The art of collecting

As I was just opening the doors of my boutique on a recent morning, a gentleman walked in and he wanted to inquire about servicing his Longines watch which was with his family for over 70 years. Whenever I get my hands on such timepieces my inquisitive mode kicks in and unknowingly I started a conversation. Then I came to know that he has more than 50 watches in his collection. From his most priced AP Royal Oak to his Seiko(which he was wearing that day) he loved his collection. It all started because his father wore this, Longines every day, and later it was gifted to him. He was on the lookout for an Omega Speedmaster - Snoopy, I wished him luck finding one. Spotting a white rhino might be easier than finding one from an official retailer.

This made me wonder, why do people collect things? Let us try to understand this culture that is around all of us.

This world is full of fascinating and interesting collections. A person can practically collect anything under the sun. A few highlights I have come across would be Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan(fondly known as Rainbow Sheikh) is world-famous for his unique car collection. The Thai businessman Khun Apichai who loves Omega and built a mini-museum in his factory. One or a few reasons below can be the reason why they started their wonderful collections.

Emotional Connections

We are all attached to our family, our culture, our roots, our experiences, and this bond creates emotional connections which in return give us memories. One can start collecting comic books because he fell in love with them during his childhood. A person can preserve family memorabilia because it connects them with the important, happy moments.

Interest in History and gathering knowledge

Major events which shaped our history can trigger collecting items from that era. Periods during the world wars, the moon landing, The Soviet Union, and British Empire are very popular among collectors. This may be again due to emotional connections one has with the era or event or perhaps a pure interest in them.

Some collections are focused to improve knowledge, especially book collectors who start their collections in order to gain knowledge.

Prestige and social recognition

Some collect exquisite goods for the prestigious reasons of owning rare items in the world. This makes them feel powerful and showcases their social status. In return, some may donate or loan their collections to museums and exhibitions. J.P. Morgan and his $900 million art collection is a good example which is displayed in his own museum.

Investment and future appreciation

A group whose main objective is to use this as a tool of investment. These antique or rare collections will be hedged against inflation and other market risks. Kevin O'Leary(Mr. Wonderful) from Shark Tank openly discusses his rare wine and watch collection which he believes is a wise investment.

Pleasure

Whatever the reason one starts their collection, it is a fact that this gives them immense pleasure. Preserving, caretaking, and discussing their collections bring them immense happiness. Engaging with their prized possessions, driving one of their vintage cars on a roadshow, or wearing a rare watch for an occasion makes them unique and stand out from the rest. Even the hunt for a collectible can be very thrilling to them.

There is confusion between hoarding and collecting. Hoarding is gathering things without a reason and not discarding unwanted things. Collecting, on the other hand, is a disciplined way of picking and choosing what the person loves and curating a collection.

The art of collecting is not for all, it will start with passion, but it requires great patience to build a collection. With time, it can be an expensive affair to acquire and maintain the items. Still every day a new collector is born and a seasoned one is in search to add something new.