As we step into 2025, the world of watch collecting continues to evolve, offering collectors—both seasoned enthusiasts and eager newcomers—exciting opportunities and fresh challenges. Whether your aim is to refine your collection, chase grail watches, gain knowledge or simply immerse yourself in the stories behind timepieces, setting clear goals can help bring focus and joy to the journey. Armed with a list of thoughtfully considered New Year's resolutions, allow these personal insights from the WatchGecko Authors to help you navigate the year ahead with purpose, ensuring every addition to your watch box feels as rewarding as it is intentional.
Watch Collecting Goals and Advice for 2025
My watch collecting goal this season is not only a ‘note to self’ but also my best advice for any collector, new or old; don’t overconsume.
Yeah yeah I know, I can hear your resentful huff of “sorry mum” from here. I think I can deal with being the party pooper though because this is an important lesson that (in my case anyway) has been learnt the hard way one too many times. The alternative is another year spent chasing trends and the thrill of acquiring something new that quickly leads to a meltdown when you remember there are other, admittedly more boring, financial responsibilities still fighting for your attention.
Admittedly, I’m a newbie to collecting, so you could argue that it would be easier for me to comment with only a MoonSwatch and a few vintage family heirlooms under my belt. Typically though, every hobby I take an interest in sees me invest an unhealthy amount of time and money fixating on all the gear I need to start, without ever actually getting round to starting. Oftentimes for me the chase and preparation are more headily intoxicating than actually just getting on with it but I’m learning to use that to my advantage.
What I mean by that is, lusting over watches is part of the fun. Dreamily admiring new releases on the wrists of our favourite creators won’t scratch the itch entirely but it can be a mindful part of the process that allows you to think before you buy. Sit back, take it all in, read a few reviews, look your grail watch up on YouTube and relish in the research and longing before you purchase something on a whim.
I’m not usually one for sticking to resolutions, but this year, I’m taking a serious stab at it. My watch collection has grown into something of a monster, spilling over multiple boxes. While that’s not exactly a bad thing, I’ve realised it’s time to hit the brakes and reassess. The truth is, I’ve outgrown some of my watches—both in taste and in the frequency I wear them. So, it’s time to let a few move on to new homes.
Consolidation is the name of the game for 2025. Many pieces in my collection don’t see the light of day anymore, and they deserve to be appreciated by someone else. Some watches might be sold, others traded, and a select few might make way for new arrivals I’ve already got my eye on for early in the year. Letting go wasn’t easy at first, as every watch I’ve bought has a story. They weren’t just random purchases but milestones in my collecting journey. At first, it felt like losing a piece of that history.
For years, I focused solely on vintage watches, drawn to their character and history. Recently, however, I’ve started embracing modern designs. They offer reliability, lower maintenance, and a fresh direction for my collection. I’ve already begun selling and trading a few watches to make room for a couple of new arrivals I’ve got my eye on for early 2025.
Beyond refining my collection, I want to keep writing, meeting fellow enthusiasts, and sharing my passion. The thrill of the hunt—the research, the anticipation, the discovery—fuels my love for this hobby every single day. Here's to chasing knowledge, connecting with the community, and embracing a more curated collection in 2025.
This year, I promise I’m going to downsize my collection.
I’m probably lying to you. That, I can handle. What I really struggle with, though, is how easy I find it to lie to myself.
I am completely delusional. I’ve been in the watch game for 22 years and my love for the craft has grown exponentially year on year. When I was finally able to start buying nice watches for myself about 15 years into said career, I did so with gusto. I approached the hobby (or, perhaps I should say habit), with the same zeal with which I accrued toys and trinkets throughout my youth. I’d been an avid hoarder of almost anything because I grew up with very few toys, trinkets, or money of my own, and so the ownership of things really mattered to me.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve realised the triviality of long-term ownership and also an object’s limitless capacity to bring joy. I don’t want to hold on to all of these wonderful things if I’m not using them. I don’t want to be a watch collector who simply possesses a court of safe queens; I want to be a watch enthusiast, who wears his watches in all suitable environments, someone who lives with them, who writes stories with them, who is not just comfortable scratching a watch but gleeful when the memory of an action or adventure is preserved on the wrist.
