clemens m
393
Vintage all the way!
Don´t get me wrong - I have nothing against modern watches, I have several of them in my collection and I will add some more, but vintage is really where all the fun and all the value in collecting is!
There is nothing cooler than a well-preserved vintage watch with patinated lume buth otherwise minty condition, it is the blueprint for all the wannabe re-issue watches and in fact is how they should really look like.
A big, big advantage of vintage watches for me is that they are much cheaper to service and to maintain when you have a good independent watchmaker. Most modern watches don´t have spare parts available for the free market so you don´t really have a choice but giving them to a manufacturer service. For most old calibres it is the other way round - in many occasions the manufacturer itself doesn´t have parts anymore or doesn´t even exist anymore as a company but there are many NOS spare parts floating around on the market. This makes servicing vintage pieces much cheaper and easier in my experience.
Box and papers mean nothing to me, they are very easy to fake compared to the watch itself so I would not pay one € more for a full-set, the condition of the watch is most important anyway.
So vintage all the way for me, but before you buy do your homework - settle on a few models you like and gather as much knowledge as possible about these specific references and when in doubt post pictures here and don´t be afraid to ask questions. Avoid reprinted dials, overpolished cases and "Frankenwatches" cobbled together from various brand-original but incorrect-for-the-model parts at all costs. Buy the best condition you can find, ideally with original crown and crystal.
One last point - what makes vintage soooo much more exciting and satisfying for me is the hunt for a rare piece in a good condition. Anyone with deep pockets can walk into a shop and buy a "rare" 6-digit Daytona, a Royal Oak or a Nautilus at the spot. When you are on the hunt for a rare vintage piece deep pockets will not help you, you will have to gather knowledge and hunt it down for yourself, this makes collecting vintage so satisfying for me - it is not about money in the first place but in-depth knowledge and passion.
More posts:
Opinions welcome on buying vintage…
So I am not talking about Uber rare vintage watches or ones bought as investment. Just some of the more affordable vintage. They are maybe affordable because they are not super hyped. Opinions on buying ones that have no papers? I’m not worried about resa...
I regretted it
Vintage is kind of stressful to own and honestly I love a lot of features modern watches have, like sapphire crystals, waterproofing, etc. I just sold all of my vintage pieces over the last 6 months. Didn’t have much but was not finding them as fun as my ...
I have a number of vintage pieces. I would say you either stick to a brand (ug, JLC, lemania for example) or you stick to a period (1970’s for example)
Unless you go top end, stay away from Chronos or perpetual or jump hour. Stick to time only or time (date) as they are less expensive to maintain. Stay away from auctions unless you really know what you are looking for.
Unless I expect to be actually under water, I wear exclusively vintage watches.
I gradually got rid of all my modern ones, as I like the older ones more. Box and papers are not necessary or expected. The older watches were made for everyday use. They tend to work well, and not to be fussy: they don't stop running at the least hint of...
I would recommend these vintage pieces as they have some cool featues....
1. King Seiko (maybe quickly get one as they may become more expensive as brand is revitalized) 2. Illinois Watch Company (there is this really useful page on instagram you can check) 3. Beijing Watch Factory (not vintage but make some interesting watches...
Start small and go from there
There are so many amazing vintage watches in every price category to be had... from the hundreds to the low thousands and of course, up. Vintage is lovely in that its No box, No papers, No problem! No one (at least that I know) ever expects to see a vinta...
Vintage is fun and watches has lots of character.
Our fathers and grandfathers wore what we call vintage as a daily watch, many gold dress calatrava style, and the watches survived well. The old ones had larger movement tolerance and built like a tank comparing to current watches. the main downside for a...
Vintage all the way!
Don´t get me wrong - I have nothing against modern watches, I have several of them in my collection and I will add some more, but vintage is really where all the fun and all the value in collecting is! There is nothing cooler than a well-preserved vintage...
Positive experience
I plunge previous year, and i have 5 weeks my second vintage watch. There is no box and papers, but a friendly handwritten note by the trusted sellers. One put a nice velvet watch holder in the box, a nice picture of a train too. Completely surprised by i...
There are some brands which are worth a serious consideration. Lemania, Minerva, Omega ( some off the beaten paths ),Heuer ( the Bund is a steal! ), JLC, of course and many others.
Most often they won't come with the papers, indeed, but who cares? You will not wear the papers, but the watch. No, the thing is that you have to find a good watchmaker, able to service and repair it. Best, my friend, and go! Nicolas
Tru
Both of my vintage watches have parts that are available and are not rare. AS1130, Bulova Accutron 214 movement. Another watch, (not vintage) Audemars Piguet Huitieme. Did you do some research on the movement Nico? I start today to get information online ...
In house can be possible
Based on Lemania? Possibile. I will take the chronographs also in the research. Complications build on base movements, mostly a minor change in movement number. The Huitiere is interesting. Good looks, good sizing, AP.
There is no sharp definition of the term,
I always think of "vintage" when the watch has radium or tritium lume and as "neo-vintage" for everything that is more than 20 years old.
The requisite condition for venturing into vintage . . .
. . . is to have a competent local watchmaker. And that's a tall order in most places. I'm fortunate to have two within reasonable driving distance. If you don't have one already, be prepared for headaches. Art
This .....
And why you should stick to non complicated movements unless you have that guy and hope he has kids.
