Random watch thread 2

[geoffbot]

Yep

[hayday]

What about collecting for the sake of having something? I have several vintage watches, including a birth year Micky Mouse, that are only worn a few times a year. Am I doing something wrong by not wearing these watches very often? And yes, I'm being a bit difficult on purpose.

I guess the point I'm trying to get at is "absurd" is a matter of perspective. Ninety-nine out of every 100 people you meet will think it's absurd to have more than one watch, let alone five or ten; over 40 in my case.

[whatmeworry]

I used to work with someone who had several hundred copies of the book ‘Black Beauty’. She had a whole room in her house dedicated to them.


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[tribe125]

Am I doing something wrong by not wearing these watches very often?

Not at all. Collecting doesn’t have to have anything to do with using, even if the objects were made to be used.

[skywatch]

I suppose we all draw fuzzy lines for ourselves that we prefer not to cross, regarding the slope between collecting, hoarding and obsessive compulsion. When I saw that post on TMZ 10 years ago, my first reaction was pity. I felt sorry for the guy. I remember telling my wife about 20 years ago that I might start a collection of watches, because I found them fascinating. I don't think she took me very seriously, and forgot about it until I started buying a few new ones around 2008, and then sadly discovered that I wasn't alone, thanks to these forums. Yet I still look askance at my own tendencies, and I usually refer to my collection as a hoard. I try to keep it under 50 (which I think is a ridiculous number to own) and I find it very difficult to do it. Reminds me of this fable:

Nasrudin and the sugar (Idries Shah):

"When Nasrudin was a magistrate, a woman came to him with her son.
‘This youth,’ she said, ‘eats too much sugar. I cannot afford to keep him in it.
Therefore I ask you formally to forbid him to eat it, as he will not obey me.’
Nasrudin told her to come back in seven days.

When she returned, he postponed his decision for yet another week.
‘Now,’ he said to the youth, ‘I forbid you to eat more than such and such a quantity of sugar every day.’
The woman subsequently asked him why so much time had been necessary before a simple order could be given.
‘Because, madam, I had to see whether I myself could cut down on the use of sugar, before ordering anyone else to do it.’"

[Sedi]

Ooh, a general discussion about the collector's bug. I like that. I have probably 70+ watches at the moment. Between 600-700 DVDs and blu-rays (yes, I watched them all, some multiple times). My wife and I own around 2,000 books (of which 70 are my Bible collection). And I also collect tin whistles, flutes, recorders and ocarinas. I also have more shoes than my wife.
IMO the difference between hoarding and collecting might be that a collection has a theme. I used to collect vintage wrist-alarm watches for instance. Nowadays I just buy whatever strikes my fancy. That's more like hoarding. My Bible collection is actually a collection because some rules apply. My goal was to collect all major German translations of the Bible. Or basically as many different ones as I can find. And they should be bound with thread, so not have the pages just glued together. A large part of the movie collection is horror. But the rest is just "hoarded".
BTW - I do love all that stuff and never considered it a burden. I very much despise the "less is more", "simplify your life" nonsense. But that's just me.

[skywatch]

IMO the difference between hoarding and collecting might be that a collection has a theme. ...

Ahhh, good to know. My collection does have a theme: I only keep things I like.
Therefore, not a hoard. Thank you for easing my conscience.

[jbglock]

The way I see it is as long as it isn't hurting you financially, physically, or emotionally it isn't a hoard. That said I have been reducing the amount I have since the year began. I have probably 7 I wear with some regularity. I try to focus more on the ones I enjoy wearing the most and building a few here and there for fun.

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[mlcor]

I’ve got a couple dozen (Edit: upon closer examination, I guess closer to 30), and have decreased to get to that level. Of those, around half to two thirds get worn regularly (at least once or twice a month), and the others get worn less frequently, but I enjoy them when I do. I have a few others I don’t count in the two dozen because they are family pieces that are cherished even if not worn. There are a couple I should sell because they don’t get worn enough, but I won’t sell except to people I know, so things rarely get sold...


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[jbglock]

This...

Or this...

I really don't need another watch.

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