Watch collecting can be a fascinating and rewarding past time, albeit sometimes frustrating. People from all walks of life collect many and varied types of watches - antique, vintage, modern, Seiko, Omega, Swatch, mechanical, quartz, pocket watches, pendant watches, wrist watches - the list is seemingly endless. Wherever there is an interest in a particular type of watch for whatever reason - there are collectors.
Collections may be financially rewarding, or you may wish to collect just because of an interest with a particular style of timepiece. All reasons are valid, and can lead to a lifetime of enjoyment. There are however many possible pitfalls, especially for beginners. If you aren't a watchmaker or don't have a good working knowledge of watch histories, mechanisms and casings, find a friendly and knowledgeable watchmaker or experienced collector who shares your interests and who is willing to share his/her knowledge.
Nowadays it can be easy to buy any type of watch, whether new or old (always assuming you can afford it). Not only can we trawl antique shops, garage sales, markets and newspaper ads, but we can also go online and search. It's never been easier to find that particular watch that you're looking for, though you may still have to be patient and visit shop after shop, market after market or site after site over a period of time. We can now do a world wide search from the comfort of our own homes while sitting with a preferred beverage. However, this ability to search and purchase worldwide online can come with its own set of problems. Are we buying what we think we are, are there problems with the watch, is it the real item?
In later articles we will go into some detail on where to look for new watches for your collection, precautions to take and an idea of what to look for in a number of different types of timepieces when considering purchasing and collecting.
If you are a watch collector or are interested in starting your own collection, we will try over the following weeks to assist you to learn how to follow your interests. We at Thomas' Timepieces have helped a large number of collectors of varied types of timepieces over the years, and will try to cover (in a general fashion) many of the pitfalls we have come across, as well as trying to assist you to enjoy your collection with confidence and enjoyment. These blogs will not be meant to be a definitive guide to collecting, but just general assistance and a guideline.