no la...one of the first thing he mentioned to me is dont look at Omegas, IWCs anymore if you want to be a serious watch collector...
Wow, that would mean that a lot of us here would qualify as not serious watch collectors! 
I know I'm not. 
Interesting statement. I only consider one a serious collector if your collection is named after you like this one:
The Sandberg collection:
'The "Sandberg Watch Collection" is a unique collection of 433 timepieces, one of the most outstanding still in private hands. With a global value of about 15 million Swiss Francs, it comprises some of the world's most remarkable enameled watches and musical watches with automaton scenes, often produced for the Chinese market, together with singing bird boxes, erotic watches and exquisite form watches.
Spanning the years 1500s to 1900s, "The Sandberg Watch Collection" includes exceptional watches from the 16th and 17th centuries, and rare watches of major importance for their technical interest, such as an early self-winding "perpÉtuelle" pocket watch by Abraham-Louis Breguet, circa 1815, and an astronomical watch, made for nautical use, circa 1785, by the English watchmaker George Margetts.'
Some of the brands in the collection (how many of these brands do you know?)
Pierre Drouynot
Jaquet-droz
Abrecht & Co
Louis Elisée Piguet
Charles Oudin
George Prior
James Cox
Breguet
William Howes
Robert Brandt & Co
Bichler & Hartmann
Longines
Of course the collection has been sold.
'Sandberg Watch Collection Grosses $13 Million in Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland - Antiquorum's sale of "The Sandberg Watch Collection", held March 31 and April 1 at the Hotel Richemond, reached $13,085,265. The sum represents offerings that were 200 percent sold by value and 91 percent by lot.
During the weekend, 44 clients registered to bid online at Axxxxxxxxm and bid a total of $427,745 in cyberspace, with $347,338 spent online just for the Sandberg Auction. Altogether more than 2,000 watch enthusiasts were online viewing the live auction broadcast during the entire weekend.
Lord Sandberg, though sad to lose his collection, was thrilled at the results. "I made the right decision in doing this auction with Axxxxxxxxm. Osvaldo is light years ahead of all the others in the field." Sandberg referred to Osvaldo Patrizzi, chairman of the auction house, who saw the event as "a true festival for collectors which brought a number of new buyers."
The Amphora, attributed to Piguet & Capt, was the top lot at $523,410.
The top lots from the collection included lot 47, The Amphora, attributed to Piguet & Capt, circa 1805, which reached a world record at $523,410. The gold, enamel pearl-set, musical form watch with automaton scene was purchased by a Swiss private museum.
Lot 402 also reached a world record at $478,901. The Madonna della Sedia, Piguet & Meylan, circa 1820, a rare pair of gold, enamel, pearl and ruby set watches with music and automaton scene, also went to a Swiss private museum. Lot 194, at $447,110, another world record, was a Piguet & Meylan, circa 1820. The pair of gold, enamel, pearl-set, centre-seconds, quarter repeating watches was purchased by a Swiss private museum.
Lot 49, at $351,734, was attributed to Moulinié, Bautte & Cie, circa 1806. A US private collection went home with the pair of gold, enamel and pearl-set, perfume sprinkler pistols with watch. Selling for $ 345,376 and attributed to Jaquet-Droz, circa 1785, was a gold, enamel pearl and ruby set singing bird watch that, appropriately, was purchased by the Jaquet-Droz Museum.
Reaching the sum of $ 294,500 was an Abraham Cusin, circa 1630, silver, gold, gilt metal and enamel watch designed as a cross of the Order of the Holy Ghost. Its buyer was a Swiss private museum.'
Or that the catalogue of the pieces on auction can fetch USD 200.
The catalogue:
I know of people who, when meeting with people who are not as 'educated' in watches as them (I an not implying that this guy is one of them), they try to 'show off' what they know.
Well I can only say that if you choose not to collect brands like Omega, IWC, and such, it is your loss. It may not be as 'glamorous' as collecting independent brands, but it is still a watch, whose main function is to tell time. I have more respect for a Seiko collectors who knows his stuff than one who has all the independent brands and knows next to nothing.
