Seeing your story of how you got started in collecting watches makes me want to share my story too.
I still dunno how I got so hooked into luxury watch collecting. I was never into watches for quite a number of years. In 2007, a close friend of mine got his first Rolex, a Seadweller for $7k plus. I told him I could never imagine spending anything more than 3k for a watch. Another close friend who knew both of us got his Breitling then. So in some ways I got a bit influenced by both of them to explore more in watches as the topic of watches always comes up during our gatherings. Somehow I resisted. Then Rolex launched the first Batman in 2013. I was very attracted by the watch. I made enquiries then and it was not difficult to lay my hands on one if I really wanted it. Then the thought of spending over 10k plus kind of dissuaded me and I dropped the idea.
Another couple of years went by and in late 2015, I made up my mind to get a Rolex as I feel it would be just one watch I was going to buy. Just one watch, a Rolex to commemorate a milestone in life and I tell myself that would be it. At that time my impression is that instead of buying a SS, I could put in a few more thousands to get a TT sports model as I saw the TT GMT Master at a grey dealer and I like it very much. i just thought that I should buy from a AD instead of grey so I asked my friend who got his Seadweller to introduce me to his SA, to purchase a TT GMT Master as my first Rolex. So I got it and it started my interest in Rolex. Still I didn’t make any more purchase as I told myself, didn’t I say it would be my first and last Rolex? I resisted but kept visiting websites on luxury watches and joined the Facebook group. I saw everyone sharing what watches they bought and kind of make me envious.
In 2018, I felt that the urge to have a second Rolex was too strong. So I started thinking whether I should contact the previous SA to get another one. So I text him, I asked about the Hulk, Deepsea Blue, Daytona Panda, SD 43. His reply to me was “no stocks due to high demand and if you want I can put you in the interest list”. So I told him ok, I would like him to put my name in interest list. I still doesn’t really believe at that time that it would be highly impossible to get a Rolex sports model in a walk-in to boutiques, so I started visiting many AD boutiques, in town and at airport. Nothing was available, I was astonished. After another 7-8 months passed by, still no news from that SA about my interest list, so I text him and he gave the same reply that “no stocks and should one be available for you, I will contact you“. One fine day in mid 2019, I was lucky to get to know someone who was a regular at the current AD and SA I’m with. He referred me to her and the rest is history. The second Rolex sports model I got was Hulk. After getting Hulk, the desire to get more Rolex grew even stronger. Then I started asking for Aquanaut and at that time it would be possible to bundle with Calatrava or Twenty Four. I didn’t take it as I felt that I should focus on Rolex first.
Time passed by, I got Pepsi and SD 43 last year and then finally I decided to start the Patek journey. Never in my wildest dreams that I would one day be willing to spend 65k on a watch. I would be mad, considering I told my friend that his Seadweller that cost 7k plus in 2007 was too expensive! Fast forward to current, I cannot stop thinking of adding more watches to my collection. I’m still amazed at the extent of how my obsession for watches develops! Now at end 2022, after paying a visit to my SA recently, I‘m already thinking what I might be getting in 2023.
