Any watch collector has, at least one watch they’ll never sell no matter what.
For this specific article I’m talking about those pieces in our collection that hold such a place in our hearts that even when the grail is around the corner, or the worst comes to pass, we will not sell them for the life of us.
It could be a gift from a girlfriend as a marriage proposal, your first “big-boy” watch, or simply something that has seen you at your best and worst. It doesn’t matter what it does not feel right to sell that particular watch.
I’ve come across 4 kinds of unsellable watches in this watch journey:
The gifts
The grails
The First one
The witness
Mind you, as in many cases these categories can blend into each other almost seamlessly, and even be combined into a single piece in your collection, thus making it easier to spot and take care of, although they’re usually separate from one another.
All through the article, alongside the explanations, I’ll share some personal examples of which watches in my collection would enter this category.
Before we begin, I won’t be including heirlooms in this discussion, as they’re part of an entirely different category in which sentimental rarity overshadows even the most common of watches, despite being unsellable by their very nature.
The Gift
Picture this, you arrive at your house after a bad day at the office, your birthday, or a special day is tomorrow, and when you wake up or arrive home someone surprises you with a watch, it may be a watch you’ve always wanted, one they bought because it reminded them of you or just a small tidbit, but that watch is now special because a person got out of their way to think about you and buying it.
The occasion can either be your birthday, graduation, proposal, wedding, retirement, Christmas, or even a simple gift just because, but that watch is forever linked to that person, hopefully for good reasons, and will usually be worn around that person.
But why is it unsellable, simple manners and courtesy, as well as the bond that watch represents in your relationship, especially if it came from someone special, this watch should only be gifted forward (if ever), never to be sold, and should be worn, not only with pride but around that person in special moments, an example of this is a Casio MTP1314 I own some friends of mine gifted me starting the hobby, a watch I‘m planning to wear on their wedding.
(I hope both of you two are reading this, because I mean it!)
Mind you this gift is not necessarily limited to the gifts given by another person, these can also mean the gifts we give ourselves, not in the classical way of “I bought a new watch”, but in the “I just lived through something important”.
Your college graduation, your promotion, master’s degree, proposal, something good just happened in your life, and marking it with a watch to signify that achievement is completely valid.
Even though not necessarily applicable, I’d qualify my Certina DSPH200M as an unsellable gift, as it represents a milestone in my life, yet is also a gift from my parents for completing college.
In the end, a gift either to yourself or from another person should never be sold especially when it represents something important in our lives.
The Grail
You’ve made the right financial decisions, put in the hard work, got the necessary bonuses, sold some of your favorite watches and lived through the best/worst, now your reward is at hand, your grail watch.
The piece you’ve been lusting after since, maybe, the day you entered the hobby, and now it is yours.
But little by little the luster of the new watch starts to wear off, the honeymoon becomes routine, and every single day that grail is just another watch in the rotation.
Yes, this is usually how it goes, but let’s face it some of us would not sell that grail even if we haven’t worn it for a decade.
The main reason is what that watch represents to us as watch collectors, not only in terms of acquired watches but the effort we had to put in to achieve it, I won’t touch on what that effort means as it is covered in the opening paragraph, but selling that watch would not feel right.
If this watch is truly for us, it would generate a second honeymoon period once we put it again and imagine having it just as you’re about to ship it to another collector… bummer.
There’s only one watch that comes to mind when it comes to this type of unsellable, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional, no I don’t own it, but I know that even if it is catching dust in a drawer or safe, I wouldn’t sell it for the life of me.
The First One
You never forget your first one
Get your mind out of the gutter, I mean that your first watch is unforgettable, either your literal first watch or your first “serious/luxury” watch.
These pieces represent the beginning of a journey, either in literal or more metaphorical ways, your childhood Casio, a Sinn or Longines you could only buy after much work or for a special occasion.
The focus on this type is also because after much time on the hobby the stories of regret relating to selling your first watch have become plenty, as well as people that re-buy their childhood/teenage watch are also quite ubiquitous, be it Jody from Just One More Watch or Nico from Pride and Pinion, hell even Teddy recently re-bought his Sinn 104.
So, believe me when I say, do not sell your first watch, dare I say not even to fund your grail.
The only watch that comes to mind that falls in this category is my TAG Heuer Formula 1, yes it was a gift from my dad when I was teenager, respecting an old family tradition, but independent of that, it is my first “big boy” watch and I don’t know what would my collection would look like without it, I’d even credit the watch for my taste in divers and watches in general.
The Witness
The feeling of having an object that has been by your side in every situation you’ve faced, or at least the very important ones, is an irreplaceable feeling, as that object starts becoming a part of you.
I’ve said in many previous articles that watches are “Silent Witnesses”, and in this case that part of yourself that witnessed the highest, and the lowest points in your life cannot be sold for all the money in the world.
I’d dare say that not even being able to throw it away once it finally breaks.
The way I am describing it sounds like I’m a hoarder, I’m not, is just the appreciation for a piece that was with me essentially from the start.
And that feeling can never be replicated in any other way, that watch becomes your calling card, your memento mori, your companion. Indiana Jones has his whip and hat, Bond his Tux and PPK, Luke his lightsaber, you your watch.
As of now there is only one watch that comes to mind and that is my Tissot T-Touch Solar Expert. This watch has been with me since 2015, almost ten years! This baby has seen me through college, my first job, COVID, my first serious relationship, trips, you name it. And despite the issues with the negative LCD display, I will never throw this baby out, even if it breaks.
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Mind you for others these categories vary, a unit watch given to you as a soldier might hold immense personal value, hence why it won’t be sold in the near or far future, another example might be a milestone watch, the watch you buy when you reach a certain milestone in your life, maybe your first promotion, a special birthday, birth of a son, etc., although some of us tie our grails for those moments, the point remains that these watches will never be sold.
Watches are some of the most personal impersonal things out there, and my reasons not to sell a watch will definitely be different than yours, thus I really want to know what are your unsellable, not only your specific pieces but also your conditions to never sell a watch.
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Before we leave, and for the sake of transparency, this article came about thanks to one of the most recent episodes of the Wrist Enthusiast Podcast as of the initial writing of this article, December the 2nd 2024.
Hope you enjoyed today’s read,
As always…
Nice article
Great topic! Really like this one!