Welcome to this watch live. Hi, I'm Lydia Winters.
Today we're talking about some of the biggest watch mistakes.
In the world. Made, we've made, yeah.
I think in the world there's probably very different ones
that like I don't have the economic status to have made.
Oh no, I bought a one-of-a-kind and something, something.
I don't know. What would be the mistake there?
You accidentally, like, wore it in the water, but you didn't get
it checked and it was like the the one, like a true
one-of-a-kind piece, unique. Well, I I think.
I don't think I can make that mistake.
Would would count going in the water as their biggest watch
mistake. Oh, interesting.
You know, if you think about the history of people wearing
watches, probably many, many, many, many have been destroyed
by water. Yeah, my parents told me
recently that when we were on a family trip in Orlando, we went
to this cool Marriott resort and we were so excited.
And then I guess my dad's president just started.
Like day, date. Rolex Day Date President just
started leaking water. I need to ask more about this
story because I'm like, did you just be like, bye family?
I guess that's what I would do. But that's why we don't have
kids. Because I would be like, see.
Yeah, everybody. I got to take care of my watch.
My watch is my baby. Still in the pool.
Yes, and it's like filling with water.
That's what my mom said. It's filling with water.
Filling with water. So maybe back then they didn't
have the twin lock crown. Yeah, I don't know.
And and he had left. Maybe it unscrewed?
Yeah, we will. We will.
I will get more. I'm going to do some
investigative journalism on this topic.
You would. Get your dad on the pod, yeah.
That would be great. And he could tell us about that
moment. He's like goodbye wife and
children. So today we are going to answer
a question by Chrono Camera who asks biggest watch mistakes?
Shrug emoji. Perfect.
We will talk about exactly that. Perfect question.
So OK, I came up with three that that that I think are hour.
Okay. Well, you know, when I started
to think about it, I was, I was thinking more through my.
Lens, but then I've done. All the same, yeah.
I kind of feel like you've done the same thing.
So the first one, and I think this just is a thing that every
watch collector does at some point flying without seeing.
Yes, yes, right. The age-old tale, Yeah.
Just seeing on Instagram does not count as seeing.
It it really doesn't. I mean, we've talked about this
before. I think especially with the
talent of so many of the photographers on Instagram like
you, it's so easy to fall in love with the look of a watching
photos and and and what I've said in the past is like, that's
not the same as falling in love with the look of a watch on your
wrist. No, but that's why we have this
great phrase in the middle, seeing, seeing the watch in the
metal, in the metal if. It what?
What if it's a wooden watch? Well then, seeing the watch.
No, I yeah, we're good. Skip that one.
The the other part there was Part 2 to This mistake is like
buying without seeing, but also not really knowing what you
want. And there's a reason that those
2GO together, because I think especially in the beginning of
your collecting, it's really important to try things on
because it takes time before you could predict a watch without
trying it on. So I think as time goes on, as
you've tried on more watches. So I'll give an example.
We bought the two out of the Omega 1957 edition trilogy,
right? I bought the Omega C Master Rail
Master. Yes, it is called a Seamaster
Rail Master. Names and I bought the
Seamaster. Seamaster The Seamaster 300.
And so we saw these online. We looked all over Instagram, so
all the amazing photos and then we ordered them and they came in
and they looked as beautiful as we thought they would.
But the wearing experience left much to be desired, especially
the bracelets because they had no taper and they had huge clasp
and all of this stuff super uncomfortable.
So we both tried to figure out what to do with these watches,
if we knew more about bracelets and what we like and.
Kind of liked about the bracelets, looked at the photos
and been like, oh, that doesn't seem like it's for me.
Exactly. And now when I look at a watch
online like bracelet comfort is something I can at least
partially assess because I've tried on many more bracelet
watches since we bought these. When we bought these, I had not
owned that many bracelet watches at that time.
My Rolex Explorer 2 which has a super comfortable bracelet.
You had your date jest, which has a super comfortable
bracelet, and then I've owned a couple other bracelet watches,
but not enough to really know that there's great bracelets and
then there's less than great bracelets.
But that kind of leads into another point, which is just not
being patient. Because maybe that's the real.
Yeah, like we could have waited to see it in person because
again, it's not a watch that you could never see.
