My Helson Sharkmaster 300, and thoughts on chasing perfection

d4n7_kkb

1 month ago

Lately I've come to realize that perfection in watch collecting is an illusion. We - collectors, human beings - are not fixed quantities. I've found that my aesthetic preferences, my daily needs - my entire life, really - is dynamic and changing. Getting to a perfect collection is like trying to hit a moving target.

So I'm trying to be satisfied with the collection I have. I want to be far, far more deliberate about choosing to buy or choosing to sell a watch. Not only is it better financially, but it also feels good to, in some small way, remove myself from the hedonistic treadmill.

Which brings me to the subject of this post. My Helson Sharkmaster 300 ("12" dial, no-date, blue). It's an homage of the 1960s Omega Seamaster 300 ST165.024, which only total watch nerds know.

This is a watch I've felt conflict about. I initially loved it (of course). Then, it started to feel like a poor fit for my lifestyle - I pretty much work in an office, and a heavily built diver on a thick bracelet just didn't feel right to me. I played around with different straps, and even fitted a miltat adjustable clasp to the bracelet, and of course considered just selling it.

Just on a whim, I switched it to a sailcloth strap and wore it as my only watch on a quick island vacation.

It was perfect. Perfect for me in that moment. The perfect vacation watch.

Tough enough to wear it jumping in the water, nice enough to meet up with friends, affordable enough that I was never worried about it. Aesthetically pleasing and functionally fit (eg, bezel action, waterproofness).

So the next time you're doubting whether a watch fits into your collection, it might be worth just persevering with it for a while. You might find that it does indeed fit.

Or maybe I just need to go on vacation more often.