The title of dealing watches is a job that might not be considered the most ordinary job. But one thing in common with trading is that it goes around figuring out ways to find the right product at a right value which also adds value to the company, then source to the right people in need. However, there are times where the title of dealing watches comes with certain stigma unfortunately. 

The first part of the truth is that this business is a material oriented business, and dealing with materials and money at times can come with the stigma of being materialistic. However, that does not directly mean that the person or the collector/dealer is a material oriented individual. There is a difference between being materialistic and being appreciative of material made by humans, which I have written about before (feel free to check it out). 

Another stigma I have heard a lot from the people so called “Flippers”. Flippers can be defined as someone who buys a watch from either an authorised dealer or elsewhere with its pure intention is to make quick profit. This is an unfortunate stigma that could be carried with a title of watch dealing and I can say for others as well that this “flipping” is not the job of dealing. I personally am a collector at heart first who appreciates the history of watches, watchmaking, and human made objects, and as much as I am fortunate enough to experience various different watches, I cannot buy everything I want in this world, and this is how I have started the world of dealing. Most dealers or almost all dealers I have met were all passionate collectors at first, then dealing became a bit of a snowball effect; same for me here. Most of my interactions with dealers are that they are passionate, borderline obsessively highly knowledgeable collectors at heart, and we can’t just buy and collect as nobody has unlimited amount of fund (maybe a few exceptions in the world) so I do have to sell at times to experience different watches and build different types of collection. I really hope people are able to understand and acknowledge the difference and not have this stigma of watch dealers. At least on my side, I do my best in my everyday behaviour, interactions with people, to put myself in a high standard to represent this job of dealing in a more respectful manner, and try to deliver knowledge, history and importance of pieces I own and want to offer. 

But I am not going to be out here saying that dealing watches is the most meaningful job in the world. No, we are not changing people’s lives. And yes, at the end of the day it is a privilege to own all these watches and I know for a fact that I can happily  live without them because my happiness does not come from owning these watches. There are far greater values that really allow me to have a happy life and watches are not one of them. They are an addition, and a privilege.

So depending on how you see it, it's more a matter of “How” we deal than “What” we do. Because at the end of the day, yes, what we do can be in the same category as those materialistic people or so called flippers, but it is a matter of how we do this that separates us from those people.

I do not “just” be a dealer who receives it and sells it with a margin. I do my best to perfect my craft in knowledge, in writing, in human relationship, etc. So it is a small hope of mine that people do not have the stigma of being watch dealers and focus more on the “how” than “what”.