The Realities of Dealing in Vintage

One of the daunting aspects of dealing in vintage, sometimes neo-vintage watches, is the risk associated with buying them in the first place, closely followed by a whole host of others.

What customers don’t necessarily appreciate is the amount of research, time and work it can take to source beautiful watches. Then there is the effort involved in finding and building relationships with watchmakers who can service the varied selection of watches that we, as dealers, buy.

Then comes the wait while those watches are being serviced, without even taking into account the problems that can arise along the way—especially when replacement case parts, crystals or movement parts are obsolete or simply no longer available to buy on the second-hand market.

These things have to be factored into the equation when considering the purchase of a watch in the first instance. You’re not just looking at what a watch is worth today, but also what it might need, what could go wrong, how difficult it might be to put right and how long you may have your money tied up in it before it’s ready to offer for sale.

Then, when all of that is said and done, there is the knowledge that we also have to provide a warranty to the eventual buyer.

Another important part of dealing in vintage watches is managing a potential customer’s expectations about how an older watch might actually perform. However well serviced and prepared it may be, a vintage watch is not comparable to a modern watch and can only reasonably be expected to perform to a certain level. Equally, regardless of what the watch may originally have been designed or rated for, a vintage watch cannot be considered or relied upon 100% as being waterproof. It cannot therefore be warrantied as such. Some may not even be considered dust-proof….

Although all of this might seem obvious to someone who has already gone well and truly down the vintage watch rabbit hole, it most certainly isn’t obvious to someone inquisitively starting out on their collecting journey. Things that experienced collectors simply take for granted often need explaining to someone buying their first vintage watch.

Getting that message across without putting someone off the watch altogether is another part of the job. We want customers to wear and enjoy these watches, but they also need to understand and accept the realities that come with owning something that might be 40, 60, 80 or even more years old.

It’s not easy!!