"Buy once, cry once." I like that. When it comes to watches I always say, don't settle for second best. If you want a particular watch, save your money and buy the one you really want. I learned this long time ago, so now I don't waste my money.

I have found over time, I'm a one watch person. I do switch out to do yard work, etc. Everyday = Glycine Combat Sub 36mm Yardwork, etc. = Hamilton Khaki Mechanical 34mm (circa 2001) I also have a Timex Q 1978 reissue I rarely wear. Nice watch! I have owned Rolexes, Omega, other vintage Hamiltons, Certina, etc. sold them all.

Love the buy once cry once model - HOWEVER, on really expensive purchases, (like that Rolex Explorer 2 for example, my ex-favorite watch), sometimes it's worth the extra cash to buy a really cheap knockoff first to make sure you even like wearing a watch that looks like that before you dump a ton of cash on it! I bought the Pagani Design knockoff for 120 bucks (the most recent version) just to make sure I even like wearing the Explorer, and man, the thing is so good I'll probably just keep it and spend the 10k on a different watch! Or just not at all! Anyways, I totally agree with never buying the second best, because if you're gonna spend most of the money regardless, you might as well go all the way - but sometimes it actually pays to buy the cheapest first! If then you find yourself loving the look but wishing you had the real thing, you know it's worth it to buy the real thing! Plus then you'll have a great beater watch when you're done.

The one key mistake in watch collecting is buying what I call « validation pieces ». Under that category fall the Speedmaster, the Cartier Tank, the Daytona, any Royal Oak, ie Ben Clymer approved models that you think you need to own to be taken seriously in the community. The day you realize these watches are just not « you », flip them and buy this Oris Diver 65 you have been wanting for years, you’ll be an happier person.

The only thing I will disagree with you on is that you cheeped out by buying the Omega with Hesalite crystal. I don't believe you can cheep out by buying an original iconic watch.

The black bay 54 is the best example of the Instagram watch. I’ve seen it in person and it was almost disappointed because of how much I’ve hyped it up in my head😅

Thanks for a thought-provoking video. Buy what makes you happy. It is different for everyone. I have 37 watches in my collection. I have been collecting watches since 1974 and have never sold a single one. I think it is mainly because I buy a watch to celebrate a special event or occasion, and that watch is then part of my life. Each of my watches has a story. I spend much time planning a watch buy and then wait for a suitable occasion. When I do eventually buy a watch, I buy the best I can afford. Last week my wife bought me a Squale 1521 for my 64th birthday and, while it is not a Tudor, it is my Rolex. Yes, I would love a Tudor Pelagos FXD; but, for someone with my income, the price is too high for something that I want to wear while working, swimming, cycling, tinkering on my car, or gardening.

Love your last point, buy once, cry once.

Conversely if you buy the “ridiculously expensive” watch (we’ve become desensitised to the astronomical SRPs so that a basic Tudor costing 7 weeks mean net earnings is ‘good value’) all you will think about once you have it is how much it cost and where you have to be careful wearing it eg London. £6.5k for a Speedy Pro 🥴 buy once…buy a safe, buy annual insurance, take out a regular savings account to save up for the servicing cost, cry each time 😉 So, it does indeed depend on your perspective…and how much you make.

Last point is on point. Buy whay makes you happy, even it is a Seiko with jangly bracelet and Hardlex.

Great advice. I’m going to sell my house now and buy the Nautilus I want

One of the best watch related videos ever! After 20 years of collecting/obsessing, I can confirm that you speak the truth, in its purest form, no fluff, I love it. You just got yourself a subscriber :)

Nice video. You're 100% right regarding the lights and Instagram watch. The jewellers have this warm lights at their stores so it looks fantastic.

😂Love the Seinfeld reference from The Strike, and it's so true with watches in person, I think Omegas look better in real time

Excellent advice. You’ll eventually forget exactly what you paid for an item. You’ll always remember what you bought because you’ll be reminded every time you use it and enjoy it.

I apply the same logic to all of my purchases. I'm a picky person who pays attention to the details in everything I buy, be it a new car or a bluetooth speaker, and always do my best to decide what do I really want among the options I'm considering, even if that involves deep analysis. As I am a "keeper" I am a faithful defender that the price is soon forgotten but the satisfaction remains. I have a lot of examples of "expensive for me at the time" things that looking back in time I'm thankful that I took the choice of stretching my budget or had the patience to save the extra money and went for them instead of having settled for "second best" or "good to go" alternatives that in the long run would bring remorse.

There are so many of these watch buying advice videos out there but I think this is the best one I’ve ever seen.

