A couple of days before I embarked to my first visit to Japan, and to do a small watch hunt while I am there, I posted a poll into the Grand Seiko owners Facebook group. The poll asked how many watches is the acceptable/ideal number to bring in a trip. I was asking myself this question while packing up for.Japan, and felt that a bit of feedback from people who own, collect, and obviously travel with watches would be more than welcome.
The response was overwhelming, and I was really impressed that my post was so interesting and fun for so many people.
Almost 200 people joined and voted, commented, and interacted, and for that I thank you all very much.
On the results, I was impressed that many people answered that they would travel with only one watch (108 votes). The most prominent comment on that was that for a short trip, a single watch would be more than enough, even though there were a few comments which stated that if a trip would last longer than a week, they would definitely include a second timepiece. One very interesting comment defending bringing only one watch was that it would be a good opportunity to bond with a particular piece. I found that quite meaningful, and depending on the watch, I can absolutely agree with that. To not having choice, you can find more things to like and enjoy about the one watch you brought along to your holiday escape.
Another big part of the votes showed that bringing more than one watch is actually quite common. Voters said that they would bring 2 to 3 watches to travel with (51 votes), or even more than 3 (10 votes). For my first trip with watches, I ended up falling into this slot. I have decided to bring a digital, cheaper watch (my Casio World Time) and a more classy, dress watch (a Seiko Presage Fuyugeshiki limited edition), for a broader choice, from a more casual and relaxed look, to a more formal, dinner style. I made sure to bring a newly purchased watch holder, with 4 spaces…just in case.
And that was a good move. That is because many of the people that voted also commented that they were having a very strange problem: they would go travel with one or two watches, and on the way back they would have other watches popping up their luggage and watch cases. I have also suffered from this situation. From two to five.
In the end the conclusion is clear…do what feels comfortable, bring only watches you will definitely use, and do bring a case with free spaces for eventual newcomers.
PS: thank you all for voting on the poll.
The Column Wheel 