TICKTALK: MISSED CONNECTIONS

Following their celebration of recent acquisitions, the editors of WOW Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand confront the spectre of the watches they did NOT buy. From a bargain Tudor Submariner to an elusive A. Lange & Söhne, the team reveals the deals they missed and the lingering regret of failing to pull the trigger

-  ASHOK SOMAN

In our Festive issue (#82), we pooled resources for the special semi-annual story on watches that the team bought. While that was a celebratory story about the watches we did end up pulling the trigger on, it did raise some tangential points. Throughout the story, the spectre of watches we did not buy loomed large, and we actually spelled some of them out. On this point, we mused about opportunity costs - buying one watch often means we say goodbye to another, or perhaps more than just one. Instead of diving deeper right there, we thought a separate story was more fitting. And what could be better than getting all the Editors-in-Chief together again - plus one who sat it out - in the one regular story where they all contribute.

Now, regret is a feeling that all collectors will be familiar with, but there are many kinds of regret. Too often, this has to do with something we should not have bought, if we had only known better. No doubt many of you will be thinking of one or more watches as you read these lines. We understand and you may be certain that we commiserate. Even if this sounds alien to you, dear readers, you will eventually experience it. This is an unfortunate part of collecting, and it extends to all variants of this hobby. Consider what happens when you buy a Ferrari as a trophy or because you always wanted one.

Despite hearing advice that you must drive the car to keep it working properly, you might not be in the right sort of place to do this. You will discover to your horror that the advice you got was indeed spot on. Your bank balance, already reeling from your purchase decision, will now be challenged so thoroughly that it might raise the white flag. Happily, this is not as great a concern for watches but it can happen.