Buying a vintage watch is scary, especially the first one. While all four criteria certainly carry equal weight, I want to focus briefly on the first and last. A “no-brainer” and “no regrets” first vintage watch purchase Over the better part of a month we pulled together a collection of vintage watches that would check the following boxes:ġ. That’s why when we decided we wanted to have a vintage watch category in the HSS Shop, we turned to our friends at Analog/Shift for a little help. But you’ve got to know where to look and you’ve got to know that the people you’re buying from have not only a vast knowledge of vintage watches, but the integrity to back up what they’re selling. We’ve gotten to know you guys, our readers, over the past five years and we know that these are the sorts of watches that would really turn you on. There are tons of vintage watches up for grabs out there that are super interesting and investment-quality that won’t break the bank. But, it can paint a picture of the vintage watch market as something that is completely unattainable for the baller on a budget. (Except in the case of the buyer of Jackie O’s Tank, but let’s not go there.) In other words, they’re not the everyday guy with a regular job. To be fair, the sort of collector who will pay those kind of dollar figures for something that tells time, is just that – a certain kind of collector. Some experts believe this watch has the potential to sell for almost $10 million. On Octoat Phillips you will find perhaps the holiest of holy grail watches up for sale – Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” Ref. Not chump change by any stretch of the imagination, until you consider the following. Let’s just take two recent examples.īack in June at Christie’s “Rare Watches and American Icons” sale, a Cartier Tank owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which was estimated between $60,000 to 120,000, ultimately fetched $379,500. And that’s certainly a fair belief, especially considering how vintage watch collecting is portrayed in the media. That reluctance comes primarily from one belief: that vintage watches are expensive. I actually know the answer to that and it comes from my personal experience before getting bit by the vintage watch collecting bug as well as from close friends who want to dive in, but are somewhat hesitant. So, the question then becomes: why wouldn’t you want to fall down that hole? However, the good news is that once you’re stuck down there, you’ll find an endless – like, literally endless – supply of fascinating items, knowledge and shiny (or with patina, if that’s your jam) things to last a lifetime. Let’s get one thing straight: once you develop an interest in mechanical watches, you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole so deep that there is absolutely no getting out. We teamed up with Analog/Shift to bring you a high-quality selection of affordable vintage watches

Vintage style chronograph