that's flipping crazy!

One of the true marks of the fledgling watch collector, is the need to always be chasing that next "must have" timepiece. Watches are like shiny new cars, and there will always be one watch that catches the eye, but there is a difference between coveting something, wanting something, and needing something.

Quantifying wants and needs, especially in the world of collecting anything, is important, because both will definitely have an impact on the state of your collection, and present-day and possibly future finances. When I first began watch collecting, I too fell prey to the flipping craze. In a way, my flipping was about a conscious effort to improve the "quality" of my collection in total. Obtaining more automatic, and automatic chronograph pieces, limited edition pieces, and adding pieces that offered more complications than just the simple day and date. Nowadays, I find myself parting ways with a timepiece only if I am trying to reduce the total number of pieces within my collection.

The feeling of surfing the net, contemplating and researching that next gem or rare find to add to your collection, and the anticipation of waiting to receive your latest watch delivery, can be intoxicating, if not addictive; and that is a real danger, as any compulsion, if left unchecked, can get out of control.

Constantly catching and releasing timepieces, or flipping, can be a necessary evil in order to build your collection to where you want it to be. Just don't get caught continuously chasing the ghost of a grail, or amassing too many timepieces too quickly, or loosing too much money on flipped timepieces, that could potentially place your finances in dire straits.