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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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Rolex Submariner 16803 404620

Rolex

Submariner

16803

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 377313

Rolex

Sea-Dweller

1665

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1003 376286

Rolex

Oyster Perpetual

1003

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 67480 398026

Rolex

Oyster Perpetual

67480

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18078 386496

Rolex

Day-Date

18078

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18338 396304

Rolex

Day-Date

18338

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18238 382070

Rolex

Day-Date

18238

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 1803 389979

Rolex

Day-Date

1803

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18238 380901

Rolex

Day-Date

18238

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 118239 380943

Rolex

Day-Date

118239

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18038 402203

Rolex

Day-Date

18038

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Day-Date 18239 380369

Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex

Day-Date

18239

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Air-King 5500 401207

Rolex

Air-King

5500

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Cartier Tank Francaise WE1002SC 369314

Cartier

Tank Francaise

WE1002SC

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch ST 145.022 369035

Omega

Speedmaster Moonwatch

ST 145.022

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Omega Seamaster GMT 2534.50.00 368623

Omega

Seamaster GMT

2534.50.00

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15200 368837

Rolex

Oyster Perpetual Date

15200

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 356659

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68274

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 364998

Rolex

Oyster Precision

6694

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Tudor Submariner 9411/0 297012

Tudor

Submariner

9411/0

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Air-King 14010 347284

Rolex

Air-King

14010

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust 16200 363356

Rolex

Datejust

16200

Product Location

CHF 4’700 CHF 5’300

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust 16030 353272

Rolex

Datejust

16030

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust 1601 344423

Rolex

Datejust

1601

Product Location

CHF 3’875 CHF 4’615

incl. import taxes & duties

Tudor Prince Date 91520 258472

Tudor

Prince Date

91520

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 352261

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68274

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Air-King 5500 342700

Rolex

Air-King

5500

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Patek Philippe Calatrava 3520DJ-011 335601

Patek Philippe

Calatrava

3520DJ-011

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Datejust Lady 69174 350690

Rolex

Datejust Lady

69174

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Submariner 5513 344240

Rolex

Submariner

5513

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Daytona 16523 345472

Rolex

Daytona

16523

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Tag Heuer Autavia 1163 321127

Tag Heuer

Autavia

1163

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Tudor Oysterdate Chronograph 94200 290994

Tudor

Oysterdate Chronograph

94200

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex GMT Master II 16710 359966

Rolex

GMT Master II

16710

Product Location

incl. import taxes & duties

Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 357761

Rolex

Mid-Size Datejust

68274

Product Location

CHF 4’785 CHF 5’565

incl. import taxes & duties

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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