Really good content and valuable lessons for majority of watch enjoyers. The value trap is so easy to get suck into when looking at watches. I always have to take a step back and keep telling myself to aim for the watch I really want.

Another great video. I have found I have lost more money settling and selling at a loss thinking I was getting just as good a watch as I ultimately wanted only to eventually get it in the end. you said it best, Buy once cry once. Keep up the great content!

Great video Harrison - the psychology behind watch collecting is an interesting discussion.

The last point you made is the best piece of advice I’ve heard in a very long time and it is 100% true, buy what you really want, buy once cry once. EPIC! 😊

That's why I went to Cartier to check out the new Santos de Cartier and ended up buying the Santos Dumont with a rose gold bezel and leather strap. It just looked on my wrist in person and I don't regret it.

See, now, I’d be interested in knowing if you stayed happy with your initial purchase if you _didn’t_ keep watching the videos. It’s no secret that the majority of the watch YT space is pushing a narrative; buy big or stay home. It’s incredibly influential, and even manipulative. Human memory being what it is, how can you be sure you weren’t perfectly happy with your original buy & just talked out of it over time?

Go for the dial. That’s what you look at once you’ve purchased it. I have a gold Cartier tank with date and a Navitimer both about 12 years old. Still love the looks of them both.

You were spot on with the Speedmaster example. I also went down that path and bought a Speedmaster automatic thinking it would suffice. Nope. I sold it within a year and eventually bought a Speedmaster Professional. The Speedmaster Professional is the only watch I've owned that lives up to the hype. I think it's so good that I sold most of my collection and only have two other watches.

Excellent video! Buying for value appeals to the head, but not to the heart.

Good points ! Another "issue" is to buy a watch thinking of a collection. Will it fit with my other watches ? When will I wear it ? Not the good ol' plain "do I like the watch". However despite all the internet advice, I think we somewhat have to go through those rookie mistakes to realize they *are* "mistakes". As Bruce Williams would say, it's building _an experience_ :P

I will say sometimes a collector needs to buy the stuff he doesn’t like so you can refine your taste in watches, you don’t know what you don’t know.

You’re so right about watch photos and real life. Especially when it comes to size. Watches look much larger in photos than in person.

Really excellent observations. Good job, man.

I just got my Explorer II 16570 with a black dial and I am loving it, it was even better than I hoped for in person🎉

I agree, always save and buy the watch you want. Oh and that Santos looked amazing on your wrist.

Great video! And yes, please revisit the Speedy next week.

Solid video, solid advice

Thanks for sharing Harrison! Totally agree with you and very interesting points you touched. Ps. What are you wearing on the wrist?

The hesalite Speedmaster may be cheaper but it’s closer to the OG Speedmaster than any other Speedmaster. That’s why it’s in my watch box. I don’t value the sapphire sandwich version because I have other sapphire crystal watches I wear.

I stumbled onto my favourite watch by accident. It was a "freebie" I chose on ebay as part of a buy one get one. It feels and looks so good on my wrist. It is so thin for a mechanical watch and light. The generic leather band looks really nice. Of course being an obsessive collector I scoured ebay and now have several of this watch in different colours. 😂

That last tip... 💪 'Fuck yes, or no' as Mark Manson puts it with brutal clarity. Applies to anything you attach emotional value to.

Collecting watches hurts (sometimes). I love watches and I have cheaper watches and some heavy hitters, but I always want what I cannot afford in this life. It is good to have dreams but choosing between two watches is difficult and the battle between ratio and feeling is annoying. I wish I could buy them both at the same time.

Good video. I used to buy cheaper watches and had plenty but most of them didn't fulfill me, I used to pick one of those any day to wear but in the end after five minutes I changed my mind and put them back in the box to wear instead one I really liked. Sold many of them and now prefer to have fewer watches, more expensive but that I really enjoy to wear.

Great video and some really good advice there, especially for people starting out on there watch collecting journey, I wish I could have watched this video 10 years ago it would have saved me a lot of money 😂

Man, you read my mindset like an open book!

Good talk! Recently I bought Tudor BB58 because I found a better option for it then the one which I wanted (pelagos 39). Then I regretted it. I knew I won't like the fake rivets on the bracelet. So I sold it (happily on a good price ( and bought the pelagos 39.

Love your Explorer on the strap! How do you manage to not scratch the strap (as the lug wholes are so close to the case)? I tried myself with a few but always damaged them...

I totally agree, good video !

