Continuing the Ask the Audience series on aBlogtoWatch, I’d like to broach the very commonly discussed topic of buying habits. A lot of us can end up feeling like “watch addicts” given our purchasing habits, but it helps to understand how our buying or acquisition paterns compare to our peers. You never know, that volume of watches you bring home that your spouse complains about might be scant compared to what others around here are getting.

The question of “how many watches did you acquire in the last year” doesn’t mean to imply that you bought them all, but is a catch-all question that includes watches you bought, traded for, or perhaps were given as a gift. Maybe you won the watch because you are a star athlete or performer (how most people in a racing sport get their best timepieces).

What will be interesting to see is how aBlogtoWatch audience members’ answers stack up against the data provided by watch brands about consumer buying trends. Of course, the figures depend on a range of variables, but it will be fascinating to see how correct or incorrect their numbers are. What’s also interesting is if people buy watches sporadically over the year, or at certain key times such as the holiday season.

My own theory is that watch lovers buy when “the time is right.” That means we develop a relationship with and desire for particular timepieces over time… and buy when the right time comes along, whether that is a good price or a good bonus. Sometimes we can wait years before we decide the time is right, and my theory is that above a certain price level, most people who at least consider themselves “enthusiasts” spend a while deciding what timepieces they want to buy and tend to have an ongoing “wait list” of watches standing in line for acquisition. I further feel that very little watch buying is done spontaneously, but rather after some degree of careful consideration.

I’ve just opened up a lot of conversation topics, but for now lets talk about watch buying and acquisition volume. Please do comment below to further talk about your buying habits, and learn how you may compare to other members of the aBlogtoWatch audience.