Slowly Evolving Collection - Hold 'Em or Shuffle Again?

[AboutTime]

I recently realized that I shouldn’t really be a watch collector. First of all, of course, it costs an insane amount of money to collect fine timepieces and a considerable amount annually to insure those timepieces. Secondly, I’m not good at rotating my watches; I just wear one of my stainless-steel watches day-after-day until I get a new one. Any gold watch in my “collection” gets very infrequent use because we no longer have many “special occasions.”

My interest in expensive watches started only a few years ago, when I was already an old man. My first real watch was a SS DJ 116234 with blue stick dial which I sold less than two years later. My second watch, a JLC MUT Moon, was acquired after the sale of my DJ. Eventually I accumulated a “massive” total of four fine watches before I realized I was in too deep. Then, almost by accident, I found a buyer for my JLC.

Now I have three watches, all special to me in some way. Three seems like the ideal number of watches for me: one for every day, one for dress, and one in-between watch that can go either way. But, probably like many forum members, I’m never completely satisfied with the makeup of the collection. My SubC is my newest acquisition and is currently my every-day watch. My Breguet Marine Big Date, formerly my every-day watch, has migrated to the in-between position. I’m going to swap out the rubber strap on my Breguet for the black leather strap to dress it up a bit. My Patek Calatrava 5296R is the star of my little collection but, because I have an irrational fear of damaging it, I seldom wear it. I’ve probably worn my Calatrava three times during the eight months I’ve owned it. It seems ridiculous to own a watch that I’m afraid to wear, but there it is.

I can’t seem to shake that nagging desire to own a YG Rolex Day-Date or DDII even though my wife is not particularly fond of the anything-but-subtle appearance of the YG DD. I want no more than three watches in my collection but I’m reluctant to part with any of my current three. It might make the most sense to swap my seldom-worn PP for a DD, which I believe I would wear much more frequently. But, on the other hand, giving up a PP for a much more commonplace DD seems like a step I might later regret.

What would you do? Stick with the current lineup or shake up things one more time? Sorry for the poor quality phone pictures.