SOTC 2022 end
Happy New Year!
Decided to do a quick #SOTC to provide an update, along with my thoughts and hopes for 2023.
Top Row - PAM00089, Rolex Datejust 16234, Rolex Explorer II 216570, Rolex Explorer 124273, Tudor Black Bay 58
Middle Row - Tissot PRX, Hamilton Khaki Field Auto, Seiko SKX007, Seiko SPB143, Seiko SPB153
Bottom, my most worn watches - Cartier Tank Large, Omega Speedmaster 3861 Sapphire, G-Shock DW5600
Where do we begin?
Let’s reflect on the year we call 2022 -
What I got rid of
Nice and simple here, nothing! Whilst I did have thoughts about culling down the collection, I couldn’t bring myself to sell anything. Most of the pieces have an attached story or sentimental value which deterred me from letting them go.
This has however made me think - how often do we confuse sentimental value for an excuse to hoard? Something I’ll be thinking about really hard in 2023 will be to make this distinction and to cull down, preferably into the single digit, but we’ll see. Top of mind for me would be the BB58 and entire middle row that no longer spark any joy for me, nor get any real wrist time other than the occasional day out or photo.
What isn’t pictured are the 14060m Sub, Smiths Everest, and Kurono Seiji. They’re still in the collection. The wife wears the latter two, and the sub I’ve swapped with Dad for the Explorer (short term swap).
What I thought I’d get
I’ll start with the obvious - I thought I’d get a call for the 124270, at the least. This obviously didn’t happen. Call me naive and hopeful but I’d have thought that a multi-watch purchase history with an AD would have qualified me for one, but here we are, no call in close to 1.5 years. Definitely a lesson in setting the right expectations, patience, and questioning what really matters in life. I’ll save that for another post.
The next would be the Santos de Cartier medium, a sporty white dial pilot’s watch (yes, it’s a pilot’s watch!). This one at least, is an easy purchase that you’re able to walk up and buy (or a very, very short wait at most). I very nearly bought this one. I ventured into Cartier, tried it on, along with the Cartier Tank. You know what I walked out with.
What I did get
The Tissot PRX - I had wanted a watch with an integrated bracelet, and the PRX had always spoken to me as one of the best bang for buck. It was actually the green waffle dial version that caught my attention through photos I had seen from other watch fam. When I went into store and tried them both on, the blue resonated with me much more and was the one I walked out with.
The Cartier Tank - this one is special. I’d call 2022 the year that I fell in love with Cartier. I had always thought that the Santos would have been the first Cartier I’d buy though. Long story short, my wife and I walked into a Cartier boutique during our honeymoon and made the spontaneous decision to get matching his & her Tanks. It quickly became my most worn watch of the year, working in damn near any occasion.
Collection plans for 2023
Culling down
I’m toying with the idea of getting rid of the middle row (PRX, Hammy, Seikos) as well as the BB58 which no longer brings me any excitement. These get the least amount of wear overall and are mostly for photos these days. Heck, some of them don’t even make it to the grid anymore!
The Tank, Speedy and Gshock currently cover all occasions for me, whilst the first row are sentimental and will never leave (other than BB58).
Santos De Cartier
This one is still heavily on my mind. The reason I haven’t pulled the trigger yet is because I’m still hopeful for the 124270 or 124060 this year. If that hope starts drying out, I can get the Santos. The other option is to cull down and sell the mentioned pieces, and replace with the Santos. That’ll simplify things. Would the Santos take over the Tank at that point though?
The hopeful call
Like everyone, I’m still hopeful for the fabled AD call. The difference being I want to shift the mindset to lowering the internal expectations. If it happens, it happens. If not, no big deal, as there are other brands to explore (Cartier and Grand Seiko being top of mind).