Category Archives: Essays

The collection I own today shares little with what I assembled in my first decade of buying. Not just different watches — different principles governing what I acquire, keep, and sell. The Accumulation Phase Early on, I bought broadly. Every interesting watch seemed worth owning. Sales, estate finds, impulse purchases at shows. The collection grew […]

Every collector has one. The piece you hesitated on, the negotiation you walked away from, the auction you missed by minutes. Years later, you still think about it. My Story In 2008, a dealer offered me a Paul Newman Daytona for forty thousand dollars. This was before the current mania, but even then I knew […]

After one too many anxious trips — constantly checking my wrist, uncomfortable leaving watches in hotel safes, distracted by worry rather than present in the moment — I developed a travel philosophy that prioritizes peace of mind. The One Watch Solution For most trips, I bring exactly one watch. Not the most valuable piece I […]

My collection has evolved toward simplicity. Early on, I chased complications — chronographs, perpetual calendars, moon phases. Every function seemed to justify the expense. More features meant more value, or so I reasoned. Two decades later, the watches I reach for most often display only hours, minutes, and sometimes seconds. No date, no complications, no […]

The watch community remains divided on patina. Some collectors send vintage pieces immediately for restoration — relumed hands, refinished dials, polished cases. Others refuse to touch anything, preferring watches that show every year of their age. I fall firmly in the second camp. A watch that has lived tells stories. The faded gilt printing on […]