The perils of vintage #94 – or – so you want to buy a vintage watch? The vintage guide none of you asked for…

<This article first appeared on WatchCrunch, but has since gained a life and infamy on its own as it formed the basis for a WatchCrunch YouTube video. It’s 100% made up of my ramblings, and so is only fitting it finds a home here in “The Room”. I hope you enjoy it’s raw, unfiltered flavour…>

Ok… me again. There is a constant train of thought that persists on here that vintage is hard, risky, dangerous, sexy (no wait… that’s just me). The thing is, I think a lot of you are overthinking it, or just want a helpful bit of pointing in the right direction, or just maybe want to see what not to do, so if I may indulge some of you (or you indulge me), and at the risk of covering re-trodden ground, I would like to drop some pointers and, please, just ask and fire away if you want to drill down further. This is also a collection of many of my rants and raves, so reader discretion is advised:

• What is vintage? Good question, it’s probably now anything 25+ years plus which takes us into the 90s. Let that sink in…
• I want a vintage looking watch, do I have to go vintage? No, and if you are starting out, hell no. The retro-inspired watch market is amazing, and you can almost certainly find something modern that looks very old. Undone, Dan Henry, Baltany, Vario, Kuoe Kyoto, Merkur… and even your “bigger boy” brands like Longines, Tissot, Tag Heuer, Omega, Montblanc, etc… can offer you a retro-inspired collection or six. Cartier can even give you a new Tank or Santos that looks like an old Tank or Santos as they are timeless. Then you have reinterpretations, homages, modding… just go wild. You can get all ancient without the need to dig, but if you must…
• Why do I like vintage? I would argue I have always been into vintage. I inherited a vintage quartz Omega Seamaster when my grandfather passed nearly 30 years ago, along with some other Swiss “junkers”. I didn’t really get into watches properly until my early 20s many years later, and it was mainly his Seamaster I wore on the regular. I decided I needed a watch for more day to day, so I bought a Tag Heuer (Aquaracer Calibre S Retrograde Chronograph Regatta Timer if you must know – not vintage). Decided it was too modern and nice, so bought a vintage 1968 Omega Seamaster Chronostop instead. Decided that was too nice, so ended up down the rabbit hole. I don’t like modern watches for many reasons, but the main ones are that they are too large (and I have big wrists) and they lack character. I find myself drawn to heritage pieces when looking at new watches, but as a result I might as well go vintage. Yes, it’s a risk, but I’m quite battle-hardened and have a clear set of rules I follow: avoid obvious rip-offs, be skeptical of dial condition, avoid ridiculous complications, 15 Jewel minimum, no pin-pallets (although I do break this one from time to time). I think I am still constantly amazed at what I can pick up for next to nothing, and that keeps me going. I think a 70-year-old watch with a decent movement, and keeping good time, is much more interesting than a new Tudor or Seiko. I like watches with stories and scars. I’m a romantic at heart; if it’s got an ok movement, works, has some character it’s probably going on the wrist. If it’s 70-80 years old, it’s going to get worn proudly, and will die with me, loved and cherished. It’s how I roll, and I don’t try and question it, I just do it.
• Do your homework. Please. Pre-quartz “crisis” there were hundreds of brands, many have not survived. Some still exist, but not in a form recognisable today as they might just be a name owned by some random firm, or part of a wider portfolio of a conglomerate. The old days were very interesting, you could call yourself a brand if you could source an ébauche* and a case and put the pieces together, kind of like microbrands now, right? I’m going to touch on this in depth later. Not all “watchmakers” were old wizards sitting in workshops tinkering away at petite complications staring out at a chocolate-box vista within the Swiss Alps. Anyway, you can get different quality cases, different quality ébauches*, it’s a mixed bag. Do your homework. I would recommend reading about the history of various “leading” brands, because it sets up the scene nicely for what is largely a crapshoot.
• *an ébauche is an incomplete watch movement consisting of plates, bridges, wheels, and barrels to be finished and fitted with jewels, escapement, mainspring, hands, and dial. You will be seeing this word a lot, apologies.
• Bookmark these pages:

https://ranfft.org – this is your one stop shop for movements. You are welcome.

Mikrolisk – The horological trade mark index , credit to Greg for this one. Run every brand you see through here and follow the trail.

• Vintage – what basics must I need to know? Bear with me, this will lose structure fast, and just hold on. I also colour this information highly with my own subjectivity; I am a very unreliable narrator, but I’m the only one you have right now:

1. Size. The older you get, the smaller you go, simple as. In the late 80s Tag Heuer would call the 38mm versions of their watches the “jumbo” edition. 34-36mm was deemed acceptable for a man’s watch (and apologies, I don’t like bringing gender into descriptions, but I have to establish this baseline now. Watches were technically invented for women as they had no pockets, and then later playboy millionaire pilots. Whatever). If you go back further, you see men’s everyday and dress watches dip into the early 30s. The ATP watch specification pre-WWII that 20 manufacturers compiled with saw watches between 28-33mm. 28-30mm was common in the 30s-40s. There are vintage oversized watches, and divers, chronographs, stopwatches, etc… can be 34mm and above, but these are the exception to the rule – and they are both uncommon (in terms of no-complication) or necessary because of the complications, and as they are more “acceptable” in terms of size are so much more desirable and are therefore going to command a premium. Thems the breaks. Gentlemen: if you cannot possibly stomach wearing anything less than 34mm, or your masculinity is severely threatened by wearing a watch less than the size of a dinner plate, the vintage market is not for you – bye bye. Ladies: welcome to the floor, everything you see here is suitable, and we hope you enjoy your time shopping with us! If you like a watch that fits properly, and with a crown that doesn’t wish to live firmly embedded into your left wrist, you are going to have the time of your life.