Your last point is spot on. I've bought the Tudor BB58 twice because I wanted to save money. I've already sold it once at a $700 loss and now I'm gonna sell the second one at a bigger loss of probably $2k. I have no idea why I didn't get the watch I originally wanted, a Rolex 14060m, but now I'm going to buy it--it's steep. Currently around 10k-11k but "buy once, cry once". Also, your point about the Polar 16570 is salient. I own one as well. It was my first Rolex. I purchased back in 2019, but I think it's time to let it go. It never gets wrist time and I feel it looks better in photos than on my wrist but the emotional connection keeps me from letting it go. This hobby is frustratingly expensive.

Good video with solid advice. What negatives have you found with your Explorer II?

Really love the Explorer on the leather strap, less of an eye catcher an reminds me more of a Omega Railmaster this way.

One of the main reason to go with the AD is for the luxury experience, or availability of new models. If you’re not getting that go pre owned , so many good local shops around the country happy to have our business!

If this hobby was value oriented we’d all be wearing quartz lcd f91w knockoffs. Nice video, like your approach to purchasing.

Very keen insights. Spot on. ✅

Last point is spot on.

Great video!

I don't have a money tree in my backyard so the next tier down is often the more reasonable option, not just for the purchase but also for the eventual maintenance cost. Instead of a Junghans, I bought a Sternglas. Since I know I'll never be able to afford an Omega Seamaster Professional 300M, maybe one day I'll get a Glycine Combat Sub (for now I'm happy with my Citizen Promaster Automatic NY0040). The one watch I like that I will get and not settle for a lower tier for will be a Hamilton Khaki Field Auto (with a silver dial).

Lots of good points here. I’d use the word icon instead of classic. Lots of watches are classic but not many like the explorer, santos and tank are iconic.

Good advice. I’ve had a slightly different journey : After over 7 years of being a watch geek and frantic collecting, last year I ended up buying a watch that was very similar to the very first watch I bought in 2016 (but sadly got rid of because it was a quartz) - a beautiful green dial, Seiko chrono quartz that cost under $250. I’ve more or less stopped wearing all my mechanical watches as a) aesthetically I prefer the quartz and b) after 7 years or constantly resetting mechanicals and getting annoyed with their lack of time keeping precision the mechanical/auto magic has worn off a bit now and I just want a ‘set and forget’ watch!

Great video. I’d disagree with one of your last points thought. I regularly look at my Christopher Ward watch and think how was this only £600. Especially when I see watches 10 times that amount with a similar level of finishing.

Good video, nice tips

that is true, I started collecting watches 4 years ago and probably had like 120 already (the most together was 20) So I learned the hard way going for value instad of the real one. Now I have 6, and very happy with my selection at the moment. A good tip is don't have a huge slot box because you will want to see it full.

Your last comment is totally true, to buy the one you really want and not a cheaper alternative. The problem with this hobby is that money is always an issue, which I hate. It’s always an obstacle in buying what I really want. It’s hard to wait several years to save up for an Explorer, example, when a Hamilton can do the job now. I love the Hammy but it’s not the same. I really want a BB58 but have to settle for a Seiko 5 because everything is so expensive and it’s only getting worse over time. Watch gecko did a good rant video on this last year about how even 20 years ago, with inflation, Rolexes should be in the $2-4k range and not $10k.

Love it. I’m a value guy 99%. But buy once cry once yes, which is why I bought an aluminum Rimowa suitcase and not another Samsonite! (After 10 years thinking how it wasn’t a value buy lol)

I've fallen victim to the insta watch trap more times than I'd like to admit 😅

Had that same experience with the Explorer II. Absolutely loved that watch, black or polar dial, until i saw one in the flesh and tried it on. All I can say is I felt very meh! To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I was absolutely gutted😢

Excellent synopsis of the entire process, after purchasing my “buy once cry once” watch. I stopped watching videos too:)

The insta photo is the best example I’ve heard in a long time. So many times I am blown away by the look of a watch on social media only to feel deflated when I see it in the flesh. It’s not the fault of the watch but expectations have built to an unrealistic level

First advice is try the watch on your wrist in person and second advice is don’t rush the buy. If you really like it it will be on your mind after you try it for at least a year or more. Then if you have the money saved then buy it.

Buy once cry once. Excellent. This is the best advice

Just don’t like the explorer 2

Well that white explorer is even better in person

very well stated.

