Reviewing My Entire Watch Collection (Before I Sell It All).

Summary

Michael from The Iron Snail takes viewers through his entire watch collection of 13 watches, presenting them in the woods of Maine while building toward an emotional revelation about why he’s selling everything. The video progresses from sentimental Casio watches tied to college memories with friends, through vintage Omega and Tudor pieces, to luxury Rolex and Zenith timepieces, before concluding with the deeper reason behind his decision to sell.

The twist comes when Michael reveals that the happiest watches in his collection aren’t the expensive ones he bought during intense work periods, but the watches he gave to others - a vintage Omega to his best friend Ronnie at his wedding, and a Rolex Sea Dweller to his father when he turned 70 after 50+ years as a career fisherman. He realizes there’s a gap in happy memories associated with watches bought when he was working 7 days a week, 13 hours a day, and decides to step back, focus on time with his partner Taylor, and eventually start fresh with watches when he’s in a better place.

Highlights

”Hit this watch with a baseball bat. Go on the moon.”

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“Hit this watch with a baseball bat. Go scuba diving. Go on the moon. It’s approved for that. It’s the greatest watch in the entire world.” — Michael, 2:40

”The goal was to get Taylor to like me”

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“Taylor and a few of my friends and her friends, we all went kayaking, but the goal was to get Taylor to like me. But at the same time, there was a second goal and I brought a bunch of Casios with me and I wanted to test their water resistance.” — Michael, 4:22

”The watch I got for my dad”

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“This watch and all the other watches that we talked about today and even the one that I gave to Ronnie on his wedding day are not the reason that I want to sell my watches. There is one more watch and that is the watch that I got for my dad.” — Michael, 11:25

”Working 7 days a week, 13 hours a day”

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“Around 7 days a week, 13 hours a day. I try to take some time to dinner with Taylor. But it’s like you’re running a marathon. And then not even like a quarter way through the marathon, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m doing so good. I should drink a giant Mountain Dew and eat donuts.’” — Michael, 11:55

”The happiest watches are the ones I gave away”

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“The watches that I have the most pride about, that I’m the happiest about, the best memories I have about are the watch that I got Ronnie for his wedding and the watch that I got my dad.” — Michael, 12:20

”I am the Portland Maine Bandit”

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“I think sadly the twist of this video is that I am the Portland Maine Bandit after all, and I’m going to rid myself of my entire watch collection. My main focus right now is spending more time with Taylor.” — Michael, 13:20

Key Points

• Casio F91W Introduction (0:00) - $16 original vs $160+ CWT Solid State version that can’t change time or battery, wrong 8 months of year due to daylight savings
• 13 Watches in Filson Sack (1:06) - Collection carried in the woods, with two watches that made him realize he needs to sell everything
• Vaer Sponsorship (1:22) - Largest independent watch assembler in the USA sponsoring the video
• Casio F108 Sentimental Value (1:57) - Gift from friend Danny while living together post-college in Taunton, Massachusetts
• G-Shock DW5600 Glory (2:36) - Can hit with baseball bat, go scuba diving, approved for moon - “the greatest watch in the entire world”
• Tough Solar Love (3:36) - Loves solar watches because they “eat the sun” - doesn’t like batteries draining
• Taylor First Date Story (4:22) - Went kayaking with goal to make Taylor like him while also testing Casio water resistance with friend Drew
• Hamilton Pilot Pioneer Lost (4:55) - Lost during move to Maine, was his most-worn watch, RIP
• Omega 47001 SC from 1962 (6:32) - Vintage Omega was keystone of his watch selling business on Reddit, represents simpler times
• Tudor Big Rose (7:15) - Rolex case and crown with Tudor dial, rose at 12 is “one of the most beautiful things ever put on a watch”
• Vaer R1 Rally Meca-Quartz (8:10) - Hybrid with quartz timekeeping and mechanical chronograph sweep
• A12 Dirty Dozen (8:40) - Named after 12 watches commissioned by British Ministry of Defense for WWII
• Zenith Revival Chronomaster Shadow (9:20) - High-beat chronograph, bought during worst work period in Brooklyn, makes him nauseous to remember
• Rolex Explorer 1 - Owes to Baby (10:00) - Bought, sold to Ronnie, bought back, now promised to Ronnie’s unborn son
• Sea Dweller for Dad (11:25) - Gift to father at 70 after 50+ years as career fisherman - this and Ronnie’s wedding watch are the happiest memories
• Selling Everything Decision (12:30) - Working 7 days/week, 13 hours/day building Iron Snail clothing brand - realizes he’s rewarding himself too early in the marathon

