I've been collecting for 10y, but when I first started I never imagined I will get so many watches. A few years ago I got a 10 slot box which I finally filled last year. And then, of course, I bought a few more watches, and have 2 more in the pipeline.

I had 2 watch boxes already and didn't want to buy a third, so the next logical step was to get an Ikea cabinet and modify it, so I can have a scalable solution for storing more watches. I'm quite proud of the result, I replaced the glides with a different model that fully extends, and I built the slots myself from wood and covered them in velvet. Based on my calculations it should fit 8 or 9 per row at maximum capacity, so it should hopefully take a long while to get it packed. I'm happy with how it turned out.

As a bonus, I also have the second drawer to keep all my straps (well, almost all since I have another small box of spare straps and most OEM straps are tucked away in the original boxes), at least until the first drawer gets too full to fit all my watches. By the way, I like to use Artem RM style deployants (or equivalent) on all my straps, I'm pretty OCD about it. And yeah, about that, I think I might have a problem, I have way too many straps.

Coming back to watches, I usually dress casual, so I don't need many subtle dress watches, and life is too short for boring watches, so I'd rather have some fun, interesting, watches instead. I also love diversity and uniqueness, and at some point I considered limiting to one watch per brand for diversity. But with CWs amazing releases and great overall value, they currently make up half of my collection, and I don't believe they lack diversity.

On the flip side, while I do have many CWs, they at least have different logos (or lack of), so I'm going to briefly go over them and also mention the logo differences:

• Malvern MK2: has the vintage "Chr. Ward London" logo, which is my favorite text based logo from CW, just perfect for this classic dress watch which was actually my wedding watch and my first Swiss automatic.
• Grand Malvern SH21 Power Reserve: has the boring "Christopher Ward" logo, but to be fair it kind of works on this watch which is a really great 'modern classic'. It was one of my first nice watches, and I still love it.
• C60 SH21 Abyss: also the same boring logo as above, but who can actually tell with that stealth dial. This is my rugged dive watch, and has been holding up pretty well so far. While not the most legible, it's also not as bad as you might think, and that see through dial is very interesting to look at.
• Aquitaine GMT: has the more modern twin flags logo, opinions are pretty divided on this logo, but I personally think it's a good step forward. I actually chose this watch over a Black Bay, both because of the better value but also because I like the design more, the sapphire bezel looking really good and not being as common.
• C1 Moonphase: no logo, this is something you must see in person to appreciate because photos don't do it justice. If, like me, you love moonphases, then this is probably the ultimate moonphase watch in this price range.
• C1 Bel Canto: no logo, befitting for such a masterpiece of a watch. The Phoenix edition has a lovely orange color, similar to the McLaren 765LT that it is inspired by, courtesy to @JasH (Thanks, Jas!). The chime is such an unique feature, I never get tired of hearing it. I find this watch so good that I actually bought 2 of them (the Phoenix for me, the Wyrd for my wife), and looking to get a third one (undisclosed bespoke edition).

As for my non-CW watches:

• MD Watches Supernatural Triskel: relatively inexpensive, but great looking regulator watch with a colorful dial.
• Tissot something-something model: did a great job as a daily beater for a while but hasn't seen much action recently.
• Mr. Jones Beam me up: really great piece that I got from my wife, I just love the concept and the cartoonish design, and the dial is really fun to look at. Great for parties when you don't need to tell time to the minute.
• Haim Viajero: small microbrand that I never heard of until recently, but they do make some interesting models. I've been looking at Omega AT Wordtimer for a time and I was never convinced to actually buy it. But seeing this somewhat similar world timer watch, with a very beautiful map dial for less than 10% of the price of the Omega, made it an instant hit for me and I just placed a pre-order. No regrets!
• Farer Banzare: I just couldn't resist the unique dial pattern and I had to have it. Overall this is a versatile watch easy to dress up or down depending on occasion.
• Baume & Mercier: really underrated and probably one of the best 'copper' colors out there. There are a couple of things I would improve, if given the chance, but I looked long and hard for a 'copper' (not 'salmon') dial in this price range and this was the overall winner.
• M.A.D.1 Edition - Time to love: because life is too short for monochrome watches. Also, it doubles down as an anti-stress fidget spinner for adults, just can't get enough of spinning it around with a flick of the wrist. Might be a bit bulky, but it's very fun to wear and has an unique design.
• Omega Speedmaster Moonphase: this was and still is my grail watch. It's just an amazing watch all around and I wouldn't trade if for any other. While the dial is quite busy, everything falls into place very well. And the tiny moon has an amazing level of detail, down to a scaled up version of Buzz Aldrin's boot print.

I also have a Mun Orion Green on the way, saw it on Kickstarter and instantly loved it, can't wait to have it in hands later this year. I saved the bottom left spot for it.

Anyway, this is all I have (for now). I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

A lovely selection of both watches and photos. A beautiful presentation of the watches and that strap drawer is something else!

