Time To Say Goodbye

After a decade and a half of amassing a trove of fine timepieces, what does it feel like to send your collection to auction?

- Mark Cho

JOURNALISTS, ENTHUSIASTS AND collectors have generated countless words on the acquisition of watches, but surprisingly little has been said about selling them. I've been collecting for 16 years, and recently I decided to part with most of them. I have a clothing business called The Armoury in New York and Hong Kong that I love very much. I want to fund our next expansion, so I'm trading in these lovely things and putting the proceeds toward an even greater goal. I could have a pile of fine watches in my safe, or I could have a new store that brings joy to me, my colleagues and my customers.

What have I collected over the years? I started quite humbly. They were barely even called vintage watches when I began; they were second-hand and thus, cheap. It was fun to find interesting bargains on my limited budget. My first vintage piece was a grey-dial Omega Chronostop. Later I collected 'important watches', such as Patek Philippe Nautiluses before they were hot and A Lange & Söhnes before they were cool, with a view that they would become even more important later on. There was satisfaction in being proved right by the market. Now I pick up whatever strikes my fancy, like a horological magpie.