Mentions

Companies

• Casio (0:00) - F91W, F108, G-Shock DW5600, GWM5610 (Tough Solar)
• CWT (Che Wei Tsai) (0:07) - Makes $160+ Solid State Watch version of F91W
• Vaer (1:22) - Video sponsor, largest independent watch assembler in USA
• Rolex (0:55) - Explorer II, Explorer I, Sea Dweller
• Tudor (7:15) - Founded by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf in 1930s, more affordable brand using Rolex cases
• Hamilton (4:55) - Pilot Pioneer, lost during move to Maine
• Omega (6:32) - Seamaster 47001 SC from 1962, vintage Chronometer
• Zenith (9:20) - Revival Chronomaster Shadow, made movements for famous Rolex watches
• Filson (1:06) - Bathroom sack used to carry watch collection
• Wonderlooper ([description]) - Makes hoodie Michael is wearing
• The Iron Snail (11:55) - His clothing brand, working to make “the greatest clothing brand on the face of the planet”

Products & Technologies

• Casio F91W (0:00) - $16 most famous watch, infinitely waterproof
• CWT Solid State Watch (0:07) - 10x price, no features, can’t change time or battery
• Casio F108 WHC-7B (1:57) - Gift from friend Danny, sentimental value
• G-Shock DW5600E-1V (2:36) - The square G-Shock, indestructible
• Casio GWM5610-1 (3:16) - Tough Solar with Multiband 6 atomic sync
• Vaer C3 Korean Field Watch (3:36) - Solar powered, 36mm, Korean War homage
• Vaer D2 Meridian (5:05) - 150m water resistant with guarantee, sapphire crystal
• Hamilton Pilot Pioneer (4:55) - Lost, was most worn watch
• Omega 47001 SC (6:32) - 1962 Seamaster
• Tudor Big Rose (7:15) - Rolex Oyster case, Tudor dial with rose at 12
• Vaer R1 Rally (8:10) - Meca-Quartz chronograph, 1970s racing homage
• Vaer A12 Dirty Dozen (8:40) - 36mm field watch, British MOD WWII tribute
• Rolex Explorer II 16570 (9:05) - Two-timezone watch with 24-hour dial
• Zenith Revival Chronomaster Shadow (9:20) - High-beat chronograph
• Rolex Explorer I 14270 (10:00) - Owned, sold to Ronnie, bought back, promised to Ronnie’s future son
• Rolex Sea Dweller 16600 (11:25) - Dad’s watch, gift for 70th birthday

People

• Danny (1:57) - Friend who gave F108 watch, lived together in Taunton post-college, also gave Buck 110 knife
• Taylor (4:22) - Partner, was living in Denmark when Michael wanted chronograph, now lives in Maine with him
• Drew (4:42) - Friend who helped test Casio water resistance during kayaking date
• Holly (5:52) - Editor, asked to add sad music and rain for Hamilton funeral segment
• Ronnie (6:55) - Best friend, Michael officiated his wedding, gave him vintage Omega, Explorer 1 promised to his unborn son
• Hans Wilsdorf (7:22) - Founder of Rolex and Tudor
• Dad (11:25) - Career fisherman for 50+ years, received Sea Dweller at 70th birthday
• Mom (11:45) - Will get something when she reaches milestone age, not as old as dad yet

Surprising Quotes

“Hit this watch with a baseball bat. Go scuba diving. Go on the moon. It’s approved for that. It’s the greatest watch in the entire world.” — 2:40

“Taylor and a few of my friends and her friends, we all went kayaking, but the goal was to get Taylor to like me. But at the same time, there was a second goal and I brought a bunch of Casios with me and I wanted to test their water resistance.” — 4:33

“This watch and all the other watches that we talked about today and even the one that I gave to Ronnie on his wedding day are not the reason that I want to sell my watches. There is one more watch and that is the watch that I got for my dad.” — 11:15

“Around 7 days a week, 13 hours a day. I try to take some time to dinner with Taylor. But it’s like you’re running a marathon. And then not even like a quarter way through the marathon, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m doing so good. I should drink a giant Mountain Dew and eat donuts.’” — 12:00

“The watches that I have the most pride about, that I’m the happiest about, the best memories I have about are the watch that I got Ronnie for his wedding and the watch that I got my dad.” — 12:20

Transcript

0:00 Hi there. This is a Casio F91W. One of the most famous watches that you could possibly get for $16. This is also the Casio F91W, but it’s more than 10 times the price and it has none of the features. None. You can’t even change the time or the battery. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong. And it’s actually wrong for like 8 months out of the year because of daylight savings time. Very cool. And you can’t take that watch away from me because I’m in love with it. But it is essentially infinitely waterproof, which I do find very cool.

