In recent years, buying vintage watches has become fashionable. It is no longer unusual; it is even well-regarded, and
it can be a good investment if you have serious knowledge and criteria.
Where does the concept of vintage come from?
First, let's clarify that "vintage" is not a French word, but an English one (ˈvɪntɪdʒ), referring to the vintage of a wine that usually increases in value with age, and which, depending on certain values related to the harvest, the brand, the vineyards, the variety, the vintage, exceptions (natural disasters of that year, winery bankruptcy, etc.), can make it increase much more. From there, the concept of vintage was transferred to jewelry, watches, and even automobiles.
When does that qualitative leap occur between an old watch and a classic watch?
Is the turning point at 15, 20, or 50 years? Can an 80s Casio be a classic or already a vintage watch? Is it related to the number of units manufactured?
It's not clear, and it's a somewhat fluid concept, with exceptions. Going back to car collecting, some collectors think that a car stops being old and becomes classic when its price stops falling because it's considered old and starts to revalue and appreciate. In automobiles, it's more or less clear, but in watches, there is no general agreement on the concept of a vintage watch.
There are theories that state there must be a limited stock of "live" or circulating units in the market, and it must be difficult to find pieces in good condition. Also, the manufacture of parts and spare parts must have ceased. Normally, "vintage" watches require more care than modern ones, are not as precise (both in machinery and in quality control of the era), and are much more delicate.
For
Andhora.com, these are five of the ten criteria we use to recognize a vintage watch:
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Original condition: A watch that is not preserved with the model's original parts (they can be spare parts, but from watches and models of that era) will not be considered a pure vintage. There is the concept of Frankenstein watches or "Frankies" (meaning made with parts from various watches and movements), which is not what we are referring to, but it is close. A model with parts from other eras or modern watches is not well-regarded by the typical collector. The aesthetics and original parts of the model and era must be preserved as faithfully as possible. A watch preserved as if it left the factory in 1960 is highly valued among true collectors and investors, just like antique cars.
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Impossibility of purchasing from an authorized establishment, unless it is NOS (New Old Stock): The true indicator that a watch is genuinely vintage is that it is not sold in a store, jewelry shop, or watchmaker's. It is not in the catalog. When you have to resort to other types of purchase channels or information, it is a sign that you are looking for a genuinely vintage piece. The vintage watch buyer is a collector whom we consider a "watch-hunter": a patient hunter who ventures into the jungle, who has only one bullet, who has usually studied absolutely everything about the piece, waiting months or years to find it (since it is not easy to buy certain models in good condition at adequate prices until they find it), and Bingo! Then they go for it. It is also often the case that the moment they get their trophy, they are already obsessed with the next vintage piece...
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Watch History: This is a complicated aspect, but one to consider. There are models for which few units exist, either because they are limited editions or because they were not commercially successful at the time, such as the Rolex Daytona or the Explorer II Freccione – Steve McQueen. But over the years, they have been highly valued by collectors and are one of the best investments in vintage watches. Or the Omega SpeedMaster with its trip to the moon in 1969, the Seiko Pogue with its secret trip to space known years later. These stories attached to certain models place them in a pantheon of vintage watch icons.
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Reissues vs. Original Vintage: As an eighth criterion, we will discuss the lack of creativity in the R&D and Marketing departments of watch brands (or clearly, taking advantage of the vintage trend and milking the cash cow to keep shareholders of large holdings like Swatch, Richemont, or LVMH happy) today. In recent years, there have been no major launches or models with great designs or WOW effects. When a brand releases a reissue of a vintage model as a novelty, on the one hand, it elevates the status of that model, but at the same time, it also lowers it, as the authenticity and value of the vintage pieces are not maintained. For the general public, it is an easy option to enter the history of the watch brand with mythical models, but we, the romantics of watchmaking, do not believe it is the most correct approach in the medium and long term. Normally, there are brands that exploit iconic vintage models to exhaustion (as in the case of Omega), others that make changes like the color of a word on the dial (as in the case of Rolex), or the traditionally pure ones (like Patek Philippe).
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Spectacular Designs and a Certain Glamour: The last aspect is related to the watch's look. We are talking about old designs or sixties and seventies color combinations. Very different shapes and extravagant straps. Not overly large dials (not exceeding 40mm and normalizing male dials of 36mm, considered "feminine" according to current trends), innovative materials, and distinctive straps.