And so, I want to downsize my collection so I can spend more time with the chosen few.
Except my new Laventure Transatlantique is due to arrive at the end of Q1; an upcoming limited edition of the Space One Tellurium isn’t going to wear itself; and I’ve already enquired about putting my name down for a rather special Toledano & Chan to celebrate my 40 th birthday.
Clearly, I can’t be trusted.
If it’s true that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then at least I’m not going to be feeling cold any time soon in 2025. I start every year with many fantastic resolutions – some of which relate to watches – and nearly of which go absolutely nowhere.
Mainly, the intention to form a ‘one-in, one-out’ watch policy quickly evaporates, with the collection expanding throughout the year as inevitably as my waistline does (symptomatic of another resolution that regularly falls by the wayside).
So, this year, I’m going to choose some resolutions that might actually stand a realistic chance of happening.
Firstly, I’m going to buy more watches than I expect to. No more soul-searching or agonising, or thinking ‘where am I going to keep it?’ From now on, to paraphrase Nike, the policy will be ‘just do it’.
And that happily complements the second resolution, which will be to be less prescriptive in the types of watches that I buy. I recently got a Tissot PRX in ‘gold’ (PVD), having never thought that gold was for me. Instead, I love it.
The third resolution is to increase my technical knowledge. Up to now, my appreciation of watches has been firmly rooted at an aesthetic and emotional level, but that’s not enough and I need to find out more about how exactly everything works. A watchmaking course would be ideal, but let’s not get overambitious: that might be for next year.
Finally, I want to go to more shows and meet more members of the watch community. You always learn most from other people, and some of the best memories I’ve had of this year have been from events that range from Watches and Wonders to small meet-ups.
Every year, I tell myself the same thing: Take your time before buying a watch. Every year, I fail. But this time, I really mean it (maybe).
As a watch collector and watch reviewer, I find it so easy to get caught up in the rush of new releases. A brand drops something shiny; I try it out, fall in love, and before I know it, I’m explaining to my partner why our joint account looks suspiciously lighter. It’s not a great pattern, and honestly, it leads to a bloated collection full of pieces I was excited about for five minutes and then barely wore. Eventually, I end up gravitating back to my trusty daily beaters, the watches that mean something to me and the ones I loved not just at first sight, but for months or even years before I took the plunge.
This year, I want to focus on that. On patience. On remembering that a collection isn’t about quantity or cost but about the watches that mean something. It’s too easy in today’s world to get swept up in “buy, buy, buy” so this year, I’m going to try and be more patient. I’m going to attempt to take my time before I make the purchase to decipher whether it’s a watch I want to buy purely because it’s an exciting novelty, or if it’s something I will wear for years to come. If after some time of deliberation, the answer is still yes, then okay (sorry join account)…
This was a harder task than I initially thought it would be. I'm not someone who tends to make resolutions and am more of a 'let's see how the year pans out' kinda guy. However, I do have a couple of resolutions to make with regards to my watch collection.
It's only a fledgling one, with a couple of interesting Rados, my beloved Hamilton Ventura , a Christopher Ward C63 Celest , C60 Atoll 300, and a handful of MoonSwatches. I've not sunk anywhere near as much time or money into mine as other folks here. But it's mine, and I'm proud of it.
What I'd like to do with it in the next year though is add some more vivid dial colours to it. I've been eyeing up choices from Studio Underd0g and Paulin, or a Nomos Tangente with a lovely purple dial. They may be more 'affordable' against other options, but I think represent good value for money in terms of both fit and finish, and overall looks.
In addition, I'd like to get some pieces with more interesting dials with different textures and patterns. To this end, more affordable choices from Seiko's lovely Presage Cocktail Time range, the Straum Jan Mayen and even AnOrdain are on my radar. I'd love one of AnOrdain's enamel dial options, but there's quite the wait list.
Let's see what this year brings, and who knows where I'll be by the end of 2025!
