I Remember...

[Spikedlee]

I remember 10 years ago starting my job right out of college. I had been given a $100 Visa gift card at work for helping set up a company outing at a baseball game. At that time I told myself I was going to buy a new watch with the gift card. I rushed over to the mall and picked up a nice shiny Guess watch for $125 and thought it was the coolest looking thing. I got a lot of compliments on the watch and felt really good about the purchase. I co-worker who was about 10 years older than me told me I needed to up my watch game and consider quality timepieces. At that time I thought he was a bit of a nut and didn't think much of it but this was one of those guys who always noticed what you wore on your wrist.

I wore my fancy Guess watch to Las Vegas with a friend the next summer and remember the condensation that started to show in the crystal after I had been out drinking in the Wynn pool all day. And I remember thinking to myself, I will never make the same mistake of getting another watch that cannot withstand water - one reason I am pretty obsessed with dive watches.

Fast forward the clock ten years to today, and I sit back and look at my watches now:







Feeling pretty fortunate to be able to afford such nice timepieces and I look back to the times when I literally was clueless! Needless to say, my conversation with that same coworker nowadays are a bit different :-)

[boost2perfection]

What a great accomplishment! Great pieces!

[Hairdude1]

Nice collection!

[FiftyTwoEighty]

Congrats! You have a great collection.

I really like that Pelagos!

[DCheeta]

Three awesome watches, and the greatest book ever written.

You've come a long way! My story is very similar to yours.

[sickened1]

I need to add a Pelagos to my collection. Thanks for posting!

[Nycturbovr6]

Nice collection!

[Brian Page]

Great story! Thanks for posting!

[The_Walrus]

My cathartic experience came through a friend also.
Congrats on your collection

[mikhaelj]

nice story... beautiful watches

[U5512]

Nice.....but where is the Guess watch that started it all?

[travisb]

Well done! No second guessing the quality of those three.

[mike]

What a trio.

[Racerdj]

Nice collection!

[adamlea]

Great story - great watches.

[vubui]

Very cool! I remember my first watch ever was a fake Movado when I was in 5th grade. I'd had it less than a week when I smashed the crystal while opening a door at school. I was devastated and didn't get a new watch for a long time.

Later in life I got into watches again, but I didn't have much money and bought a Nixon, a Tsovet, and a few other less expensive watches. As I got more into it I started learning more about what made some watches cost thousands and others only hundreds.

I then moved up to a Bell & Ross, a Xetum and an Omega Hour Vision.

Now I have an Exp II Polar, Speedy Pro Hesalite, and a nice Tag Heuer Heritage Calibre 6 that my girlfriend bought me as a gift. It feels great to have not only gone through a journey in the amount of money I was able to spend on my watches, but also in the evolution of my appreciation for finer timepieces.

Now I'm into wraps for the Speedy and Tag, and will likely be picking up an Explorer I 39mm and JLC Reverso next year.

Then the next level will likely be ALS. The evolution never stops! ;)

[Urosfan]

Nice

[SemperFi]

Beautiful trio you've got there. I'd be happy with either one.

[OmegaJJH]

A rather nice collection you have yourself there!

[rolex_DateJust]

Great story. Very nice collection

[AK797]

nice!

[rmfnla]

I had a similar revelation after jumping into a pool in Houston wearing a quartz Seiko.

The jeweler who dried it out explained that the crown is the weak point for water resistance and the best solution is a screw-down, and he showed me a Rolex to illustrate his point.

A week later I was wearing a Submariner and I haven't looked back...

[T01]

Great collection!

[tkerrmd]

good for you!

[Solo118]

Great story! Let's see the Guess watch too!!

Nothing to be ashamed of :)

I started out with a Tag Formula 1 when I was about 10, moved up to a Breitling Colt Chrono when I was 13, then got my first Rolex at 22. Beyond that is a blur, many have come and gone but I have vowed to always have a Daytona on me at all times which is true till today!

[Spikedlee]

Per everyone's request, below are shots I just took of my old Guess watch :P





I am repulsed by how poorly centered the clasp was on this thing! Goes to show how little I paid attention to the fine details of a timepiece back then. Sigh…

Funny part is the guy who sits next to me at work has this exact watch and wears it regularly :-)

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by Spikedlee

Per everyone's request, below are shots I just took of my old Guess watch :P


I am repulsed by how poorly centered the clasp was on this thing! Goes to show how little I paid attention to the fine details of a timepiece back then. Sigh…

Funny part is the guy who sits next to me at work has this exact watch and wears it regularly :-)

Everyone has to start somewhere and I "guess" you've learned a good lesson.

I'm still drawn to the less expensive watches, myself, and I think there's a place for them, but it's good to have some fine pieces to indulge oneself.

[melrob1]

Awesome! My first what I thought was a "nice watch" was also a Guess. LOL! Then few Movados and about 14 years ago my first Rolex DJ. Now just Rolex and Panerai. We all start somewhere. Congrats on the nice collection!

[engin33r]

Nice collection !!

[Gerardus]

Great collection!