If you're a fan of wrist watches, horology and things mechanical attached to your upper limbs, then you're living in interesting times.
There is literally a plethora of watches available, at almost every price point, for every budget and I have discovered that you can build a very interesting collection of great, fun, and cool watches on a very limited budget. Micro-brands ensure that you can own something almost unique at a very cost effective price point, and a quick delve into vintage watches allows you to own something with some horological history without breaking the bank.
Here are my personal "Top 10" tips that I've learned over the last few months, for getting yourself something interesting, without having to go cap in hand to your accountant and getting a mortgage for that beautiful time piece you've set your heart on.
Get a rough idea of what you're looking for, but don't set your heart on a specific model by a specific manufacturer. If you want a very cool chronograph, then have a look at the market for what's available at the price point you're looking at. Setting your sights on the XYZ "Multigraph 5000X" is seriously going to limit your options and you might find something similar, equally suitable, and at a comparatively bargain price, with equal class and cachet.
Take your time. You've survived your entire life without that particular watch. A few more days/weeks won't hurt - and if you spend some time researching (Re-Searching) and refining you may well find your patience pays off manyfold.
Bookmarks are your friend. We are blessed with a lot of microbrands, alongside luxury watches from well known brands and a mix in between. Often, lesser known brands use the same movements that much better established brands use too - so effectively you can get a watch with the same engine as the really expensive one you're looking for - but you need to know what's what and your bookmarks are invaluable. Being able to organise your interests for later compare and contrast exercises pays dividends.
Always check the prices. This is perhaps really obvious, but it's worth pointing out for more than one reason. Watches in particular, seem to be very heavily discounted compared to the manufacturer's price list. If you pay book price, you're almost certainly overspending on that model by a good 20% or more. Look around. Find out the model and number and search. Then search again. Bargain hunt. Then decide what you're prepared to spend and knock 20% off of that and see what's available at the new price point. you'll be amazed at what you can get.
Check the second hand watch market. (There's almost certainly a bad pun there... ) Seriously. There's a wealth of stuff out there that's really interesting and eyecatching for a lot less than new. Antique fairs are a great real world source as are specialist watch fairs. Also there are many auction sites online and other places so worth checking them out.
Designer Watches: NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Seriously, just don't. They might look pretty (beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose) but you're paying for a cheap lump of shite with a name on it. It will almost certainly have no horological value, and by and large they look, feel and perform cheaply. Plus their longevity is seriously suspect. Designer watches typically sport cheap Chinese movements and plenty of bling. I see someone with a Michael Kors watch, it tells me a LOT about them and their taste, and not in a good way. Can you say "gullible"?
Fakes/Replicas: Just don't do it. You could buy a fake Rolex - but honestly with that money you could get something unique, that makes a statement about you, for much less money and much more class. It's not big, it's not clever, and like above - it says a lot about you as a person. Again, not positively. If you buy a fake, you're too cheap and too sheep! Be your own person.
Search Engines! Once you've got a feel for where you want to go, search on the make, model, calibre, movement, strap, size, everything. Then do it again. Sure, you'll find what you searched for very quickly on the first try, but it's always helpful to see where the object of your desire exists in the ecology you're interested in. You'll almost certainly also find some very interesting objects come to the fore that pique your interest and bring you a lot of fun.
Money isn't everything. You can buy something really interesting, fun and worthwhile for a lot less than you expect/want/need. You might have your heart set on a JLC, but how about that really interesting Undone that you can specify yourself for a fraction of the price? With watches, it's not always about getting what you pay for. You can tell the time just as easily on a Swatch as a Rolex (within seconds at least) and you can have as much fun with either. But the money you save on the Swartch can go to buying many more watches giving you a very interesting, fun, and joyful collection.
Have fun. You don't have to spend a fortune to accumulate a really enjoyable watch collection and you need not do it all in one go. For me, part of the fun is deciding what to choose, where to aim next, the search, and then the aquisition. It's not simply walking ito a jewelers and making a purchase. It's a greatly enjoyable process that reaps dividends.
I guess much of this advice is obvious, and a huge amount can be applied to almost any purchase you make, and with whatever currency you have, but the prinicples are sound and if you're happy to take your time and a measured approach you can come up a winner and get real enjoyment from it at the same time and that, to me at least, is what a hobby should be about. I haven't mentioned trading here, flipping watches out, or buying to sell on etc because that's something I'm less interested in. I'm really here talking about collecting watches, but there's no reason why you can't apply the principles here to that process.
Have a lot of fun!
I should suffix this by saying this is my own experience, yours may vary, and as always, caveat emptor.