A lot of people are trying cut down on their watch collection these days. And while I didn’t have the crypto winnings to blow into the watches in the first place, I’m starting to realize that my own collection has grown too large for my taste. Not because I don’t love what I buy, but because I’m like a teenager and bewildered when I see something I like. I should say: that doesn’t mean I have a few Cartier Tanks just lying around. I can’t find Rolexes hidden in my couch cushions. What’s more, if I’m at a flea market or card store and see anything that screams “80s cocaine lord,” I’ll probably take it. A friend’s father once showed me the watch he wore when he defected from the Soviet Union in the 1970s, which sparked an obsession with picking up any Soviet-era watch I could find. can see if they work or not. But my biggest favorite — and one that I seem like Marie Kondo can’t get away with — was the first “interesting” watch I ever had as a kid: the simple Casio G-Shock, comfortable.
A year ago, I counted and discovered that I had amassed more than 50 watches, which put me in a funny, in-between situation: that number is modest compared to some lovers. I love watches, but it’s crazy for people who don’t own one and will let you know if they need time so they can look at their iPhone. I tend to have an easier time tidying up the files, books, shoes, vintage t-shirts, and other things I collect. But for some reason, I keep buying more watches that, in a lot of cases, I’ve never worn. I realized I needed to cut back. The goal is to always have watches that I love, not to start building a mini watch museum in my small apartment.
So I decided the best thing to do was to start giving away watches. Nothing too crazy; I don’t just deliver Oysters to acquaintances. Instead, I’m buying an ’80s Swatch that might be a bit too colorful for my wrist that I got at a garage sale. I thought an old Rado from the 1970s that I picked up for $50 (and now seems to be reselling for around $400) would make a great gift for a friend who just had a baby. first child. I didn’t give away my entire collection. In fact, I’d say I offloaded a dozen, at best.
But the ones I never thought of keeping are my three G-Shocks: The bulky, black analog-digital Mudmaster that I wear when doing anything remotely outdoors; the orange watch that Casio did with NASA; and my trusty “weekend watch,” the DW5600E-1V that I bought for $75 forever ago.
Have anything else about G-Shock. It is not the original digital watch (that distinction belongs to the Hamilton Pulsar, which turns 50 this year). When you go to Reddit, nearly 37,000 members belong to G-Shock Community bland compared to 704,000 Apple Watch enthusiasts. But G-Shock has a way of overcoming brand loyalty. Many luxury watch players still respect Casio. In the book A Man & His Watch, artist Tom Sachs, who created his own G-Shock”a double hermés . travel watch“, from Patek Philippe’s tagline about you never actually owning that particular watch, ‘You just take care of it for the next generation. “Sachs has no doubt that an expensive watch will mean anything to whoever it is given to,” but I love the idea of a $40 thing that you own, compared to a something worth $4,000 that you own.”
