Three Essentials that Every Watch Collector Should Own

Congratulations!  Of all of the collecting hobbies out there, you chose one that is relatively practical and straightforward to get into.  Unlike many types of collections, watch collections are lightweight and require very little in terms of space, and investment in things like tools, containers, and accessorries.  The interactive collection we host on this website began with an initial investment of less than $50 for a box and a few other accessories to help us get started.  We made a short list of the three most essential items that we believe every collector should own. 

1) A Watch Box

Obviously, you are going to need something to store and display your watches in.  A watch box is essential for this.  You will want to own one with a transparent top that provides a view of your pieces.  How much should you spend on a box?  Our advice is - not much.  Unless you have a ridiculously valuable collection then you are better off going for something simple that provides function.  Instead of dropping loads of money on a fancy box, use that money to buy a nice watch instead.  You don't want the highlight of your collection to be the container, after all. 

Amazon carries a six-watch case that would serve perfectly as a first watch box.  If you want additional functionality from your watch box go for one with extra compartments for things like sunglasses or bracelets. 

2) A Spring Bar Tool

Number two on our list is the spring bar tool.  A spring bar tool is necessary to change the band or bracelet of a watch.  While it may be possible to use a household object like a knife to remove spring bars, doing so risks damaging the watch.  Having the correct tool makes the process a whole lot easier, and they are super cheap.  You can pick one up for a dollar or two. 

3) A Cleaning Cloth

What?  A cleaning cloth?  That's so boring! 

Well... maybe so.  But our final reccomendation is that you own a high quality non-abrasive cloth to keep your watches clean and looking good.  This is just another basic essential.  Again, you don't have to get fancy - if you want you can make use of a sunglasses lens cleaning cloth for this. 

The watch winder did not make the cut for this list as we feel that it is not essential.  Unless you have a very complicated watch such as a moonphase or perpetual calendar, watch winders provide little function.  As always, our advice is to keep it simple. 

Thanks for tuning in.  Click Here to participate in the current poll to determine the next watch we add to the interactive collection.