Grail Creep — The Myth Of The Endgame Watch

Admit it: you have one too! The mythic grail watch lives rent-free in any watch enthusiast’s mind. It’s that one watch that would be the pinnacle of our collecting lifestyle, fulfilling our wildest horological dreams. Maybe it could even be the endgame watch, finally keeping our hungry bellies filled forever. Unfortunately, we’re fighting our biological makeup if we expect to reach collecting nirvana. Let’s explore the fascinating subject of grail creep, or why our horizons are meant to keep shifting.

Admittedly, “grail watch” doesn’t mean the same thing to all enthusiasts. Some merely see it as an ambitious collecting goal, while others consider it a watch they dream of but would never buy. Yet others still consider it the ultimate endgame acquisition, the so-called “exit watch.” It is the third definition that I am using for this article.

We’re not made for lasting fulfillment; we’re built for desire

To learn why grail creep occurs, it pays to have some understanding of what desire even is. At the most fundamental level, when it concerns basic needs, desire follows some sort of bodily imbalance. We experience hunger, and we desire food. Once we get it, the desire wanes as long as the physical balance lasts. These are the motivational systems that keep us alive.

This very simple principle guides more advanced desires as well. However, it is key to realize that the system isn’t supposed to lead to lasting satisfaction. We’re not built for anything to lead to permanent pleasure. Instead, we are adapted to move between motivational states, keeping us eager and on the move. Think about it: pure contentment doesn’t boost your odds of survival and reproductive success; ambition does. We wouldn’t get out of bed without it. We constantly chase desires, such as being of value to our loved ones, physical health, social status, and professional accomplishment.

Pleasure is much more of a directive, temporary signal than an end goal. It tells us that we accomplished something and motivates us to chase it again. Most likely, it motivates us to chase more of it. And this does not bode well for collectors of anything…

Grail creep

So, how does this play out when it comes to grail watches? Well, something that shrinks call hedonic adaptation becomes part of the equation. The idea is that a positive change in one’s life is unlikely to lead to lasting pleasure. For starters, the newly acquired improvement leads to less positive stimulation over time. You get used to having it in your life. Second, the bar gets raised for new improvements.

A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph

Any seasoned collector will likely admit that the chase is more fulfilling than the resulting acquisition. As enthusiasts, we often underestimate the joy we get from studying our object of desire. Reading everything about it, watching YouTube reviews, scouring old reference books, and daydreaming about it is the most fun part.

This all means that the final acquisition can lead to a bit of a void. All the anticipation and hard work suddenly come to an end. Since we enjoyed this stage so much, we are likely to find a new subject to focus on. The newly acquired grail watch, meanwhile, becomes a new baseline or reference point. If one isn’t mindful of it, this can lead to grail creep, or chasing ever shinier things.

Wanting and liking aren’t the same thing

We need to make a crucial distinction between wanting and liking. The chase is built around wanting or desire. It is the appeal or the attractive powers that the grail watch holds. Liking is the degree to which we actually enjoy the grail once it’s in our possession. As it turns out, humans are rather bad at predicting the future degree of liking while we’re in a state of wanting.

If we return to shrink language, we could describe it as “affective forecasting.” As it turns out, we tend to overestimate both the intensity and the duration of our future enjoyment of a pursued change. We envision the purchase process, the unboxing, putting it on our wrist for the first time, showing it to our best friends, and gazing down at our wrist in amazement. We don’t necessarily envision how our lives will return to normal just minutes later. You will still be taking out the trash that evening.

Have you ever experienced an ominous sense of disappointment immediately after acquiring a grail watch? I am not too proud to admit that I have. I have had it with boots and guitars too. This newly vacated space quickly fills with new wants. Clearly, the desire doesn’t quite click into the affection as seamlessly as we anticipate and convince ourselves it will.

How to live with grail creep

Okay, great, I have ruined your mood. My sincere apologies! That wasn’t my intention at all. Luckily, it is possible to have a healthy relationship with grail creep. One way to deal with it is simply to embrace it. If you go after your next goal with zeal, fully aware that the resulting pleasure is only temporary, that’s perfectly fine. After all, seasoned collectors know that this is the cycle, yet they remain on the treadmill. And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, you could argue that collecting as a hobby would not exist without it. It would end after the first item was acquired.

The other solution takes a little more self-control. You might be aware of grail creep and steer clear of it by simply not buying the watch you desire. If you don’t close the loop, the disappointment is averted, and no hedonic adaptation takes place. You can simply study the grail watch as you always would but move on to the next subject right before you would have otherwise pulled the trigger.

Another possibility, of course, is that you aren’t affected by any of this at all. Maybe your pursuit of watches follows different patterns. In that case, I would love to hear about it. Do you experience grail creep? If so, how do you deal with it? Let us know in the comments section below!