0:27 With all that, welcome to my watch collection. Here is a quick preview of what we will be looking at today. I got to remember to zipper this thing. Everything’s going to go flying. It’d also suck if I got mugged today in the woods. I’m just walking through the woods and then some guy’s like, “Just stick them up. I’m the Portland Maine bandit. What do you have on you?” Oh jeez. Two cameras, two lenses, a microphone set, seven batteries, couple of filters, and my entire watch collection.

0:55 These are the guys that made the brains that went inside a very famous Rolex watch. This watch, if you saw just the back of it, you’d assume it’s a Rolex. And if you saw just the side of it, you’d also assume it’s a Rolex. But it’s not.

1:06 There are 13 watches in this Filson bathroom sack. And this is the story of my entire sack. And then two watches that made me realize I need to sell every single thing in here, take a break, and reconsider some things.

1:22 This video is going to be split up into different sections, getting greater and greater until we hit the big bad boys at the end. But Vaer reached out to me and said they will sponsor my entire watch collection video. That’s very nice of you, Vaer. I very much appreciate that. So, between the big daddy categories, there’s going to be little Vaer vignettes. Thank you, Vaer. Appreciate it, guys. They are the largest independent watch assembler in the USA.

1:57 Starting off with a very sentimental watch in my collection. This is the Casio F108 WHC-7B. That name has to hurt its sales. My friend Danny got me this watch. We lived together in Taunton, Massachusetts shortly after we graduated from college while we were living in an apartment with no doors and we would just get pizza almost every night and sit and play video games when we were like 21, 22 immediately after graduation. And so he got me this for my birthday and then he got me a Buck 110 knife for my next birthday and then I moved out. This is the watch I think of when I think of that time. So I love this watch. I’ll never sell it.

2:36 Before I got that watch though, in my college days, there was the G-Shock Square, the DW5600 series. Hit this watch with a baseball bat. Go scuba diving. Go on the moon. It’s approved for that. It’s the greatest watch in the entire world. It has all these fun modes. It makes all these beeps. I used to always have the hour chime on. My computer science professor used to be like, “Michael, turn the chime off.” You want me to turn the chime off of my G-Shock? No way, man.

3:00 And then following that, as some of you probably know, I worked in the watch world for like 10 to 12 years. And one day, Casio called and said, “Do you want a watch?” And I said, “Yeah. The tough solar model of the DW5600.” Boom. The Casio GWM5610 delivered to me personally by G-Shock. This one has two really cool features. The first one, Multiband 6. So, I can press this button, it will check from radio towers and sync the watch to an atomic clock. But what I really like about it is Tough Solar.

3:36 And speaking of solar, this is the Vaer C3 Korean field watch. Obviously paying homage to watches worn during the Korean War. 36 millimeter in size. The standout feature obviously is that it eats the sun. I love solar powered things. Calculators, watches, whatever it may be. I just don’t like the idea that the battery is draining. I like the fact that I can recharge it and that my watch is eating the sun and having a snack.

4:22 I just have so many fantastic memories with Casio. The first ever really serious date thing I went on with Taylor. If you ask her, it was not a date. I had to convince Taylor to like me. Taylor and a few of my friends and her friends, we all went kayaking, but the goal was to get Taylor to like me. But at the same time, there was a second goal and I brought a bunch of Casios with me and I wanted to test their water resistance with my friend Drew. So, we let the girls go ahead and we just take our hands, stick them under water. I’d swim deep and be like, “Well, it’s still working down here.”

4:55 Okay. And now the funeral. Possibly one of the greatest watches in my collection, now dead. This is a Hamilton Pilot Pioneer. I had a Pilot Pioneer and I lost it on the move to Maine. It’s because that was the watch I was wearing the most. So, I took that watch off and I put it somewhere and said, “I’ll never lose it here.” RIP to the Hamilton Pilot Pioneer. We will forever miss you.

5:40 This is the Vaer D2 Meridian. Water resistant to 150 meters. A lot of watch brands, they say 50 meters, but they mean that you could get the watch a little wet. Vaer is one of the good guys. They say 150 meters, they mean 150 meters, and they back it up with their waterproof guarantee.

6:32 Okay, almost finally. We’re not at the big boys yet, but we’re getting very close. These are the vintage boys. So, this is the Omega 47001 SC from 1962. I used to sell a bunch of watches that I would find, and Vintage Omega was like the keystone of that. It was just so cool to get all these cool watches in. I would write pages and pages about them on Reddit and sell them. It feels like that was the last time in my life where things were much more simple and I miss that a lot.

7:00 Omega is also very important to this video because it’s one of the two watches that made me realize I needed to sell everything. That is a watch I gave to one of my best friends named Ronnie. I officiated his wedding. And I got him that watch.

