Admire you bro! At least you got the opportunity to acquire certain impressive brands to your collection before you embark on another phase of your watch collecting journey. Stay true to what you believe!
For me going down this independent maker road is a natural process as it has to do with affordability and I started with it and will end with it.
Firstly I do not fall into the "members here who amassed a large/impressive collection over the years" and the independent brand I am going to mention does not fall into the "Habring, Peter Speake Marin, Dornbluth & Sohn, Zeitwinkel, Nomos, FP Journe, De Bethune, MB&F" categories...everything is about 3 notch below...
Its a path where one will eventually reach and its entirely a personal choice to either take the adventure going into the mysterious woods or play safe by taking the yellow brick road...
I for once had experienced it earlier than I anticipated...feeling betrayed by the very brand I am so in love with and the politics among individuals in the group...turning something very pure to ugly...
So I thought long about what is individuality, speciality and differentiality...where the only thing a brand is more interested is generating profits...
So I left that boat and hop onto a new one...named Linde Werdelin...
Its a relatively new brand with interesting concept and ideas...and I thought hey...this could be the one for me...something exclusive and fresh...definitely not mainstream...
I was with the brand as a supporter for close to two years and within that time I have the opportunity to mingle and shake hands with one of the co founder, Mr Jorn Werdelin...that call for something. Speciality. The founder finding some time to mingle with the middle class citizen...something that even CEO likes of Bonati nor the former Gian Riccardo Marini will not waste time to do...
However...reality is...we are living in a social world of acceptance where one would want to be accepted as a part of something larger...and suddenly being different is not ideal anymore...(again I do not fall into the "members here who amassed a large/impressive collection over the years") as the limited pieces I can actually owned must be well-thought-out...
And the biggest impact is resale value...this is the another factor in today's reality (for me at least) as when one decided to "upgrade" "move on" suddenly the volume of people who are willing to pay that kind of price for a niche brand seems so little. Finally left with no choice but to lose a big chunk of dough...
I finally understand what makes a brand...The marketing? The sales volume? The marvelous piece of micro engineering? The Endorsements? Yes...ALL of these plays a part...BUT...! The biggest factor that makes a brand is....OWNERS.
Owners like yourself and me and everyone of us logging in here day in day out...WE are what makes the Brand...so what if one have a million dollar watch with the most state of the art in the finest of watch making where no one to share with? No one to show off to? No one to explain and brag about the timepiece complications to?
Thats what I missed the most when I found LW...Being a small independent brand means the number of owners are also very very limited edition...and sharing of my beautiful timepiece is no longer joyful as before...but it's a blessing in disguise cause by going through that path, I understand now that its more than a watch...
I am now back to the yellow brick road where I know, if I am ever lost or needed help, there will always be someone around...
Experimenting with independents - an inevitable watch collecting journey?
I'm finding the appeal of the mass brands diminishing because they're readily available and more commercial in nature. It seems like the watches lack the watchmaker's "soul". Mass brands are trying to make up/recreate the "soul" by marketing the history, founders, legacy, linking to sports events and celebrity endorsements.
I find myself now standing at the edge of what i call "the infancy stage of independent watches appreciation". The more I research about them, the more they appeal to me. Watchmakers like Habring, Peter Speake Marin, Dornbluth & Sohn, Zeitwinkel, Nomos, FP Journe, De Bethune, MB&F and etc. Juxtaposition of fears, uncertainty, uneasiness and excitement. I know this will lead to an abyss when I cross the line.
For some of the members here who amassed a large/impressive collection over the years, do you feel that this is an inevitable part of the journey or do you still prefer to take a safer bet and buy more mainstream brands? Do you wish to experiment independent brands and start afresh (beginning with entry level models and eventually "upgrade" along the way)?
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