If you're like me, you've always loved watches. You probably can't remember a time in your life when you didn't want to know exactly what time it was, and as soon as you learned how to tell time by looking at an analog clock face, you began collecting these beautiful little machines that sit on your wrist every day. As much as I love watches, though, there are so many different options out there that I had trouble narrowing down exactly which one(s) would be best for me. That's why I wrote this article: to help other beginners who want to start their own watch collection but don't know where to start!

Focus your horological interests.

It's important to remember that watch collecting is a hobby, and as such it should be fun. If you find yourself getting bogged down with the minutia of every single model released by Rolex or Patek Philippe over the past century, then maybe it's time to take a step back and reevaluate what it is about watches that interests you most. The best way for beginning collectors or enthusiasts to do this is by focusing on one thing (or maybe two) and learning as much as they can about their chosen area(s). Be it vintage versus modern pieces; automatic movements versus quartz movements; chronographs versus dress watches--whatever your passion may be, sticking with one topic will help narrow down what type of watches are available for purchase at any given time without overwhelming yourself with information overload!

Make mistakes.

When you are just starting out, there are going to be mistakes. It's inevitable. You're going to buy a watch that doesn't fit your lifestyle or taste, or maybe even get ripped off by someone selling fake watches on eBay (it happens).

That's okay! The point of collecting watches is learning about them and finding what works for you personally--and there's no way around this process without making some mistakes along the way!

Arm yourself with some basic watch knowledge.

When you're ready to start your watch collection, it's important that you know how to tell the time on a watch. Here are some tips:

• The hour hand points at the hour number. For example, if it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon and both hands are lined up between 3 and 4 (i.e., pointing at 4), then it must be 3 pm! This is known as "laying out" or "sitting in" on an analog clock face.

• If both hands point at each other like they're having a conversation, then this means that both of them are pointing at 12:00 PM--or midnight! This is called being "topped-out." It also means that any other positions will have their own names too (like being topped-out).

• If one hand points directly at another number while its counterpart goes somewhere else entirely (for example: 9 o'clock), then there must have been some sort of mix-up because this doesn't make any sense whatsoever unless everyone involved were drunk off their asses all day long...and even then it would still seem kinda weird unless everyone was drunk off their asses all day long too!

Set a budget, make a plan.

Now that you've decided to start a watch collection, it's time to put together a budget. You need to know how much you can afford on each watch, as well as how many watches you want in your collection. This may seem obvious but if this is your first foray into collecting, it's easy enough to get caught up in the excitement of buying something new and not think about these details until later on.

When I started my own collection years ago, I was very lucky because my father had given me some money for Christmas that year specifically for buying myself something special (which ended up being an Omega Seamaster). So what did I do? I went straight over to eBay! My goal was simply just find something cool at an affordable price so that I could get started right away--and those were exactly my criteria when searching through listings: "cool" and "affordable." As soon as those two things came together in one listing (a vintage Seiko 5 Sports 100m Automatic Diver), then we knew we had ourselves a winner!

Visit watch boutiques and see watches in person.

Visit watch boutiques and see watches in person. When you visit a boutique, you get to see the watch on your wrist, how it looks with your clothes, and how it fits into your lifestyle. This will help you figure out which watches are right for you.

In addition to this advice, I would also recommend visiting a few different malls where there are lots of different stores that sell watches. Go into each store and try on all of their bestsellers! You'll probably find that some brands work better than others for your personality and style preferences--and once again: don't be afraid of getting something from an unknown brand if it looks great!

Buy just one watch at a time.

You should only buy one watch at a time. This is an important rule to follow, because it will help you from buying more than you can afford and also prevent over-collecting.

If you're just starting out with collecting watches, stick to this rule for at least six months before considering purchasing your second timepiece. It's important that your budget is in line with what kind of watch collector (or non-collector) you want to be: if it's an expensive hobby for example, then maybe holding off on buying another piece until later would be better suited for you.

Also keep in mind that most people only need one watch per day--so unless they've got some fancy job where they need two or three different types/styles on hand at all times (and even then), chances are good enough reason exists not purchase more than one per week or month depending how often each person wears them out during those periods of time!

Learn all you can before diving in too deep, and don't buy more than one watch at a time to help prevent impulse buys.

• Don't buy more than one watch at a time. This will help prevent impulse buys, as well as keeping your collection from getting out of control.
• Don't buy more than you can afford. If you're just starting out, try not to spend more than $500 on your first few watches unless they're extremely rare or valuable pieces--and even then, don't go overboard!
• Do not buy watches that don't suit your personal tastes and preferences in style and design; otherwise, it will end up being something that sits in the back of the closet for years on end without ever being worn again (or worse: sold off at some point down the road).

We hope this article has helped you get started on your watch collection. Remember that collecting is an exciting process, but it can also be overwhelming if you don't know where to begin. Take your time and enjoy the journey!