's like having an engine on our wrist.
I buy my watches strictly for the way they look. I LOVE vintage-inspired chronographs and military watches. I don't care about movement. Besides a domed or double domed crystal, I don't care for anything else.
I bought some watches because of their Specs to price ratio, and some because I liked their design. So, rationnality and emotion "ought to be both satisfied". Now guess which ones I wear the more often ?
Casio
@@patricelargilliere4583 , haha. I have about 20 watches, most of them $5-10k range but at the end of the day, I wear my $150 Casio most often.
You've developed a refined visual style for this one.
Thank you very much! Yeah this video was quite a bit of work :-)
@@SillyVintageWatches I should also mention your wording on the marketing and on how the narrative of the collection sweeps when looking back on it. There's a lot in the narrative analysis and (post)structuralist literary criticism if you're interested!
That is a very good point. The more I think about this topic the more I think there will be a part 2...
@@SillyVintageWatches Hope to see that!
@@SillyVintageWatches Marketing wise, I think that watches are a part of the XX century re-wrapped and re-sold to us. If it's not status flex or a toy, a watch is a token for something we like to add to our image of ourselves.
We can wear them like some historical figure or our grandfather or even some fictional figure from the media used to wear them. But we don't do anything that this figure was supposed to be doing and what he/she was known for. We are just consumers on the hook doing some self-aggrandizing.
And that is just the part of what comes into play with the brand narratives. I suppose you know about this subject a lot more then I do.
Interesting video. I like watches I'm a industrialist watch person.
I don't like reorganisation, and I don't agree with your stages really.
Interesting but not very applicable to most collectors, I think. Most never become devoted to a brand or become completists, I’d say