7:15 Okay, this next watch. This might be the greatest watch that we’re going to see today. Tudor was founded by the Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf in the 1930s. The point of Tudor was to be a more affordable brand to Rolex, but still really good quality. So, they used literally the exact same parts. This case is a Rolex case. The crown is a Rolex crown, except the dial was different, and then the movement on the inside was different. Personally, I think the Rose at 12 is just one of the most beautiful things that has ever been put on a watch.

8:10 This is the Vaer R1 Rally designed as an homage to 1970s racing chronographs. And this is Meca-Quartz. So what that is - powering the ticking seconds hand and the timekeeping is a quartz module, but powering that smooth sweep of the chronograph hand is a mechanical module. Both powered by battery, but doing two different things.

8:40 And finally, my favorite Vaer is the A12 Dirty Dozen, named after 12 watches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense to be super accurate and reliable and to be used during World War II. This is Vaer’s tribute to that. 36mm assembled in the USA. Pretty handsome go-everywhere field watch.

9:05 First watch on the big boy list is my Rolex Explorer II, which we just did a video about. It’s very new to the collection. I like that it’s a two-timezone watch. I like that it has a 24-hour dial, and it just feels like a watch you can just wear every day and beat up.

9:20 And this just might be the coolest watch in my collection. Has my favorite complication on it, the chronograph. This is the Zenith Revival Chronomaster Shadow. Very cool watch. High-beat chronograph. So, when I start the chronograph, you’ll see it’s very smooth because it’s ticking very fast.

9:45 Part of the reason I always wanted a chronograph - Taylor was living in Denmark at the time, and I’d visit her intermittently, and whenever we were there, she would cook big things, and I was always picturing myself sitting on a chair and she’s like, “Set a timer for 10 minutes.” And I’m like, “No problem. Got it. Bam.” The problem is you need a timer, not a stopwatch.

10:05 The problem with this watch though, even though it’s one of the coolest watches that I’ve ever owned, is that I just bought it during one of the worst periods of my life. There was a point when I was living in Brooklyn that I was essentially working four jobs at the same time and I was just dying out there. I would work till really late at night and I’d get nauseous and this weird awful feeling. And I remember my friends would call me and I would just be like, “Guys, I’m sorry. I got nothing.”

10:35 And finally, one of the greatest watches ever made and one that if I’m going to sell all except one, kind of can’t sell this one. There’s a great story behind it that ends in me owing this watch to a baby. An actual tiny little baby that doesn’t know what a watch is. Actually, he’s not even born yet.

10:50 This is the Rolex Explorer I. Probably one of my favorite style watches ever made. My good friend Ronnie, the same guy who I officiated his wedding - I bought this watch first, went on a bunch of journeys with it. Then Ronnie bought it from me. And then he sold it back to me. And then he said, “Hey, can I buy that watch again? I want to give it to my son.” And I said, “Yeah, sure.” And then he said, “Actually, what am I doing buying a watch when I’m going to have a son?” So now it’s left to me. I have once again been given Frodo’s ring.

11:25 But this watch and all the other watches that we talked about today and even the one that I gave to Ronnie on his wedding day are not the reason that I want to sell my watches. There is one more watch and that is the watch that I got for my dad. My dad has been a career fisherman for 50+ years. So, I got him a Rolex Sea Dweller when he turned 70 as just a thank you for everything that he’s ever done because if I think I worked hard, that man laughs me 50 times over.

11:55 I’m definitely still working a lot right now. Around 7 days a week, 13 hours a day. I try to take some time for dinner with Taylor. But that is what I do every single day because I feel like I have the greatest job in the world. But also, I would like to create the greatest clothing brand on the face of the planet. No doubt, no lie.

12:20 Sometimes I look at my sack and it’s full of amazing watches and I’m like, that’s definitely not why I’m working as hard as I possibly can. It’s like you’re running a marathon. And then not even like a quarter way through, I’m like, “Oh, I’m doing so good. I should drink a giant Mountain Dew and eat donuts.”

12:40 What I noticed is a significant gap in happy memories associated with watches I got when I started working like crazy. I’m like, “Oh, this is the watch I wore outside with my friends on a sunny day, and this is the watch I bought at 5 a.m. after I felt like I was going to throw up for 6 hours.”

13:00 And since everything changed and started to get crazy, the watches that I have the most pride about, that I’m the happiest about, the best memories I have about are the watch that I got Ronnie for his wedding and the watch that I got my dad.

13:20 So, I think sadly the twist of this video is that I am the Portland Maine Bandit after all, and I’m going to rid myself of my entire watch collection. My main focus right now is spending more time with Taylor, doing things as best as I can, and then when the time comes and I see a shiny new watch, I’ll start again.

14:00 So, as much as it pains me to do this, it’s time to say goodbye to my watches. Okay, that is about it. Thank you so much for watching. I will see you next week where we talk about chore coats.