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Vintage Watches

Every vintage watch has a story to tell, and that’s what makes them special. Each piece offers a unique window into the past that traces back through generations, and owning one means getting to enjoy a piece of decades-old mechanical art. Welcome to the world of vintage.

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Porsche Design Design By Iwc IW382101 268221

Porsche Design

Design By Iwc

IW382101

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402ST 200341

Audemars Piguet

Royal Oak

5402ST

Maurice Lacroix Selena SE4012-SD502-150 267779

Maurice Lacroix

Selena

SE4012-SD502-150

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Tag Heuer Monaco 1133B Vintage 209137

Tag Heuer

Monaco

1133B Vintage

Omega Speedmaster Date 3711.20.11 256224

Omega

Speedmaster Date

3711.20.11

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 3570.50.00 269963

Omega

Speedmaster Moonwatch

3570.50.00

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Omega De Ville Classics 196.2432 271904

Omega

De Ville Classics

196.2432

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch ST 105.003-65 258093

Omega

Speedmaster Moonwatch

ST 105.003-65

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

IWC Portofino Automatic IW351317 246789

IWC

Portofino Automatic

IW351317

Cartier Trinity WG200256 257036

Cartier

Trinity

WG200256

Cartier Pasha 83038200 239976

Cartier

Pasha

83038200

Rolex Explorer II 16570 269628

Rolex

Explorer II

16570

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust Lady 69173 269496

Rolex

Datejust Lady

69173

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust Lady 69258 266705

Rolex

Datejust Lady

69258

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust Lady 69173 280348

Rolex

Datejust Lady

69173

Rolex Datejust 16030 259164

Rolex

Datejust

16030

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust 16233 272697

Rolex

Datejust

16233

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust Lady 69178 267302

Rolex

Datejust Lady

69178

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust 16200 282563

Rolex

Datejust

16200

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust 16030 282006

Rolex

Datejust

16030

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68240 269426

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68240

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 269721

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68274

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68240 273624

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68240

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68273 280822

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68273

Rolex Datejust 16030 282135

Rolex

Datejust

16030

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15223 252448

Rolex

Oyster Perpetual Date

15223

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68273 258862

Limited Edition

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68273

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1500 275878

Rolex

Oyster Perpetual Date

1500

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex GMT Master II 16710 272123

Rolex

GMT Master II

16710

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15210 261665

Rolex

Oyster Perpetual Date

15210

Rolex GMT Master 16700 225985

Rolex

GMT Master

16700

Rolex Submariner 1680 Single Red 240885

Rolex

Submariner

1680 Single Red

Rolex Submariner 16610 242673

Rolex

Submariner

16610

Rolex Submariner 16613 275017

Rolex

Submariner

16613

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Explorer 1655 270269

Rolex

Explorer

1655

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18238 265164

Rolex

Day-Date

18238

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18238 250685

Rolex

Day-Date

18238

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Daytona 16528 275378

Rolex

Daytona

16528

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 1803 259156

Rolex

Day-Date

1803

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Submariner 14060 245883

Rolex

Submariner

14060

Rolex Daytona 16523 221780

Rolex

Daytona

16523

Vintage Watches

There has been a huge upsurge in vintage watch collecting over the past twenty years, a natural consequence perhaps of the mechanical watch revival that took place in the 1990s after the doom-laden era of the quartz crisis had receded.

Since then vintage watches have grabbed the watch industry’s biggest headlines, with a number of Rolex and Patek Philippe models regularly selling for well over a million dollars at the most prestigious auction houses.

Vintage watches have never been in such high demand, with even models from lesser-known brands seeing their value increase ten-fold over the last decade or so. Of course, precious few vintage timepieces—or any timepieces, for that matter—will reach anywhere near the astronomical price ($17.75 million) fetched by Paul Newman’s Daytona in 2017, but a vintage watch by a brand like Omega or Zenith which sold for a couple of hundred pounds in the 1990s, would fetch several times that in today’s market.

If you’re wondering what defines a vintage watch in the first place, the answer isn’t set in stone. Some people consider any pre-1980 model to qualify as vintage, while others insist it’s anything over 25 years old. Any watch over a hundred years old, on the other hand, is classed as an antique—one you might consider locking in a safe rather than actually wearing.

If you’re thinking of starting your own vintage collection featuring the most established brands, there are a number of names and models to consider. Vintage Patek Philippe pieces are among the most desirable, whether it’s a pre-World War II time-only Calatrava, a 1970s Nautilus or any perpetual calendar model in gold or platinum.

The most popular vintage Audemars Piguet models are the first-generation Royal Oaks, a luxury steel sports model launched in 1972 that gave rise to a whole new genre in high-end watchmaking.

Extremely rare and therefore much sought-after are vintage Panerai watches, of which as few as 350 were made between 1938 and 1994, after which the brand finally began making watches commercially and for the civilian market, rather than just for the Italian navy. Vintage Radiomir and Luminor models now command six-figure sums at auction.

Vintage Breitling and vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre watches are generally more affordable than the above, but even more wallet-friendly are a number of chronograph models by the legendary Heuer.

Vintage TAG Heuer (as it is now called) is best represented by several chronograph models with strong motor-racing links, the most famous being the square-cased Monaco. Famously worn by Hollywood maverick Steve McQueen, this distinctive and iconic timepiece is now a regular in the brand’s catalogue, with a number of dial variations and special editions. There’s something extra-cool about the early models, though, whose tiny imperfections enhance their appeal.

A few oft-repeated rules for budding vintage collectors are as follows: always buy from a trusted seller; try to buy watches with all original parts (dials, for example, have often been repainted or replaced on older watches); and never wear any vintage watch, whether a diver’s watch or not, in water as it will have almost certainly lost its water resistance due to the seals on the gaskets eroding.

And don’t be put off by faded lume, the odd battle scar and a little patina. Part of the charm of a vintage watch is that it’s been around the block a few times, had a few different wearers, got a few tales to tell.

At Watchfinder we sell a number of vintage models from brands including Rolex, Tudor, Zenith, Omega and more. Browse our selection online today to find your perfect vintage timepiece and add another chapter to its story.

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