Vintage jewellery-watches

The good news is: when it comes to buying vintage watches – time is on your side. While the collecting of premium secondhand timepieces began in the 1960s and 1970s, in the five decades that followed the market has remained surprisingly strong. It’s a luxury ‘hobby’ that has survived world wars, natural disasters and economic crises, as well as uncertainties in the Asian buying market. Why? A vintage watch is more than just a functional tool. It doesn’t just tell the time – it tells a story. So it’s little wonder that desirable watches in good condition enjoy several lives after their first owner.

Patek Philippe – One To Keep

Patek Philippe is the luxury watch manufacturer that makes the most complicated and most expensive – partly – hand crafted watches. The Swiss brand believes: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation.” And they should know: the leading haute horlogerie brand has its beginnings tracing all the way back to 1932. Legendary by lineage, the family-owned brand crafts thousands of complicated prized pieces yearly. Though its exclusivity lies in its limited production – each collection runs no more than 5,000 pieces.

Miniature Masterpieces

Ask any keen buyer, or better yet, a lucky owner and you’ll discover a Patek is revered just as highly as any Picasso. John Reardon, the head of watches at Christie’s, calculates that more than 90% of the most expensive watches at auction in recent years have been Pateks. “They are miniature masterpieces,” he says.

The Most Expensive Vintage to Date

In 1999, a one-off Patek Phillipe Supercomplication, made in 1933, sold for 11 million dollars – a world record at the time. And as most dedicated collectors know, the name of a watch is the most pivotal consideration for value. To date, of the top 24 most costly pre-owned timepieces auctioned in the world, the Patek Phillipe watch house lays claim to 19 of them.

Vintage jewellery-watches – A Strong Market

But it’s not just Pateks. In the 20 years that Sotheby’s Geoffroy Ader has been in the business, demand for pre-loved Daytonas has risen tenfold. And the right ones have experienced healthy price increases. Some rising from $5,000 to $100,000 in worth. Like the most collected watch brand in the world, the best vintage pieces of its ilk continue to soar.

Discerning Watch Lovers are Happy to Spend

There is no doubt that today’s watch collectors are more knowledgeable while with a voracious hunger to learn. Thanks to forums and the wider Internet, awareness exists about correct hands, bezels and movements. Ader explains: “more and more buyers are demanding excellent- condition pieces with boxes and papers.”

Proving to be the strongest year ever for Bonhams London, 2013 saw £14m in sales worldwide. A healthy increase from the previous £12.5m of 2012. It seems while the discerning investors of today are happy to spend, they are equally just as shred and selective – happy to wait for the right watch to come along.

Mind the Five C’s when Purchasing a Pre-owned Vintage jewellery-watches

With browsing for watches, always bear in mind the make and how rare they are.
The Five C’s will hold you any buyer in good stead.

• Condition: a well looked after watch promises a good selling price.
• Certification: that means the original packaging, box and papers.
• Compilation: This is any function other than the time display.
  Basically the more the better. Remember, the most expensive Patek
  sold was the most complicated watch ever created.
• Celebrity: The first owner of a watch can bring great value to the piece.
• Circa: This refers to when the watch was created. The older the better!

Though just as fashion trends come and go, so do new and old watch interests. Thus driving a regular cycle of styles and models. Dr Crott auctioneer, Stefan Muser has noticed a steadily growing interest in undervalued models: “A lot of my clients are returning to wearing watches of around 35mm – the more comfortable, more elegant types.” He envisages Longines chronographs from the 1950s and 1960s will soon gain a fast audience.

A mechanical timekeeper that spans generations, a watch is a symbol of something more personal than the time of day. It could be nostalgia. It could be stature. The most renowned watches from the likes of Rolex, Cartier, Harry Winston, and A. Lange & Söhne are so because of the quality of artisanship, as well as the history behind the name, which suggests wealth, good taste, and a cultivated upbringing. Though the most important thing, is that you choose a watch that you take the most enjoyment from. You don’t have to be a ‘watch person’ to wear a watch.

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