For me it’s a bit of both - I don’t feel like I need to be checking boxes, but every watch needs to be worn somewhat regularly. I have other hobbies and having thousands just sit in a watchbox isn’t something I want to afford.

I don’t need a chronograph and I don’t need a diver, because I either don’t particularly like the style or don’t think they’re worth the hassle, but I need a dress watch because I actually like wearing them and they make more sense for my lifestyle.

Personally I just buy what I like, mostly under 500 bucks. The only time I ever really looked for something specific was the last watch I bought, where I really wanted a diver with lumed numbers on the bezel and spent some time searching options.

I keep thinking I need a watch with every color dial. But when it comes down to it, I am probably just going to wear a blue one!

You’re hyper-fixating. Find a couple of good, affordable watches that cover a lot of bases and then you can pick up some bigger purchases down the line when you find special pieces and have money set aside. This is a lifelong hobby so no pressure to fill all of those slots right away.

90% of the watches I like all look similar to each other. If I had infinite money there are a bunch of watch styles I would never buy, stuff like Rolex datejust for example. I would end up with a huge collection of field and pilot watch variations because that’s what I like.

All that being said, I have occasionally found that I have an outfit where none of my watches fit quite right, and I will try to fill whatever that hole is.

I am very impulsive with most of my watch purchases. Of the 14 watches I currently own only two were north of $800 and only one of those has any real significance (an Accutron Astronaut). I know that I am typically buying a fashion accessory and not a piece of any real horological prestige.

I’m currently researching and shopping for something specific (with a $2000 budget), but that won’t necessarily stop me from spontaneously buying another pretty/cool/interesting $300-500 watch while I am shopping for the right “big” buy.

Do I feel pressured to get my collection “right”? No.

Do I buy impulsively? Yeah, on occasion. There’s been a few under $500 watches that I just bought without thinking. I’ve gotten a lot better about this, though. I fall in lust almost every day, but I let it marinate for a while. If, after weeks or months have passed, I’m still thinking about it, then I’ll probably buy it. Most of the time, I find I forget about whatever it is I was pining after within a few days.

I think it’s impossible to pick the perfect watch. After years of collecting and selling, I’ve learned you’ll refine what you like and go through phases. It’s all part of learning and enjoying the hobby. Stop watching review videos and collection videos and just enjoy the watches you have. Suddenly, the pressure will be gone.

I would focus personally on fewer, higher quality pieces vs trying to fill out an arbitrary number in a box.

Over my time collecting I’ve fallen into the trap a few times of wanting to buy a certain kind of piece because I didn’t have something like that covered off in my collection, without pausing to think that maybe the reason why that gap exists is because I don’t like that kind of watch. Inevitably, every watch I’ve ever bought to fill a perceived hole in my collection has ended up getting neglected and then sold.

If I’m debating between two different pieces I’ll sometimes compare against what I already have and buy the one that has less overlap with my current pieces, but that’s about as far as it goes. Ultimately, I would say you should just buy what you like.

And over time I’ve just learned to have a better and better sense of what that really is.

Oh ya its both

I generally see a watch I think is cool, research it to see if it’s something I’ll actually like/will wear …and then I make myself wait 2 weeks to a month. I look at other watches similar to that one. I walk away and look at completely different sorts of watches, and then come back a few days later to see if I still love it. Then when I buy it, if I put it on and I don’t like it as much as I thought I would, I send it right back. My Orient Bambino went back to Amazon the same day just because it looked dressier on my wrist than I thought it would and I knew I’d never wear it.

So like, I’ll see a watch and go ‘yess I want’ in the first minute of looking at it, but I make myself wait a bit. That said, I still fall out of love with watches, or just don’t end up wearing them much because I like other things better. When that happens, move the watch along to someone else and boom, there’s an open spot in the watch box.

I don’t like to spend money on something that’s just going to sit in the box.

Some people look at watches as art and having them in the box is fine - and that’s great if that’s what they want to do.

For me, if I’m not wearing it then I don’t need it. I have too many other expensive hobbies to spend money on something that I’m not going to use. I actually just sold 2 watches that I liked very much but didn’t get any wrist time.

Honestly, I buy impulsively. But they are usually winners.

I don’t have any specific collecting goals beyond buying watches that I enjoy wearing and selling those that I no longer enjoy wearing. So many options at all price points.

I’m more covering all bases. I got my chunkier diver my Seiko sumo, my classier slimmer watch 36mm DJ, clean and simple, my omega speed master a little more sporty, g shock nuff said, the only other watch i want really is a grand seiko spring.

Fun topic! I was impulsive but then I ended up with watches I didn’t love. More so, watches that were not comfortable. Now I’m very thoughtful. I intend to keep everything I buy and add one per year. I make a list and then narrow it down and try to limit redundancy. I also focus on pieces I would wear often instead of special occasions. Now I realize this part isn’t normal, but I incorporate watches into my New Years Resolutions! I know that’s weird.