Is your watch collection too big?

Seven signs your collection has outgrown you

1. 01Some watches haven't been worn in 90 days or more, and you can't remember the last time.
2. 02Two or three watches get most of your wrist time. The rest are spectators.
3. 03You own several watches that do the same job, like three steel divers on bracelets.
4. 04You have to reset the time and date on most watches before wearing them.
5. 05You buy a new watch and wear an old one less, rather than wearing everything more.
6. 06You've forgotten you own something until you see it in the box.
7. 07The cost per wear of some pieces keeps climbing, because they're barely worn.

The wear-share test

Divide the days in a year by the number of watches you own. With 5 watches, each gets around 73 days a year if worn evenly; with 15, it's around 24 days; with 30, it's about 12. Nobody wears evenly, of course, but the maths shows why big collections tend to leave watches behind: there simply aren't enough days.

Now compare that with reality. Track your wears for a couple of months, then look at each watch's share of your wrist time. Watches with a tiny share, or none at all, are the ones to think about.

What to do about it

• Rotate them back in. Sometimes a watch is neglected simply because it's out of sight. Put it in your rotation for a week and see how it feels.
• Give each watch a role. Daily, weekend, dress, travel, sport. If two watches share a role, ask which one you'd keep.
• Sell one, buy better. Selling two or three rarely-worn pieces can fund one watch you'd wear constantly.
• Set a rule. Many collectors adopt "one in, one out" once they reach a size they're happy with.

Measure, don't guess

All of this is easier with numbers than with memory. WristLog.app shows each watch's share of your wrist time, how long since it was last worn, and which pieces are gathering dust, so you can see at a glance which watches still earn their place.