Earlier this year – 5 days after my birthday – my house was broken into and burglarized. Fortunately, our thieves weren’t that bright and most of what was stolen was easily replaceable. Among what was taken were things like our TV, our computers, and our video game consoles. Big ticket consumer electronic items, for the most part. And while no one likes to deal with insurance (the process is still ongoing), as far as burglaries go, it could have been a lot worse.

What hurt the most was the theft of my watches. I had just received a new watch case as a birthday present, which I loved, as it was a great way to showcase my entire collection. It also made it very convenient for the thieves, since they just took the whole thing. I’m thankful that I was wearing my Breitling at the time, and I’ve since started to rebuild my collection, but I still miss those old watches from time to time, and I wanted to take a few moments to reflect back on them.

Orient Blue Ray

The Orient Blue Ray was the first mechanical watch I purchased, and also the first time I tried replacing a strap on my own. I was inspired by a post I saw on reddit, which had the Blue Ray on a Hirsch strap. I bookmarked the image, and after a few weeks of looking at it on a daily basis, I pulled the trigger and bought the watch, the strap, and a cheap spring bar tool.

Many watch collectors will say it’s a sin to put a dive watch on a leather strap, but I was in love with this combo, and I’m not too proud to say that I got several compliments on it. And although I have an arguably better dive watch, I’m still tempted to buy another Blue Ray.

Timex Weekender

I know. The Timex Weekender may be the most popular watch among Beardos and Instagram. And especially Beardos on Instagram. But there’s a reason it’s so well liked. The basic model can be had for around $30, it’s got a clean dial, a reliable quartz movement, looks great on a myriad of straps, and has that trademark Indiglo.

True to its name, I would generally strap this watch on once my work week was done. And because it was quartz, I could forget about it during the week, knowing it would always be set and ready to go.

The Weekender line includes chronographs, field watches, and minimalist dials, but when I finally get around to replacing mine, I think I’ll stick with the basic model.

Sturhling Original

I received this watch as a birthday gift from my mother, and it was the first automatic watch I ever owned. It was also my first and only skeleton watch, and I spent a good amount of time just watching the movement work.

The Sturhling also became the watch I wore on dates, to shows, and on other special occasions. Looking back on it, it’s not really what you’d normally consider to be a dress watch, but it’s what I had, and I got a good number of compliments on it.

Seiko Orange Monster

The Orange Monster was a technical upgrade from my Blue Ray. The main difference was the hacking and hand-winding movement. What that meant is that I could stop the second hand in order to set the time more exactly, and that I didn’t have to shake the watch to get it started. Plus the lume. Oh my god, the lume. This was my first experience with Seiko’s Lumibright, and it exceeded any expectations I had. Even my Turtle’s lume, which is nothing to sneeze at, can’t quite match that of the Monster.

With its 42 mm diameter and bright orange dial, The Monster was also a watch to be noticed. One of my co-workers stated simply, “That’s a very orange watch.” Its design is polarizing, but I was a fan of it while I owned one. That said, I’m not in a hurry to replace it anytime soon.

Alfex Bi-Plane Watch

A few years ago, the Alfex rekindled my love of watches. Up until then, I would usually only wear my Sturhling on special occasions. But one day, something made me pull this one out of the drawer it had been hiding in and walk across the street to have the battery replaced. For several months after, it was my daily driver, and reintroduced me to this insane and expensive hobby.

It wasn’t a particularly great watch, but being one of the oldest in my collection, it had great sentimental value, and it’s the one I miss the most. Given the chance, I’m not sure if I’d even want to replace it. My watches now are mostly all new, as I haven’t had a chance to break them in yet. The Alfex was one I felt I could truly call my own, scratches and all.

Final Thoughts

There were several other watches taken, including the TAG Heuer pictured above, a vintage Omega Constellation Quartz, and a vintage pocket watch. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to spend enough time with them to form an education opinion. But I do have the chance to rebuild with the advantage of the knowledge I’ve gained, and I won’t let one little burglary scare me away from this obsession.