In part one of this series, I mentioned that one watch, the Seiko SPB143, changed the trajectory of my collection in 2022. Indeed, the SPB143 shifted my taste strongly toward dive watches. The experience of getting my open-water certification with the SPB143 increased my appreciation for the supreme practicality and versatility of dive watches. Like the do-it-all secret agent, James Bond, dive watches can handle just about anything you can throw at them. They look just as at home timing a decompression stop as they do timing your morning French press or strolling through the office to your next meeting.
Before having the epiphany about my preference for dive watches, my guiding philosophy in collecting was trying to have one of every core type of watch. One dive watch, one GMT, one dress watch, and one chronograph. One black dial, one white dial, one blue dial, one grey dial. You get the picture. There's nothing inherently wrong with this philosophy, but at the end of the day, it left me feeling pigeonholed to filling in “gaps” in my collection rather than pursuing the watches that really captured my curiosity. So I ultimately ditched this philosophy in pursuit of curating a collection that felt more like home, more aligned with who I am, or rather, who I aspire to be. Let's look at how this newfound approach shaped my collection over the last year. Read the full post