And most of the time when I'm buying something, it is
something that I could see. It just might take a little more
time. So this is like, yeah, like this
is what I've decided on the Lorca GMT, which I'm super
excited about is I'm like I don't want to make the same
mistake again of just buying something and not trying it on
1st. So I'm going to, you know, see
where they might be like are they going to a Warren and Wound
show, You know like is there some time that I could try it
on. So then I feel confident because
I think the other part is when you are a little nervous about
something that, like those nerves can carry over, even if
it is perfect, even if it's great, you're like, well, maybe
I shouldn't have bought it or I bought it too fast or I didn't
think about it enough. And that's definitely where I
was with the Seamaster because we just kind of like you were
looking at them and I was like, what if I buy one too by now,
You know, like it was right at the sort of it was right before
I started my my Instagram. Yeah.
And it was kind of in that like buy first, think later, yeah.
I I think so. There there is a maybe not a
caveat, but there's a way around this mistake, and that is to
have the discipline. Because.
Most places you buy online, it depends.
But many, I'll I'll say many places you buy online have
return policy. Yeah, that's true, you can
return things. Perhaps you'll lose out a little
on the shipping, but I would say that as the cost like it's
probably cheaper than going traveling to somewhere where you
could see a similar lot. So like, but you have to have
the discipline that when this new watch arrives at your house
and you open it up and you're so excited to have a new watch that
you need to actually commit to assessing whether or not this.
Watch is for you, that is not me.
And then once, if once that package has arrived, that watch
if it is. Not what you're hoping, wishing,
wanting it to be. Then you have to have the
fortitude to return it. I'm.
Not sure whether I could do that or just wait Both things, are
they long well. We didn't return these.
No, we didn't and. I will say, although I don't
remember the exact moment, I'm pretty confident that we put
them on and we were like, this feels great, but it didn't,
yeah. But the look was so good.
So I mean that is all you know like that's also part of it is
like again it's back to what? It's the discipline.
It's. Back to what you said too.
It's like thinking about what things really make or break a
watch for you. Yeah, so if it's like, look, I
will wear any watch as long as it's the most beautiful thing,
then like, that watch would be perfect.
But I agree. With that.
Yeah, but you don't because. But it wasn't the most well.
Yeah, but if it's. But if it's something you just
think is beautiful and then you're like, I don't really
mind, I. Miss bringing photos of that 10?
Interesting the. Seamaster Real Master 1957
Trilogy Edition I don't. I don't miss having to write
that name in the no. It's very long and convoluted.
OK. Mistake #2 for this.
Maybe this one's more me, OK? Not.
Thinking about where and when I'll use a watch, like not
having a place for it. I've spoken before about how I
like that every watch has a reason for being in my
collection, but there have been times when I just got excited
about buying a watch, did not create that story, and was never
able to really retroactively create it properly.
So the Grand Seiko SB GM211 that I bought in Tokyo.
Beautiful on that. Wonderful trip.
It's a cream dial GMT on. A leather string.
T hand comes on a brown Gator strap.
I mean, really a gorgeous watch, Very popular Grand Seiko, at
least in the course. Yeah, I was in love with it.
I think I have some photos of it on my Instagram because I was
like, this is gorgeous. And just a wonderful watch.
But the story that I built around it was that because
during that point in our lives we travelled a lot for business,
like so much. And so I was like, this is my
new business travel watch. Like, it's elegant.
It really fit a lot of the kind of travel wardrobe that I had at
the time. And I thought, this is perfect.
But that was, you know, February 2020.
And then the world changed and there was no business travel
actually for for me like kind of ever again not, not at that
level, right. So even though, yes, around the
world people have gotten back to business travel like it's just.
Not the extent that it was. Yeah, yeah.
So now I'm going on, what, one trip a year?
Two trips a year? Whereas before it was 10 trips a
year, Yeah. But do you regret selling that
watch? I I regret every watch I.
Sell because I know, but I mean. All.
Do you kind of wish more on that one that you would have kept it?
Yeah, of course. But so then my thought is like
maybe in that case you like niche down too much because that
is a watch you could wear every day like a lot of places but you
were like it is a business travel watch.
Therefore I do not business travel right now.
I don't need a business travel watch.
So maybe that is part of your. Well, it was also because OK, we
could go real deep on this because another mistake would
just be that at that time I don't think I was well versed
enough in watches yet to know how to really make that watch
work with more casual wear. OK, yeah, that's true.
You. Know.
