These days, watches can seem virtually irrelevant to many people. According to their way of thinking, there is no need to clutter your wrist when you can simply check the time on your smartphone. While many people may subscribe to this opinion, watches, particularly fine automatic timepieces, attract a passionate following. There are several factors that continue to make premium timepieces so compelling.
The first is undeniable prestige. Nothing says power and success more clearly than a beautiful Rolex, Breitling, Omega, or other high-quality watch. Simply owning this item tells everyone that you are well acquainted with the finer things in life and will accept nothing less than the best.
Fine watches also furnish someone looking for a hobby with an excellent avocation. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what compels people to accumulate multiple automatic timepieces, but the Internet is chockful of websites oriented to the power collector. Some fall in love with the tradition and craftsmanship that go into the making of their timepieces; others are attracted to the engineering of the mechanisms; still others find the gemstones and precious metals of the finest timepieces irresistible. Whatever the reason, becoming a watch aficionado can grow into an absorbing hobby that even has the capacity to provide investment potential for your timepieces.
In addition, some watch collectors amass them because they wish to leave heirlooms for the people they care about. Merely possessing or wearing a fine watch that was loved and worn by an ancestor can be tremendously meaningful to the succeeding generations. Few heirlooms possess more intrinsic and sentimental value than does a premium timepiece.
Finally, we come to perhaps the most obvious reason for people’s passion for fine watches: They love to use them to tell the time. As long as a watch is kept wound according to manufacturer specifications in a single watch winder or one designed for multiple timepieces, a collector can proudly wear any of his or her watches at the proverbial drop of a hat. Although their timekeeping may not be as precise as a smartphone can provide, there is something about the hand-crafted precision and engineering by master watchmakers that makes checking the time on your premium watch much more than a routine task. If you are a collector, you may have found yourself simply staring at your timepiece as the minutes ticked by, entranced by the beauty and grace of each passing moment.
That in itself is a reason for loving these amazing and unique collectible objects. Practical and whimsical, beautiful and functional, automatic timepieces take the task of ascertaining the hour to a whole new level. That is what makes them timeless.