The chances of seeing me in town, in front of a watch shop are high. When I pass by a watch shop, even one I have passed hundreds of times, I stop and look at the watches trough the boutique windows. Also, I cannot help but play the game you must know. I wonder : "if I had to buy one watch from the ones in this boutique window, what would I choose?"
This game makes me feel a little bit of the excitement and pleasure I get when I buy a new watch. The same feeling you have when you are on your way to the boutique. You are excited like a child going to the toy shop with her or his parents. This feeling leads me to ask myself this question: is it in the act of buying that all the pleasure lies? Is this all about buying watches?
Searching for the chosen one.
The search is not in fact the first step. As I feel connected to my watches, I like my watches to be connected to a special moment, a special event. The occasion for buying a watch is not mandatory of course. You are free to buy watches you like at any time. However, for me, buying a watch for a particular moment adds a little touch to your purchase which makes it special and even more personnel. This occasion is most of the time a happy one : graduation, personal or professional achievement, mariage, the birth of your child, your birthday and so on. Once you have identified this special occasion, then the research can begin.
“There is no path to happiness, happiness is the path” would have said a so-called wise man named Lao Tseu. This sentence is quite accurate in many cases. Once you have made your purchase, the hype decreases very quickly. It applies for watches. However, you can avoid this trap by taking your time in choosing the watch.
For my part, I try to diversify my collection as much as possible to avoid redundancy. Above all, I project myself with the watch. Do i want a formal watch? Do I want to do some outdoors activities with it? Do I want a dedicated or multipurpose watch? The answers lead often to the technical features you could expect from your future watch : water resistance, screw-down crown (my obsession), power reserve, material, shape, etc.
This step can be done on internet. Instagram, Youtube and blogs are great to make the first selection. Also, you probably have a "watch buddy" , a friend as obsessed with watches as you, who can help you in your research. It is always a pleasure to have suggestions from someone who knows you very well.
Then, the boutique. I never bought a watch without wearing it first. However, some brands exclusively sell their watches on their website. So obviously, you have no choice to buy the watch without wearing it before. It is a risk but sometimes it is the way to get excellent value for money.
Pulling the trigger
You have identified the watch. You are ready to go to the shop where you are supposed to discover the "ceremonial" of the brand or the authorised dealer.
This part is essential in the customer journey. However, it can be quite frustrating: you sit down, wear the watch, buy it or not and leave. This is obviously not the experience we are looking for. In my opinion, it's not that difficult to create a successful customer experience in a shop. Personally, I like it when the salesperson asks questions about my tastes, the watches I already own or my hobbies. It's even better when the staff recognises you and remembers your name. To put it trivially, this is all about triggering a purchase. That's true. But there's no denying that a good in-store experience is a memory that sticks with the watch and makes it that little bit more valuable to you.
The second-hand market can be scary with all its pitfalls, but it has its beauty too. If you buy a preowned watch from a non-professional seller, you have a chance to meet one person as passionate as you. This person could tell you some stories about the watch. It could have been worn on the moon for instance... Then a particular connection can be born between the seller and you : friendship or anything else positive that you will remember when wearing the watch.
Journey
Yes, the hype falls down a few days or weeks later after the purchase. I experienced it. It does not mean no pleasure anymore though. On the contrary, it is time to create your own story with your new watch.
I am a “wear your watch” guy. By that, I mean : do not be afraid to wear your watch. If you can, wear them for what they have been made. Of course, the more expensive the watch, the more difficult it could be to put it in risky situation. However, a modern Blancpain Fiftyfathom should be diving like a Seiko Turtle! At least, wear your watches. I have a dive watch but… I never dive. One day perhaps. I just love the aesthetic. However, I wear it like a “tool watch”. I do not mean like a “beater watch”. G-Shock watches are perfect for this.
Your watch prints the passing of time. As I wrote earlier, I wear my Seiko Turtle like a tool watch or for outdoor activities. It has scratches, especially one on the bezel made by a good dog I played with years ago in Germany. Each time I see that fang, I smile.
This is what I mean by creating your own story with your watch. Not necessary extraordinary stories but some that you enjoyed and that make you smile.
Dress it up
Changing the look of your watch is a non-negligible pleasure. Right now, you think about changing the straps. However, you can sometimes change the case of your watch. One brand does it very well. I think about Hegid. This brand enables you to change the look of your watch by changing the case and the "capsule" (consisting of the movement, the dial and the hands). I particularly like the Expedition model and its carrure adaptable on any Hegid watch. Even if I was a bit dubious at first, these watches exude quality and robustness.
Except this, the only thing you can change on your watch is the strap. This is the land of all possibilities. You have many types and material options : rubber, leather, nylon, steel, nato, strap, bracelet. add the colors options and you could spend a life by trying every possibility. This can dramatically change the look of your watch. Each time you change the strap, you kind of have a new watch. No doubt it brings longer pleasure. Be aware that you might cause some trouble in the watch enthusiasts community buy wearing your dive watch on a leather nato, like me sometimes.
Taking care of it
Cleaning your watch is the elementary step to keep your watch in great shape. You just dived in the sea with your watch ? Rinse with clean water to eliminate sand and salt. You ran an hour with it ? Again, clean it properly after the effort.
The heart of your watch deserves good treatment too. Bring it to the boutique or your local watchmaker to service it. This applies to mechanical watches but also to quartz watches.
I am not that person who services its watch every 3, 4 or 5 years. I service it when something goes wrong. I would not advise you to do so. Just because your watch runs very well, like my 2006 Seiko Spring Drive never serviced, does not mean that some parts are not on the verge of breaking.
It is not.
Of course, buying a watch through a successful experience in a boutique or from a watch enthusiast is a real source of pleasure, and sometimes even enrichment. I really think great experience in a boutique can erase a passion in buyers. However, if you are content with impulse purchases that you sometimes regret, if you do not seek to build a history with your watch, then you are, in my opinion, missing out on the whole experience that watches can provide.
This how I see watch enthusiasm. However, this is quite a individualistic way to live my passion and watches are also a powerful connector.
More to come.
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