And I I saw it as a more elegant watch because that's kind of how
it was designed. But you can wear things much
more casually, yeah. It's so funny because that's not
how I saw that watch. I it's also the 30m water
resistance. And yeah, Grand Seiko says that
means splash only. OK, so like when I hear Splash
only, I automatically think, oh, this is like a dress watch, but
again. But again, we're back to like,
how often do you swim? Boo I'm.
Just saying you're. You're like this is only for
business where you don't swim. Yeah.
When do you swimming? During business, right?
Like you don't swim anyway. So I think, but I yeah, but
that's part of it is like the story you told yourself about
that watch is like you couldn't you couldn't really change it
even though. So maybe okay maybe mistake 2.5
is creating two specific, that's what.
I said, yeah, you're like niching down to like there's
only one occasion for you to wear it, but it it that was a
gorgeous watch. True but.
When you have a bigger. Collection that is and that.
That could mean different things.
You do start. To pick like the most specific,
you start. Niching down, because if you
have, let's say you have 10 or more watches and you like to
have a reason for each watch, they.
They become pretty. Difficult.
You got to be very specific about that.
Then we're back to we should you should just.
Everyone should have a two watch collection, one dress, one
sports. Done.
I. Don't even think a dress watch
is necessary for most people because you can wear casual
watches. In one quite.
Dressy situation. Beautiful watch.
Yeah, that's one. Beautiful.
Watch. That is what we should be
striving for and will not. OK, mistake number.
So. OK I.
Guess we have a lot of mistakes since we have like added like
15. Well, there.
There's mistakes and there's sub mistakes.
Yeah. But mistake #3 is thinking
anyone outside of our strange little group will care about
what you wear on your wrist. Yeah, but.
Isn't that why we all love watch Instagram?
Is because you actually fulfill the thing you hope, which is
someone cares of. People caring, but it's a real.
Promise because you're. People do care, They.
Care. They're excited when you get it.
They're excited when you post a photo of it.
They're excited when you wear it.
But thank. You.
Instagram. Community, but they're not
there. So when you strap that watch on
your wrist. And so this is something I would
say I used to be like. I used to live this mistake
every time I got a new watch. Even.
Not just new watches, like, even watches I had owned for a while.
But nowadays I I I think I'm much better about it, is that I
used to have an expectation that I it it.
It wasn't intentional, right? Like, it was just a feeling and
I'd get a watch and I put it on and I'd feel like, OK, this
looks amazing. It looks so cool.
People are going to love it. Like people are going to be
like, where'd you get that thing?
That thing's beautiful, and no one ever does that.
So there's Even if you're so happy with the watch and you get
all the compliments from your Instagram community, there's
still a level of disappointment if you allow yourself to have
that expectation when you go out.
These days, I don't. The past few new watches I've
gotten, I put them on. I do not expect that anyone will
notice. OK, maybe a tiny bit.
Maybe there's a hope and a dream, Yeah.
Sometimes I think about that because especially like with my
OP's, I'm like, this is a bright color.
This color is blinding you on this call.
This color is blinding you in real life.
It's like you know it. It's almost like one of those,
like the light coming in your eyes and still there's like no
interest whatsoever. Even with a very bright watch,
even. Sometimes with the watch people
at the office, I'm like, oh, you're wearing a watch too?
And they're like, no, don't like.
I don't notice what what? Is that thing?
Yeah. Can you Swatch?
Yeah, it I but I mean I guess, yeah, is that a do you think
it's just a mistake to feel that way or it can make you a little
disappointed with something new in?
My the way I think it's a mistake for me to allow myself
to have that glimmer of hope. But then I think, yeah, I mean,
I do agree though. It's just overall, people don't
tend to notice. Like, I can get a pretty
dramatic haircut and no one says anything that's.
True. And I think your mistake often
times is that you think you're going to get all these comments.
Yeah, but no. One and then.
You don't. Yeah, exactly.
So if you could just reframe it and be like, yeah, yeah, I get
haircut. No one's going to notice.
And then if someone does notice, you're like, what?
Thank you so much. Amazing.
I am a haircut noticer though. Women, men, anyone.
I will be like, hey, you got your haircut babies for sure.
Wait. Do babies get haircuts?
No. Usually the parents are like,
oh, we got to let it grow, and then they get all scraggly oh.
Scraggly because. Because you're like you don't
want to get the first cut. The first cut.
Was the deepest. Oh, oh, oh.
OK. Is that where we end?
Yeah. Maybe that maybe that's where we
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Thanks everyone. Bye.