Selling Watches To Buy Watches: One Collector's Story – Reprise

Over the past 25 years, I've gone through four identifiable waves of selling to buy To those makers whose watches I've sold, don't hate me! I've loved every one of these watches in its time and done my best to see that they found other loving homes If you're keeping track, you may already have noted a clear cheat: starting with each wave of selling and buying, the total value of my collection went up! For me selling is only a partial offset to buying; but at least it keeps us in the game.

At SIHH 2011, more or less out of nowhere, I informed my watch buddies that I planned over the next year or two to sell a significant number of "Smaller" pieces in favor of a set of more important watches Through 2013, I restocked with some "Bigger" watches within some of these brands and also added notable watches from the independents and A Lange & Söhne, many of which form the core of my collection today: the Masterpiece Chronograph II from Kari Voutilainen, Vianney Halter's Antiqua, a Grönefeld One Hertz, both a Datograph and a Double Split from A.

Lange & Söhne, and a pre-owned Philippe Dufour Simplicity During this period, while there was still a mix of new and pre-owned pieces in the additions to my collection, the center of gravity shifted a bit toward the pre-owned side, which enabled me to buy a larger number of fine watches than would have been the case had I insisted on all freshly-minted pieces Some truly wonderful watches joined the fold during in 2014 and 2015, including an early FP.

Journe Tourbillon Souverain and a Journe Anniversary Tourbillon "T30," Romain Gauthier's Logical One, an Upside Down from Ludovic Ballouard, Vianney Halter's Deep Space Tourbillon, a Breguet Reference 7727 10 Hz chronometer, and a white gold A Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual that I'd spent four years convincing a pal to sell to me. . Source