16570 Polar Explorer II. 10000% agree. Bought one during Covid without seeing in person. Got “fooled” by the contrast boosted photos. Sold it later 😂

The explore 2 looks just the same as it doesi in the photo beautiful

I have or had 4 Watches in this category which i regret buying , 2 are already sold , one is for sale and i probably keep the fourth a citizen "C7" Re-interpretation because it has a day and date function , the case height and the cheap looking dial was the Problem for me , that is not a big issue and i got used to it . The Other ones were either to big in Size , had strange looking lugs or a very uncomfortable leather strap , i could have changed the strap but naa i have enough other watches. Don't keep them , F the money , i knew i wouldn't wear them , so better you get rid of them before they stay in your closet like forever .

I bought a crazy bomberg bomberg thought it was cool to have I had realized it was too big and completely outrageous to wear. I also wanted to purchase Longines pointer green edition, after going the store trying it out 4 times finally, I decided not to take I felt it was too thick for me . My only regret was taking a montblanc timewalker , I didn’t feel the watch

216570 Explorer 2, From A.D. no regrets. I like it, as it's the last Rolex tool watch? (Explorer now comes in two-tone....so?????)

For The Insta Watch, I always try to scour reddits like r/Watches to see if anybody took any candid, unedited photos of the watch. This way, I can get a realistic idea of what it'll look like.

Wise observations.

WELL SAID!!!!

Guys, we absolutly don t need those watches! So, whatever is the decision process, it s totally good or totally wrong! Because it s not rational.

ACIII said one truth “it needs to hurt for it to be worth it”

speaking truth

I like "buy once, cry once." I'm of the opinion that a watch purchase should hurt you a bit without harming you (or at least require delayed gratification). Seeking out accessible watches especially as substitutes leads you down the road of accumulating pieces that have no meaning to you at the added peril of eventually costing you as much as a possible dream watch, at any price range. 'It' watches are also the devil to me. FOMOing into a watch the Internet is clamoring over because you can't hear your own desires over the noise is a miserable spot to get stuck in. I'm happy I'm on a list for a piece that was ridiculed nearly everywhere I looked because I know it's what *I* want.

By the way the Omega speedmaster with the hesalite crystal and steel case back is the only speedmaster model worth having...

really fair points but a few watch fans might not like these truths haha

I used to think I wanted a Submariner, but my Tudor Pelagos and Certina dive watches have pretty much killed my desire for the Submariner. I really don't know what I would be gaining with the Submariner.

I buy one iconic style from each brand, over 25 years I’ve got a dozen fine pieces and would never sell any, but what you love and not for investment

I totally understand….for so many years I longed for a Rolex. To actually afford one! I finally made in my personal life to own a Rolex, and yet, I keep buying Seiko. It was my first mechanical watch company, that I could buy. Still, Seiko holds supreme in uniqueness and style. It’s a watch company that’s a real tool watch. IMPO

So close to 20K subs.!!!!

Buy nice or buy twice

For me value is important. Like the Aquaterra but not enough to pay retail. For me it is over value. BB58 I love and I feel it is worth the money. Nothing comes close for me in terms of looks, quality and value. Still looking though. Of course this is entirely subjective but surprised that the BB58 has killed watch collecting for me. Hope it doesn't last😮

Buy once, cry once --- YUP. I've bought the good enough/close enough watch before, and I'm usually left wanting the "real deal." Just learn to embrace the journey and resist shortcuts, you always appreciate the destination more. That's just good life advice in general!

This keeps happening with my speedy. Just bought the 1861 back for the third time

As much as I want a Moser, there is no universe where I'll ever spend 40k on a watch. My next watch will be a Citizen, which I think is beautiful, and I'll happily wear it and keep it. You people are nuts.

My Omega NoTimetoDie Titanium. Looks amazing. However, the contrast between face and hands is non existant in low light, almost illegible. I wish I had tried in non Jewelry light environmnt!

Unfortunately I would say as much as 75% of the time, having isn’t as pleasurable as wanting. Human beings love the chase, acquiring what they don’t have. Having said that, the White Rolex Explorer 2 is Beautiful. If I bought a Rolex, that would be the one. I had the chance but chose the Seamaster Professional. It was gorgeous.

I don't understand this new phrase "value for money". If not for value, why else do you trade money?

Really , my speedmaster is probably the one watch I have where the reality is more impressive than the idea in my head. Mind you , I’m not a photography guy.

And that’s why I never understand the videos titled “best substitute for a X”. If you buy any watch as a substitute for another one, you have already admitted you are not satisfied with it, you will sell it at a loss and be right back where you started.

Really? I absolutely LOVE my Polar Explorer II. It's perfect.

Don't let some beautiful images on the ad to make your choice, buy something that looks good on you, whatever the brand is.