Watches We'll Sell Next

In the loosely connected previous part of these two features - Watches We Wish We Hadn’t Sold – the WatchGecko authors came clean and confessed to the watches they once owned and regretted parting with. However painful, we acknowledged that the transition of beloved timepieces was often part of collecting fabric. And whilst there would always be watches we should have hung on to, some models need to be moved on. SO, with that in mind, what are the watches we are all planning to sell next?

Neil

Technos Sky Diver

Technos Sky Diver. Credit: Guest Author.

Choosing which watch to part with isn't as simple as playing "Eeny Meeny Miny Mo." While it might seem easy, my decision to sell a watch is based on evolving needs and preferences. As I mature, so do my tastes, and while I often desire watches beyond my budget, occasionally I must bid farewell to those that see less wrist time.

Currently, I'm at that juncture where decisions have been made, and goodbyes exchanged without tears. One such timepiece is my vintage Technos Sky Diver from the 1970s, which, despite its rich history and following, receives dwindling wrist time. Sharing a case design with iconic watches like the Titus Calyposmatic and the Universal Geneve Polerouter, the Sky Diver holds its own in collectability. The dial has mellowed to a muted black and the radium-filled indices warmed to a soft honey colour. The bezel has started to ghost to a deep blue, this watch is seriously stunning. Teamed up with a ZuluDiver Beads of Rice bracelet, it’s a thing of beauty. However, it still has to go, I have to grow my collection, trying to uplift whenever I can, and the time is now. Sorry Sky Diver, it’s been a blast.

Selling it will help fund my next acquisition—a 1977 Omega Seamaster Ploprof. This watch has captivated me with its embodiment of dive watch design from the golden decade. It prioritizes function over form, making it the epitome of a purpose-built dive watch. I'm eager to make it a part of my collection soon and that makes the goodbye’s more than worth it.

Richard

Titanium Omega Seamaster

I have a one-in-one-out rule on my watch collection. To be frank, it is by mutual agreement, imposed on me by my nearest and dearest. But it’s a damn good rule, as left unmonitored, I freely admit I would have no discipline. So, deciding what has to go to make space for a new one requires some thought.    

Titanium Omega Seamaster on ZULUDIVER Seacroft Waffle FKM Rubber Dive Watch Strap. Credit: WatchGecko.

I start by looking at what I seldom wear and analyse why. Have I fallen out of love? Has it dated poorly, to the point it seems odd? Or have I just lost interest? If any watch gets a tick against one of these criteria, it becomes a candidate for sale.

Today, my attention is on a Titanium Omega Seamaster ref: 2231.50.00. It's an early 2000s model which I bought as a keen snorkeler who had just sold a Rolex Submariner and was seeking a lighter, but still capable, dive watch. Over the years, I’ve had a great relationship with the watch, and we have been on many adventures together. Still, I find the bracelet hard to live with as it does not have micro adjust, and now I feel the dial is somewhat lacking compared to much more contemporary dive pieces like the Fomex REEF or the latest generation of Squale.

Titanium Omega Seamaster on ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military Watch Strap: CADET Bond. Credit: WatchGecko.

Only last week, I made up my mind to sell the Omega. Still, I decided to have a last hurrah and wore it to the British Watch and Clock Makers Day on 9 March in London where several people commented that it was a great-looking watch and how lucky I was to have such a fine titanium example. And now I am thrown. Should I now give the Omega a stay of execution and wear it for a while to see if the old flame rekindles?  There are new models I want to buy, so something has to go. Welcome to the agony and ecstasy of watch collecting.

Rob

Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Replica

There are several very good reasons to sell a watch, but for me, the reason I am planning on selling not just one watch but many in the near future is perhaps a little more personal than most.

Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Replica. Credit: Guest Author.

You could want to sell a watch because you need for money for real life. Perhaps your roof has leaked, your car has broken down, or you’re in desperate need of a holiday. Maybe you want to sell a watch because you want to buy another one and you either need the funds or see the upcoming purchase as a clear and direct upgrade to the outgoing piece. It’s possible you’ve accrued so many watches over the years of collecting that your watch box is full of pieces that simply never hit your wrist. I suppose it’s feasible you’ve fallen out of love with the hobby, had a bad experience with a brand representative or CEO and can’t stand to look at a watch with that brand’s name on the dial anymore, or that you cycle through your entire wardrobe seasonally and see watches more as complimentary accessories than stand-alone objects of appreciation.

All of the above (and more) are valid reasons to sell a watch. My reasoning, however, comes after some strange experiences with the loss of certain beloved objects or, in one particularly jarring instance, their theft.

After losing some of my most cherished possessions to happenstance or thievery, I was forced to consider what they meant to me and how important the continued possession of said objects was to the embellishment of my life. At first — a natural reaction, I’m sure — I thought about re-buying the lost trinkets so that I’d lost money rather than the thing I’d once deemed worthy of buying. If I’d bought it once, why wouldn’t I buy it again? Logical, maybe, but it wasn’t the right time for me to follow my head. I had to listen to my heart.

Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Replica. Credit: Guest Author.

Loss can teach us the true value of things. It’s also an opportunity to let in change. Looking back is rarely a good idea. During this recent period of upheaval, I took the chance to simply be thankful for having enjoyed those objects’ presence in my life and not to pine for them any longer. I decided that watches have a limitless capacity to create joy if they are moved from one owner to another when the time is right. And, oddly, that appreciation is heightened when you make the active decision to move on from something you still like, or maybe even love, because you know it no longer means to you as much as it once did.

Therefore, the next watch I will sell, as much as it pains me to say it, will be my Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Replica from 1998. It was the first Speedmaster I ever bought and, in my opinion, remains the best ever made. It once meant the world to me, but it has been overtaken by many more pieces since. I want someone else to feel what I felt when I first received it in the mail. And, crazy as this is, I want the watch to feel that too.