Starting a collection, whether it is watches, is very satisfying, but it has its difficulties. So discover the 4 mistakes to avoid for any watch collector.

Beginner's mistakes when buying a watch

The world of watchmaking is vast and it is easy to fall into the desire to own every piece that is created, however, to have a pure collection and to be able to maintain this hobby for years it is important to avoid certain slips.

IMPULSE BUYING

Buying a watch is a very special moment for any collector and the excitement of feeding this passion often blinds sanity and generates an impulsive purchase.

In order to have a curated collection, a very important aspect is to exercise patience, to get to know and discover yourself. With each watch, brand, mechanism and design that you get to know, your taste will mutate, and if as soon as you discover a brand, you close yourself to it, instead of discovering new ones, you will have a collection limited to time. Creating a collection is a work of years, and the key is in the variety and style.

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OF ACCURACY

The world of watchmaking is an art, and they don't always have the most advanced technology. In today's day and age, you get used to having accurate time on your phone, and mistakenly expect the same from your watch.

Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II Automatic Watch with COSC certificate

A mechanical watch usually has a variation range of +/- 12 seconds/day to +/- 30 seconds/day. This type of variation is acceptable and does not imply any error in the movement, it is simply the functioning of the movement and is more common in more affordable watches.

Watches with certifications, such as COSC, or internal precision tests, are the ones that can guarantee time accuracy, however the accuracy of the watch is not the priority.

FORGET THE POSSIBILITIES OF CHANGING THE STRAP

All watches usually come with a strap, but people often forget that this can be changed and judge the aesthetics of the watch by the strap or bracelet it comes with.

There is a wide variety of straps, in different styles and materials. Being able to visualize a watch with a different strap is a work of creativity that will help you see the watch with different eyes.

Delma Diver Blue Shark III Azores watch with two straps, stainless steel and silicone

If you feel that a watch can be used for different occasions, you can buy different straps separately and change them yourself. Some watches even have two sets of straps.

NOT UNDERSTANDING THE DIMENSIONS

There are many different sizes of watches, even two watches of the same size can look completely different depending on the bezel and design. Knowing the ideal case size for you is extremely important when buying a watch.

You should understand your wrist size, whether you prefer large or small watches, even the purpose of the watch, as a sports watch should be different from a dress watch. You can use our sizing guide.

Junghans Max Bill Handaufzug watch with a 34mm case

Understanding the purpose of the watch, as well as the size and your own taste, will help you to have a pure and envied collection.