WARNING: This Rant May or May not Be Serious. You decide….
Key Takeaways
The video is a “Collectibility rant” focusing on the kinds of messages, emails, and calls that the creators would “prefer not to receive” or that “simply drive us nuts”. The channel, Collectibility, notes that they generally love what they do, focusing 24/7 on all things Patek Philippe, and consider education as much a part of their mission as buying and selling. They are contacted easily over a thousand times a week with inquiries.
John Reardon addresses several major pet peeves, prioritizing the most bothersome ones:
1. The Number One Pet Peeve: Redacting Numbers on Watch Images The speaker’s number one pet peeve—which they state cannot be easily forgiven—is receiving pictures of a Patek Philippe watch, its archives, or its paperwork with the movement and case numbers redacted (removed). This happens every day, involving private collectors and other dealers. People often ask for free information, research, history, the date of production, or value, yet refuse to share the essential identifying numbers. The speaker notes that hiding the numbers on vintage pieces leads to more questions than answers. They compare this action to refusing to allow a doctor to see lab numbers during an annual physical. The immediate response to receiving images with redacted numbers is to delete them.
2. Asking for Free Expertise on Other Dealers’ Watches A significant pet peeve involves people the speaker has never met sending links to watches offered by other online sellers and asking for advice. These inquiries typically ask: “Is this a good watch,” “How’s the quality,” “Does it look original to you,” “How much should I pay for it,” or “Is it a good deal?”. The speaker is happy to help existing clients or friends, but notes that strangers are “basically using my expertise for free,” which is deemed “not cool”.
3. Unsolicited Business Advice (Especially Suggesting Selling Rolex) The speaker receives daily advice on how to run Collectibility, which is their livelihood. While constructive advice is welcomed, the most common advice given is to “sell Rolex”.
4. Personal Comments and Criticism on Social Media The channel welcomes ideas on how to improve content, but dislikes comments that become personal, such as those critiquing the speaker’s hairstyle or eye tracking on video. The speaker notes that they are “just honored and fortunate to have a platform” and compares personal complaining to accepting free ice cream but “complaining about the color of the sprinkles”.
5. The Common Question: “Is it polished?” This question comes up daily and is a highly sensitive topic. The definitive answer, according to the speaker, is that every watch has been polished (it was polished before it left the factory). Forensically examining a watch to determine when it was polished last, or what work has been done, requires studying the hallmarks and takes a significant amount of time. The speaker advises addressing other questions before immediately asking if the watch has been polished.
6. The Biggest Pet Peeve of All: Confusing the Ellipse and the Golden Circle The speaker identifies this confusion as their absolute biggest pet peeve, stating it is “even bigger than the top one”. They express frustration that dealers, auction houses, collectors, and even “so-called experts” frequently confuse the Ellipse and the Golden Circle, despite their different proportions and shapes.
The video concludes by acknowledging that some of the rants are fair and some are “a little borderline,” and encourages viewers to comment, like, and subscribe to Collectibility on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
