I've been actively collecting since 2000 after I discovered TimeZone... but I'd been interested in watches since I was a kid growing up in the 60's... my first real watch in the 60's was a Borel Cocktail Kaleidoscope (which I was unfortunately relieved of by a thug in the NYC subways... ouch!)

The first nice watch I bought was a TAG chronograph in the early 90's and my wife bought me a Breitling Blackbird in 2000 to commemorate the birth of our daughter... that really got my horological juices flowing...

I discovered TimeZone and started reading as much as I could about vintage watches... buying and selling mostly time-only pieces until the chronograph bug hit... that's when Heuers (and Breitlings and Omegas, among others) really piqued my interest...

My advice: read, read, then read some more... the more you know, the more informed your purchases will be... and it always helps to have a good keen eye :) and buy the best you can afford...

Happy Hunting!!

Cheers,
Peter