Louped: Atin Chopra
Meet Atin: known in the collecting community for his dedication to going deep on vintage niches that capture his attention—he is part of our growing community shaping the future of watches on Collected.
What's your name, and how did you get into collecting watches?
I am Atin Chopra. I have always had a collecting gene as a kid from collecting Transformers to shoes to Swatches. But it really started from seeing my Dad wearing a Citizen Bullhead chronograph with a day and date function. I still have it in my collection and will probably pass it on to my kids.
Not Atin’s Dad’s exact Citizen Bullhead chronograph, but a similar piece for the uninitiated
What kinds of watches do you collect today, and how do you decide what stays in your collection?
My serious collecting journey started with a Rolex GMT-Master 16710 which I bought working 2 jobs while in university from my local AD. It naturally progressed to vintage Rolex, then vintage Patek, and then double signed Rolexes and Pateks (inspired by my friend Roni), then vintage Cartier. These days I am into neo-vintage complications from Breguet, Audemars Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, and Gerald Genta. Huge fan of perpetual calendars.
From top left: Rolex Submariner 1680 Red, 5512, 5513, 1680 White
Patek Philippe 96 Beyer, 96 Breguet center seconds, Neptune 5085, 96 Breguet small seconds
1940s Cartier
Breguet Classique Tourbillon 3357
If you had to start your collection over from zero, where would you begin?
If I had to start my collection over, I would start with a complicated, probably a perpetual calendar, skeletonized movement as I adore the hand finishing on movement plates and bridges.
Audemars Piguet 25668 Quantième Perpétual Openwork
What's the most meaningful piece in your collection and why?
The most meaningful watch in my collection is my Dad's Citizen that I plan on passing it to my kids.
What else are you into beyond watches?
I really don’t have other hobbies other than traveling with family and friends, and sharing my watch passion with close collectors.
What do you look for when you're deciding who to buy from?
I look for sellers who are honest, trustworthy, and share similar passion as us collectors. Some of them have become dear friends.
Tell us about a time you got burned: a deal that went wrong, a watch that wasn't what it was supposed to be, or a relationship that shifted. What did you take away from it?
I have not had bad experiences when buying directly from dealers as I am very picky and financially aware of market prices before I buy and have been able to negotiate a good deal.
However, I did have an interesting experience with an auction house where I tried to sell a rare double signed Patek. It did very well at auction fetching 10x low estimate, however after months of waiting the buyer flaked and did not end up paying. The auction house did not take any action on the buyer and ended up returning the watch. Unfortunately, I had already spent the unrealized profits from the unsuccessful auction sale on a different watch lol!
Patek Philippe 96 Gubelin, 96 Breguet steel
What's the biggest thing you've learned buying and selling watches?
After decades of buying, selling, and building my collection, I have learned that it is ok to make mistakes and to learn from them, but try to not make them again. Also, always buy quality and be open minded towards other brands as you continue to enjoy your collecting journey.
Who do you respect most in the watch world, and why?
I respect all collectors/dealers who are willing to freely share their passion and their observations in the form of writing or podcasts. I derive immense pleasure from their perspectives.
What would bring the excitement back to the watch community for you?
I think the excitement would come back if the community becomes more inclusive (via get togethers, sharing knowledge freely, open mindedness) instead of becoming exclusive: where you need to have a certain brand of certain value to be included in a club, to only share knowledge with people "in the know".
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