[TheTigerUK]

From what I have read some of you guys control your collections and record details down to a T, I tend to record mine by pictures and i'm sure you guys have your ways or don't bother, basically what suits the individual.

I honestly don't know how many watches i have, could be thirty could be 90 could be more counting all the dross and "project" watches so of late and the fact that i'm retired (love it ) I have started a tidy up of the collection and what spares i have, I was pretty tidy anyway but I am now really trying to compact what I have.

i have always fancied some sort of good data base, I know you can do one on excel/access and the like which I can use quite well but I just fancied something well made or better made than mine would be even after spending many hours on it, i know my limitations and believe me they are limited

So last year while searching the internet and ebay i came across this guy in Australia who seemed to specialise in data bases, the sort of guy I needed

I contacted him and due to time restraints he could not get round to producing a watch data base until now, I gave him a few ideas of what i wanted but he put it all together and today I bought the first copy.

Below is a screen shot, I have encountered two, there may be more minor errors which i will tell him about but imo it's looking pretty good and its just what i wanted and at $40 it has saved me many hours of programming and I still wouldent have come up with something like this.

Please note I have no affiliation with the seller and even though I was in a very little way involved I bought and paid in full for my copy which i was more than happy to do

 

[John_D]

I rather like that John, very impressive

 

[tritto]

Very impressive John. Much more comprehensive than my simple spreadsheet - but I have less than 20 watches. One field I would perhaps include would be last service date. I see you can input the service cost, but what if you wanted to sort by unserviced movements or those serviced more than 7 years ago?


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[TheTigerUK]

Very impressive John. Much more comprehensive than my simple spreadsheet - but I have less than 20 watches. One field I would perhaps include would be last service date. I see you can input the service cost, but what if you wanted to sort by unserviced movements or those serviced more than 7 years ago?


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There was only so much room so the remarks area can cover things like that ?

 

[bork]

Oh yes, impressive and tidy! And not really expensive either ...

The downside is still, I guess, that I have to a) gather all my watches and b) get confronted by how many I got ...

 

[doomguy10011]

That is very nice and convenient. I just use a simple Excel sheet.

 

[ricardopalamino]

Wow , ..I could use something like that.... I just use my memory ... but that doesn't work too well..

 

[seikotone]

That looks very good for $40. I use Excel for quick reference but I also design databases for websites. The advantage being that if designed well any information is instantly available. I use one for my watches but it is still in development.
The problem is working out what information you wish to record and I find that I am often adding extra columns as I find more things I want look up.
Ideally something that has a basic layout but can be tailored by the user would be the way to go. I will give it some thought.

 

[Neil]

I think it is great especially if it had the ability to customize a few fields. I know a watch maker in my town that could certainly use this for his collection and for inventory in his shop. One day he will surely stop working and this would also allow a more easily valuation of his inventory. Photos take time but would certainly help in dealing with newbies like me who have little knowledge of parts numbers etc

 

[jringo8769]

wow...that is very impressive...i just use pen and paper and document all my expenses when i build it or buy it...

 

[estrickland]

I just use a Google spreadsheet, with tabs for the current collection, straps, accessories, parts, sold watches, wishlist items, and (the dreaded) totals.

Works pretty well for my needs.

 

[zenciti]

I would be very careful with the "Total Spent" field... for my eyes only and not the wife's lol.

I made a list in a Word document for mine. Problem is I tend to forget to update it when I buy or sell something, but it is reasonably accurate.

 

[Thesharkman]

lol..you saw one of the drawers I toss watches into. in the old days, I used to be like that w/ another hobby, but no longer!

<* shark >>><

 

[barryw]

I just use ring binders and insert a new page for very watch - sorted by serial number. I add where bought from, total price, any mods, battery changes and any tips i come across when modifying, changing batteries etc.

But I also have a fairly thick file full of part numbers and assistance gathered off the net

 

[seikotone]

A question for the Tiger
I presume that when you click Show Parts List you can add extra bezel, stem etc numbers which then get sent to the appropriate drop down list on the item page.
Also that you fill that form for every watch you enter.

Tony

 

[Frogman4me]

Wow looks very useful. I am currently just using excel and its been enough but this is great!

 

[TheTigerUK]

A question for the Tiger
I presume that when you click Show Parts List you can add extra bezel, stem etc numbers which then get sent to the appropriate drop down list on the item page.
Also that you fill that form for every watch you enter.

Tony

Tony, this is a section from the instructions supplied.



Parts List:

The parts list allows you to enter as many parts records as desired. Parts records entered will be unique to the currently viewed Item Record. To view the parts list click the Show Parts List button. New entries here can be added at the bottom of the list. The Parts Supplier drop down is linked to the Company field of the Suppliers database.
New entries can be typed directly into the parts list, or for items common to more than one watch, they may be entered into the part references if desired. Part references can then be selected using the description drop down when adding a parts record. In the parts list, click on the Edit Part References button to open the parts reference list where you can edit the reference list.

The parts list can remain visible while navigating records if desired. To hide the parts list, click the Hide Parts List button.
Note: Parts list records are available for easy selection when creating service records. In particular the cost field will automatically be added to the service record cost field when selected.

 

[seikotone]

Had to read it a couple of times but the designer seems to have thought it out very well, allocating part numbers to manufacturer eliminates duplicate numbers from other makes.
All in all it appears to be quite a powerful database and well suited as you like to mod things as well.
Tony

 

[tritto]

That's a hell of a lot of value for $40 for a custom-built database.


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[seikotone]

Sorry I was interrupted halfway through the last post.
Presently I don't record stem, gasket crystal numbers etc but if I did I would be inclined to set up a model list of these. For example any 5606-5110 will normally use the same parts so you set up a basic record for that.
Then you link the ones of that model you have and you only need to add in variables like serial number, dial number, finish e.g. stainless or gold plate(probably different crown here), strap etc. Price ,servicing etc would go here as yours does now. I also like to record features like hacking, manual wind if available and as I have a few LM's whether the day/date set is working.
And just having read tritto's post I totally agree