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Becoming a luxury watch collector - here's a newbie's guide to purchasing your first timepiece

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Being a watch collector means putting a value on each watch that you buy and at the same time, appreciating the story behind that watch.

Given the wide variety of timepieces that are available on the market, it may be hard to decide which ones to choose. To help you get started with collecting your own watches, here is a guide to help you buy your first watch. 

Educate yourself

When starting your first watch collection, you should be aware of the different backgrounds of each watch.

Also, familiarize yourself with the brands. There are thousands of brands of luxury watches out there, and all of them are created with great precision and craftsmanship.

READ MORE: Guess which celeb has collected over 100 Hermes bags worth R28 million and which SA TV star owns over 300 pairs of luxury shoes?

To give you an idea of a luxury watch, do your research. For example see the history of Rolex, Longines or Omega Speedmaster, and how they turned out to be luxury watch makers.  

You also need to know how and where to find the right watches. These days, almost everything has a replica. Before you go out buying the timepieces that you find fancy, you should be able to tell if they are genuine or not

Prepare your budget

Starting a luxury watch collection will be pricey. Most of the watches that have a rich heritage are expensive. Not to mention that most of these watches are made by well-known and well-respected companies. 

READ MORE: If you check into this hotel, you can borrow their Chanel and Louis Vuitton handbags for a night out with your girls

Deciding your budget at the start is important. It is advisable that you start with a reasonably priced luxury watch and gradually ascend into a higher-priced one. You should keep in mind that when buying a watch, it is not about how expensive it is, but that it it will grow in value with time.

Only buy the watch that you like

You may be tempted to only buy new timepieces but according to this article, that is one of the top three mistakes that would-be watch collectors make, along with buying based on friends' recomendations or buying an item that doesn't suit your lifestyle.

There are various ways to acquire genuene pre-owned watches through ordering them online or buying them from a used watches store. One thing that you should never forget is that at the end of the day, you should enjoy the watches that you buy and add to your collection.

A bit of good advice when buying a watch is: never buy a watch that is uncomfortable to wear or that does not look good on your wrist.

Do not be drawn into the idea that having multiple watches is good. Remember, watches are a personal item, and you should wear them from time to time to make it worth having them in your collection.

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