New To Watch Collecting Introduction
So my younger brother will soon be coming on board as an editor and general all rounder to help grow this site. Below is a quick introduction. This is a raw unedited introduction.
Hi there,
My name is Antonio, I am Josephs brother and I have to be honest, I have no idea why my brother likes collecting watches. I don’t know if he likes their design, or if he enjoys holding on to a piece of history. Do watches help him hang on to nostalgia, of the good times in his past?
I have set out to find out why he has this fascination and why I do not. It is now my mission to find out why.
Now before we begin speaking about watches, we have to go to the basic fundamentals of what they represent. At face value, they are merely an invention to keep track of time.
As far back as I remember, I have had a difficult relationship with time. My dad would randomly tell me the time and remind me bed time was on it’s way or how the entire day went by in the blink of an eye.
“Oh, it’s 8pm! I feel like I just woke up and it’s already time to sleep!” he would randomly exclaim. I would become frustrated quite quickly and remind him that I didn’t want to know the time. It would actually instill me with deep anxiety, something I still have till this day, decades later.
I think my relationship with time is marred by many factors. Going to school and being bullied meant I would always check the time for that school bell to ring, preparing for my walk home and have rocks thrown at me, or being pushed around. The twenty minute walk home, desperately trying to get to safety. I knew as soon as I walked through the door, I would see my mum preparing lunch while the Days of Our lives was playing on the TV at exactly 3:30pm.
On to a different time in my life, when I lived in Naples, Italy. Joe had to move away, back to Australia. Overnight, I was left alone at home with my parents. As soon as Joe left, all the fun would drain from my day, making time tick so much slower, our of sheer boredom and loneliness.
I recall that as as torture, especially for a social 10 year old boy that I was, who idolized his brother. I will never forget just looking out the window, wishing I could go back in time to where my brother and I were sitting and playing our beloved Commodore 64.Time flies when you’re having fun and that saying rang true for me.
I remember turning 21 and being given an expensive watch by my boss at work. I don’t even remember the brand because quite frankly, I liked my boss as much as I liked watches.
I do remember putting that bad boy on eBay immediately and making $300. Funny enough, by sheer chance a co-worker purchased the watch, making the situation super awkward. I have never regretted that decision, so surely watches surely mean nothing to me, but why? Why am I so different from my brother?
Even decades later, when I was sick in hospital for weeks on end, time was my enemy. I would not want to look at a watch or a clock, because I knew as soon as 8pm came along, I would not be getting any more visitors. The isolation away from family was tough, and once again time came to a screeching halt.
Time, as you can see – has never been my friend. So why would I want to collect watches that remind me of the horrible periods of my life? Why would I collect bad memories?
When I discovered that my brother Joe collected watches, I instantly chuckled to myself, and thought back to the TV show Heroes. Was my brother like the creepy character Gabriel Gray aka Sylar, secretly absorbs the abilities of super heroes?
Maybe he just likes the inner workings of watches, like a surgeons thirst for knowledge of the inner workings of the human body.
I took some time to think about things further, and I thought to myself that maybe he sees them as works of art, both in design and in terms of mechanical design. Now I could be onto something here. My brother is a fantastic artist, a very visual man. I also know Joe collects antique photographs. With that I am beginning to see a pattern.
I can’t speak on behalf of Joes memories and opinion of time and nostalgia. I cannot comment on how he forsees his future, so I cannot really say if his love for watches has anything to do with time at all. That is how I perceive things, but it may be different from my brother.
Seeing that he collects antique photos, antique watches and is a fan of history – I believe this is where we differ. Joe might like not only the design and artistic value of watches, but he also enjoys collecting mementos of the past. As watches collect time, Joe collects history. His collection is not directly due to time, but connected to it. While I connect time to my personal memories and fears, Joe might connect his fascination of watches with experiences of others.
In order to fully comprehend my brothers watch collecting, I have hit the ol’ Google to see what others think of their watch collections.
“Completely irrational”, “a horrible affliction”, “the disease” is what Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary stated about his watch collecting “addiction.”
Further reading shows that watches were also a sign of status among men through the last century. People wearing flashy gold Rolex’s, showing other men that they were earning a good living and were successful in their careers, and in their lives. This could also ring true for me and for Joe. Joe is successful at his job and ventures, while I sit at home all day taking Dorito crumbs out of my beard.
Joseph Colella (also known as Joe Colella) is the Chief Wasted Talent at WastedTalentInc & ExpertDiveWatch
Meet the Chief Wasted Talent and ultimate dive watch enthusiast behind WastedTalentInc.com and ExpertDiveWatch.com, whose love for timepieces runs as deep as the ocean. Having amassed a wealth of knowledge about dive watches and dive computers over the years, he decided to share his passion and expertise with a wider audience.
Not content with covering just the basics, he explores the lesser-known facets of these intricate devices, diving into topics that many mainstream blogs overlook. Whether you’re a fellow enthusiast, a newbie looking for your first dive watch, or just someone interested in the mechanics and design of watches, you’ll find his insights both intriguing and valuable.
His love for art and all things related is equally intense. As the Chief Wasted Talent, he steers the WastedTalentInc.com website, a vibrant platform dedicated to showcasing art in all its forms. His unique lens paints a vivid picture of the art world, offering readers an exciting and unconventional perspective.
You can connect with him on social media to get the latest updates on watches, art, and more. Catch him sharing his latest findings, favorite pieces, and artistic discoveries on Twitter and Instagram @wastedtalentinc.
Driven by passion, knowledge, and a dash of wasted talent, he’s here to guide you through the fascinating worlds of watches and art. Follow him for a refreshing, deep-dive exploration into these captivating realms.