Great collection, and write up too! I think the Abyss is my favourite from your lineup. Impressive work on the strap and watch storage too

That’s an excellent write up on your collection and storage solution.

I like the world timer and it’s not a brand I’m familiar with. The choice of cities in an interesting one, especially Sylhet in Bangladesh, I wonder if there is any connection to this city with the brand? Also the world map looks well done, as long as you aren’t Australian…..

I can’t help noting the lack of any bracelets along with your strap collection, I assume you only wear your watches on straps?

nycWATCHnerd wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2025 3:05 pm Great write up, good looking collection, and well done on the DIY storage.

timepieces_and_bags wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2025 3:52 pm A lovely selection of both watches and photos. A beautiful presentation of the watches and that strap drawer is something else!

jbm90 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2025 3:57 pm Great collection, and write up too! I think the Abyss is my favourite from your lineup. Impressive work on the strap and watch storage too

iain wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2025 7:00 pm That’s an excellent write up on your collection and storage solution.

UncleLoco wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2025 9:02 pm Very cool collection. Love the variety. Thanks for the great pics and write up. Jealous of that strap drawer! Good job on the storage solution.

Thank you all, much appreciated! I did put some heart (and time) into the cabinet, I'm glad it turned out well.

iain wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2025 7:00 pm I like the world timer and it’s not a brand I’m familiar with. The choice of cities in an interesting one, especially Sylhet in Bangladesh, I wonder if there is any connection to this city with the brand? Also the world map looks well done, as long as you aren’t Australian…..

I can’t help noting the lack of any bracelets along with your strap collection, I assume you only wear your watches on straps?

I was lucky to hear about it on Reddit a while back. The brand is Based in Chicago, but the owner is from Bangladesh (I actually had to search through his instagram posts after your question), so I would guess that Sylhet must probably be his birth city. I agree that Australia didn't fit on the map, but being from Europe I'm not particularly bothered by this.

You are correct, I do not wear bracelets. I used to a long while ago, but since I'm doing only office work and have my hands pressed against the desk basically all day, I find the feeling of having something metal press into my wrist against a wood surface extremely uncomfortable, so I wear exclusively leather straps now.

I'm quite specific about those as well, they need to be soft, or at least medium-soft (I don't like hard leather that is not flexible) and I do like to only use deployants, particularly RM style with spring which are the only type of deployant that my wrist can tolerate and for which I find no difference in comfort from classic clasps after an entire day, since all other deployant types that I've tried seem to dig into my wrist skin after a couple of hours, either the butterfly buttons or the deployant edges. Maybe I have sensitive wrists, not sure.

However, I do still prefer deployants to classic tang buckles, first because I can put my watch on and take it off much quicker without fiddling with the tang pin, and secondly, because they keep my straps in perfect shape. I have years old straps that basically look and feel like new because they never experienced the unnatural bending from a classic tang buckle.

Congratulations on the collection. Great SOTC post too

That strap drawer - just wow! I want one now. Oh, yes, the watches are pretty damn good to, but the strap drawer...
BTW, you have clearly settled on a style of buckle that you like!

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 10:30 am An excellent write up. Thank you.

Lovely range of brands and models. Great to see the Phoenix and I know what you mean about the C1 Moonphase. Good to see the (rare) SH21 Abyss too.

A great storage solution, but it's way too organised.

Sent from my Galaxy S23 Ultra using Tapatalk

Thanks! Yeah, I do love my Phoenix! I think I bought about 20 straps just for this one, it's the kind of watch that looks entirely different if you change straps.

About the storage solution, I used to have multiple boxes tucked away in some drawers. But now, by being able to see most of my straps as once (since I do have another box with 2nd tier straps..), it makes me not want to buy more of them (unless they're really special). So I think it should save me some money in the long run, I already passed on buying a few straps this month just by looking at my drawer and realizing I already have similar straps.

gaf1958 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:27 am That strap drawer - just wow! I want one now. Oh, yes, the watches are pretty damn good to, but the strap drawer...
BTW, you have clearly settled on a style of buckle that you like!

I do love my buckles, it's part of my experience of wearing the watch and I would really not go back to regular tang buckles. The thing is, I tried so many deployants, and these were the only type that I find extremely comfortable to wear, and I love that they have the spring and no buttons.

They're Artem RM clasps, and if you buy them from Artem they're really not cheap. I got like 30 or so from Artem, and to be honest, I spent so much on the buckles, I could have bought a really nice watch for all of them. But after that, I was able to find their chinese manufacturer on Alibaba (not clones, it's the real deal who produces the clasps for them, they're just unbranded) and they sell it much more cheaper (like 15-20 times cheaper) but they only deliver in bulk of 100. After spending so much on clasps already, I figured why not, and I went ahead and ordered 100. So now I probably have enough clasps for a lifetime (or more). However, I have no regrets!

Anyway, if someone is interested about the clasps, please DM me and I will happily send you the links.