Meet Michael, aka @ctwatchguy. Michael is perpetually ahead of trend and often diving into niches where not many are looking (yet). He is part of our growing community shaping the future of watches on Collected.‍

How did you get into collecting watches?

I was exposed to watches at a young age (maybe 10?) via a close uncle who was a recreational diver and had a collection of dive watches that he wore and used regularly. This was way before any kind of meaningful technology was around, so his watches were, first and foremost, necessary tools. He was also a collector of many other things, which I think helped instill the ‘collecting gene’ in me that persists to this day.

I always had a Timex Ironman or Expedition as a kid (I remember thinking the INDIGLO feature was the coolest thing), which became Fossil watches in high school and college, and then affordable mechanical watches like Seiko and Orient shortly after college. About five years removed from college in 2016 is when I really started to go deep down the rabbit hole of watches and investing some money into curating a collection. I started out with modern stuff but very quickly gravitated towards the vintage and neo-vintage sectors of the market. These types of watches always spoke more to me and perhaps, subconsciously, reminded me of my days as a kid combing through my uncle’s collection.

What kinds of watches do you collect, and how do you  decide what stays in your collection?

Within the vintage and neo-vintage sectors, I collect a little bit of everything: tool watches, sports watches, dress watches, and complications. I’ve even dipped my toes back into modern stuff a bit on and off over the years. While watches have come and gone (many, many watches), certain brands always seem to have a space in my collection: Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, and Omega.

Admittedly, I’m pretty impulsive when it comes to both buying and selling watches. My good friend, Wes Wynne of Collectors Corner NY, always jokes that I’ve owned and sold every watch ever made. I guess I just like to experience different watches in the metal and learn about them as much as I can, and then move on. I’ve always wondered if that disqualifies me as a collector, since things don’t tend to stay for all that long?

Lately, I’m trying to be more intentional about what comes and goes in my collection, now that I do feel like I’ve experienced so much. My biggest rule is that if a watch doesn’t get wrist time, it has to go. I actually keep a spreadsheet of which watch(es) I wear every day of the year!

What’s the most meaningful piece in your collection and why?

I’m going to pick three watches because they are all tied together in a way. They would be an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak reference 4100ST that I got from Skip Powell of Oliver & Clarke, a Patek Philippe Calatrava reference 2551J with a Gübelin-signed dial that I got from Wes Wynne of Collectors Corner NY, and a Rolex Day-Date reference 118208 that I got from Phil Khoury.

These three watches are wonderful on their own merits, but what they represent to me are the deep, meaningful friendships I’ve made in this hobby. My friendships with Skip, Wes, and Phil (and many others) far transcend watches at this point; when we get together we hardly even talk about watches. Our wives and kids are friends, we vacation together, and I know their extended families. The watches themselves are amazing, but when I look back on all of this it’s the real friendships I’ve made that I’ll cherish.

*Rolex Day-Date ref. 118208 circa 2000 (P serial)*

If you had to start your collection over, where would you begin?

This is a tough question. If I’m being honest, I think I would begin in basically the same place with vintage and neo-vintage watches—especially Omega and Rolex. I spent a lot of time in the five-digit Rolex space at the beginning of my watch journey and still think that’s a great place to start, if it fits your budget. These watches have some of the warmth and character of their true vintage, four-digit counterparts, but are a bit more robust and wearable for everyday use. There’s also still a lot of nuances to the various iterations of these watches to satisfy that ‘thrill of the hunt’ a lot of us collectors seek.

Looking back, I do regret too quickly selling some watches that I’d like to have in my collection now, but can’t justify their current market prices. The Patek Philippe Aquanaut is a good example. Over the years, I’ve had many of them including references 5065A, 5066A, and 5165A. In particular, the 5065A is such a killer watch that I’d love to have one in my collection again for the long haul. But, at $60,000+/- for a nice, early example with tritium dial and hands, I just can’t justify it. I wish when I had these watches I slowed down and exercised some foresight before selling them.

Another example of this would be neo-vintage, complicated dress watches in precious metals from brands like Blancpain, Breguet, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Parmigiani Fleurier, Daniel Roth, Roger Dubuis, and others. I took an interest in this segment of the market before it got really hot and was fortunate enough to have some rare and exceptional stuff. Pieces like a rare-spec Parmigiani Fleurier Memory Time come to mind. Unfortunately, I sold everything before the market for these types of watches exploded. Some of the pieces I’d like to have back in my collection are now borderline impossible to find and/or too expensive.

*Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Tourbillon Platinum circa 2001*

What else are you into beyond watches?

Aside from family and career, I love college and professional sports. I’m a die-hard UConn men’s basketball fan. However, there are very few sports leagues I don’t intently follow (my wife gets angry because it’s pretty much all that’s on TV 24/7). In terms of playing sports, I enjoy tennis the most. My wife played in college, so it’s a passion we share and can partake in together.

