Anne M.
My Watch Collecting Journey
A 30-something-year-old professional that turns to watches as a healthy **borderline unhealthy* distraction from the stressors of daily life.
Earliest memory of a watch - “I Got It from My Mama”
When I turned four, my mum gifted me with my first watch – a yellow Casio three-hander with the alphabet printed all over it. I’d just started going to kindergarten and had severe separation anxiety, so she had me wear it daily to calm me down and taught me how to read the time so I could take comfort in knowing when the school day was over. I’ve still got it to this day.
Looking back, she’s the earliest influence on my love for watches and my OG watch goddess. She taught me the difference between quartz and mechanical, between automatic and manual-wind, what integrated bracelets were, and how to change straps. And she made it a point to learn from her “mistake” from her personal experience in the 1970s – to never settle on an Omega if you really want a Rolex. She still stands by that statement, as she rocks her Constellation.
“And she made it a point to learn from her “mistake” from her personal experience in the 1970s – to never settle on an Omega if you really want a Rolex.”
How it started
My first “big girl” piece was a 29mm black dialled Longines that my dad gifted during my first trip overseas in 2016. I’d mentioned that I was planning to buy myself my first automatic watch and he beat me to it, saying he was old-fashioned and believed it was his job to buy me my first Swiss watch. I wore it every day until 2019, when my boyfriend (now fiancé) saved for months and surprised me with a Cartier Tank Solo to celebrate my graduation.
I was happily rotating between the two pieces until I made a snap decision (with a massive push from mum) to buy myself a Datejust 36 to celebrate my first year of working my current profession. I’ve spiralled since.
What started as a small collection of pieces that held sentimental value and admiring collectors from afar, turned into living by the “life is too short” motto, and not needing much excuse to get a new watch. And if I have a dream about it? Fuh-gedd-about-it. I’ll be at the AD first thing in the morning, trying it on or asking if they can get it in.
I’ve got an eclectic collection that mirrors my short attention span. Love at first sight and ignoring what other people think – is how I’ve picked them. There’s been some that I initially thought were stupid *cough white dial Panerai cough*, to it suddenly catching my eye on a display case and I was smitten.
Experience with Instagram
My Instagram account started as a fun photoblog to keep track of my collection and daily wear. It ended up becoming one of the best distractions in the past two years especially when Covid lockdowns hit. That supportive and entertaining watch community online deserves much credit to keeping me sane through some crazy weird and isolating times.
However, I’m not going to sugar coat it though, there was a time when I looked at my phone and thought – what an absolute clusterf**k. Thankfully its simmered down in the past months, but it turned into a nightmarish experience at one point. You name it, it’s likely happened. From the size-police trolls, racist and spiteful comments, to having one of my selfies used to sell a watch on Craigslist. Let’s not forget the constant unsolicited advice on what pieces I “should” be wearing.
But one of the most unexpected and rewarding things that kept me going were messages from other women and sometimes their male partners, thanking for how my posts had encouraged them to become more interested in the hobby. The day I almost closed my account out of frustration, was the same day a woman messaged that my latest post wearing a Speedmaster inspired her to buy a similar watch, a piece she didn’t think she could wear due to the marketing geared towards men.
Despite the lows, I’m grateful to have met and connect with other watch lovers from around the world. They’re a fun crowd to share laughs, experiences and opinions with, and inspire me to push more of my creative side with a camera. They’re like the sprinkles on a cupcake and make my everyday a little more interesting.
“The day I almost closed my account out of frustration, was the same day a woman messaged that my latest post wearing a Speedmaster inspired her to buy a similar watch, a piece she didn’t think she could wear due to the marketing geared towards men. ”
I’ve always tried to keep my Instagram account positive and light by supporting and encouraging others and avoided going down the rabbit hole of dwelling on the negative. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for constructive feedback, but there’s nothing constructive when someone attacks your background and intelligence level when they disagree with your opinion on a watch/brand.
Its intriguing when these same people stay quiet and don’t comment as such when other male Instagrammers express that same opinion. I don’t like to play the gender card, but you’ve got to wonder, am I a soft target? Or are they just desperate for my attention.
Having grown up with older brothers and working in two of the most typically hated professions, first law, now dentistry, I’m used to a good ole ribbing. There’s not a day that goes by where a patient isn’t afraid to explicitly say how much they hate me based solely on my occupation. So, when you put it into perspective, spiteful and condescending comments from male strangers online over a watch hobby, although surprising, doesn’t faze me much.
I used to just block/delete them, because no one needs to see that, but over time I realised it’s one of those things — if no one else saw it, did it even happen? Now I highlight them. The community needs to see how hateful and condescending some are in this industry and how they direct it towards their female counterparts. Surprisingly, its toned down a lot since I started doing this. And I take comfort in knowing that the majority are overwhelmingly supportive of it and as disappointed as I am about these bad apples.
As with any online interaction, you need to remember that it says a lot about them and how unfulfilled their lives are that they’d resort to blasting a stranger. Over an opinion. About a wristwatch. You just can’t take them seriously.
Things I dislike
The generic ladies watch
Why do I wear watches typically marketed towards men? The options for women generally lack the aesthetic appeal. No, I don’t want diamonds on my bezel. If I wanted diamonds on my wrist, I’d wear diamond jewellery.
No, I don’t want a quartz movement. Who was the person that thought women in general don’t want to bother with the mechanics of a watch and turned it into an industry-wide thing.
And how petite do brands think we are as an entire gender. I don’t want to be reaching for my surgical loupes to be able to read the time on a dainty, diamond encrusted timepiece, that might stop working without any notice of when the battery dies.
The oh-so-serious collectors and the mansplaining
It’s disappointing when some people use your opinion on it to attack your character, personality and/or intelligence level, and take the time to publicly comment as such on your post online. I’ve never made myself out to be a watch connoisseur, but the number of times I’ve been attacked for openly disliking a new release or a brand or liking a watch from a mainstream brand purely for its dial colour, versus a piece from an independent brand of perceived superior calibre, is astounding.
Not everyone likes or appreciates the same pieces or brands and that’s OK. A difference in opinion or taste makes the world a more interesting place, and it doesn’t take away from the pieces you own or your personal style.
I’m also surprised my eyes haven’t rolled out of my head for every time I’ve had to sit through some mansplaining of a brand’s history, heritage, a movement and/or manufacturing technique. I heard it the first time. It doesn’t impress me. Get over it.
Hype
Other than Instagram, I don’t spend much time on social media, so I try not to pay much attention to hype. But one of the most unfortunate experiences in the industry is when one (or two) of your watches become a hype piece after you’ve bought it.
It puts me off from wearing it when strangers recognise it and point it out in person. And then there’s the unprovoked accusations from complete strangers that you only own it because of the hype, is another level of irritation. If only I had a dollar for every comment telling how much my watch is now worth on the secondary market, and every unsolicited offer to buy it from me, I’d be able to quit my day job.
Advice for someone starting a watch collection
You’ve got to appreciate how concerned some strangers are for your appearance and choice of wear, but it’s unsettling how pushy and aggressive they are with their unsolicited advice.
The piece you’re drawn to and choose to wear is just another way to express yourself. Is it so important to you whether someone else thinks it’s too dressy, too sporty, too big – that it would affect your choice?
Try not to let a rude/pushy sales assistant or a bad boutique experience put you off. Don’t trust promotional photos. Ideally, you’ve got to see pieces in person, so don’t be shy to go and try things on.
Just have fun with it.
If it puts a smile on your face, wear it.
Wear it with confidence.
A big thank you to Anne for sharing her time and watch journey with the community. Please make sure to follow her on Instagram at @anneotherwatch.