I also love boating and try to spend as many summer weekends as possible with my wife, kids, and dog on our Boston Whaler. Our favorite place to go is East Harbor in Fishers Island, NY. If you’re a golfer, there’s a world-class course on that island and every so often a stray ball will land near us on the beach.

I enjoy collecting and smoking cigars, and find that hobby has a lot of overlap with watches. For whatever reason I’m not a car nut, which definitely puts me in a small group of watch collectors that don’t care about cars. Other general collecting interests include sunglasses, records/vinyl, folding knives, and clothing.

*Early A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 ref. 101.022*

What do you look for when you’re deciding who to buy from?

If possible, I like to buy watches from people I personally know or am one degree removed from (someone I know recommends the seller), be it collectors, dealers, or auction houses.

If I’m interested in a watch being sold by someone I don’t know and can’t find a reference, I don’t rule it out. However, I do “feel out” the seller and ask more questions than I normally would. A Google search can also yield a ton of information about someone to help you vet them. It gets a little bit trickier with international sellers, but thankfully I’ve been doing this long enough where it’s uncommon that I don’t know a seller or can’t get a reference for them.

This situation most often comes up with original owner and family watches, which are different scenarios altogether. It’s hardly an exact science, but I feel like I can generally get a feel for someone after a phone/FaceTime call or face-to-face meeting. Maybe I’m naive, but it hasn’t failed me yet. Lastly, detailed listings and high-resolution photos go a long way!

*Patek Philippe ref. 3796P diamond dial*

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’ve been very lucky to have never gotten badly burned. There’s been plenty of cases where a watch I bought wasn’t what I expected upon arrival (usually in terms of condition), but I can’t think of a time when the seller didn’t make it right one way or another. I’ve heard plenty of nightmare stories from around the watch collecting world and feel very fortunate in this regard. I guess what I’ve learned is that so far, my approach hasn’t failed me (*knocks on wood*).

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned buying and selling watches?

I’m definitely not the first person to say this, but with vintage and neo-vintage watches, pay up for condition. It’ll pay dividends in terms of how much you enjoy a watch and when you go to sell it. Any time that I’ve settled on a lesser condition watch, I’ve felt unfulfilled and ended up selling it (and probably losing money), and then buying the watch in the condition I originally wanted.

Obviously, we all must operate within our financial means and that can be an unavoidable restriction at times. But, I do believe that excellent condition vintage and neo-vintage watches will always remain desirable in a market with a diminishing supply of them.

One other lesson—and this is something I need to work on myself—is that patience is a virtue. If you’re patient about finding the right watch at the right price from the right seller, you’ll be OK.

*Breguet Classique Tourbillon ref. 3350 in white gold*

Who do you respect most in the watch world and why?

I really respect people that collect to the beat of their own drum and don’t follow trends or care about what other people think. There’s so much group think in watches—it drives me nuts. It feels like you can fit all the opinions you’re allowed to have about watches on a three-by-five index card.

Along those lines, one person that I really respect is Ben Dunn of Watch Brothers London. Ben was into neo-vintage, complicated dress watches in precious metals (often gem-set) way before they were popular. We became friends before he jumped into watches full-time, when he was just a collector like me, and I credit him for sparking my interest in that segment of the market. It’s been really cool to see Ben educate the market on these types of watches and turn his affinity for them into a successful business.

Other folks I really respect are deep subject matter experts on specific brands and/or models of watches: Matt Fisher with Universal Genève, Adam Hamblar with Universal Genève Polerouters, and Jeff Stein with Heuer to name a few.   

Lastly, I respect people that are generous with their knowledge and experience. Gatekeeping is another thing I don’t care for and there’s a lot of it in watches, unfortunately. Folks that take the time to educate new collectors, and existing collectors exploring something different, certainly earn my admiration. When I first got into watches, I was the guy sending DMs to established folks and asking tons of questions, and now I try to give back and do the same when people reach out to me.

One person that deserves a shoutout on this front is Martijn van der Ven—one of very few Enicar experts in the world. When I got really into collecting Enicar watches around 2020, Martijn spent far too much time answering my many questions, reviewing watches I was thinking about buying, and sharing articles and content. He was super generous to me and all at no personal gain to him.

What would bring the excitement back to the watch community for you?

I touched on it before, but it would be really exciting to me if a lot of the group think in the watch community disappeared. Watches are not serious or necessary things in 2026. This is supposed to be a fun hobby, yet some people get so worked up about what other people like and collect. I also feel like there’s a lot of folks who collect based on what others will approve of. Yes, there are some absolute truths in the watch world. But, I’m a firm believer that, contrary to popular belief, taste is largely subjective. The oft-used “buy what you like” adage just feels so empty sometimes. It would be cool if more people actually embraced it!

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Louped: Michael Piscatelli

Louped: Paul Engel