2. Movements (holistic view). There are two main categories here for a mechanical watch: pin-pallet escapement, and lever escapement. The former is also known as a pin-lever, or Roskopf movement. I implore you, avoid them at all costs. These are cheaper movements which substituted jewels for metal pins on the pallet fork that engages with the escape wheel. The result is greater wear and tear, and the ability to produce cheaper watches by which you could just rip out the movement and replace like for like. These were invented by men who saw the ideal of the man and the dollar watch – affordable timekeeping for all; a noble cause, with terrible execution. These watches are ok, but their lifespan is finite, and the upkeep is getting worse and harder to maintain. Many watchmakers will ignore them and refuse to touch them. There are certain brands to avoid, but the major one I will offer is Oris (sorry Oris) as they are highly desirable and catch many people out. In 1934, the Swiss government introduced the ‘Watch Statute’, a law designed to protect and regulate the industry that prevented watch companies from introducing new technologies without permission. As Oris started out on pin-pallets, they were stuck making pin-pallets because why would the other manufacturers allow them to switch to pallet-lever? Anyway, what Oris can do with a pin-pallet is pretty impressive, the 652 (or a version of) was certified as a chronometer which is the very definition of rolling a turd in glitter… but if you have a decent complication can you get parts or service? Can you f***! I know this because of my Cal.725. Star ChronOris Monopusher, and is now just a relic. Don’t buy pin-pallet, not unless you can afford to swallow the loss. Promise if you take nothing else away from this nonsense, just avoid these.

How does one avoid a pin-pallet? Easy, consider jewel count, look for the word Incabloc on the dial (it’s a pallet-lever anti-shock mechanism that was incredibly popular, such a huge indication of a non-pin-pallet ebauche), avoid 60s-70s skin divers, be wary of any watch that has “Shock Protection” written on the dial, look for common styles of the watches with these movements… and POP THE BACK. I could write a whole book on this, but if you made it this far you in the proceedings well done, have a coffee, and a biscuit.

Jewel count is important, but also not (haha – paradox alert, ffs Chris why!). For a lever escapement the magic number is around 15J, anything less has probably had some corners cut, anything more might not be bringing too much to the table. Avoid 5J and 7J, not many watch makers see the point in fixing them in my experience, but some 7Js are nice. Some American brands imported 7J versions of 15-21J ébauches to avoid paying as much tax. Some pin-pallet movements also have high numbers of jewels, yes, but they are still subject to adverse wear at the core of the movement unlike the pallet-lever. Trust me, just don’t bother.

Timex – deserves its own category here. But Christopher, vintage Timex are jewelled movements and I have read they can be fixed/maintained? Yes… Timex pin-levers are actually fully jewelled, as were some later Oris. They are still cheap and built for replacement rather than repair. If they are so good, why don’t the reissued Marlins use the original movements? Oh, that’s right, they are s***. Caravelle made $10.95 watches with imported Citizen movements and sold them in direct competition with Timex back in the day, we all know Timex were taking the piss. However, love Timex now, *chef’s kiss*, such darlings of the scene.

The best piece of advice, and one of the most counterintuitive, is be prepared to walk away from a watch you fall in love with. Head vs heart is always a tough battle, but if it’s going to be a dud in 5 years, and you’ve sunk lots of £££ into it, it’s going to ruin this for you. Trust me.

3. Movements (let’s get deeper). Some other things to consider: 

Always pop the back: ALWAYS LOOK AT THE MOVEMENT. Movement is key. It tells you everything, even if it is offers little at a cursory glance, it will tell you everything you need to know. Note brand (if stated), note jewel count, look for logos, look for emblems beneath the balance wheel, look for test “adjustments, adj, Swiss, etc…”, note the position of things, the shape of the connections, the shape of the bridge, look for codes, note the materials used, and the finish (Geneva Stripes, or Damaskeening)… IF you buy a watch blind, be prepared to receive a bag of wasps. Use Dr Ranfft; for the love of God use Dr Ranfft.

Adjustments. An adjustment is when a watch is regulated in a certain position. An “unadjusted” movement is a movement where no attempt has been made to ensure that the daily error rate in several orientations have been minimized across the positions. An “adjusted” movement, therefore, has had some extra care in ensuring that the variance in accuracy between several orientations is minimized. Watches are typically adjusted to 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 positions. Traditionally, they are ordered as follows: 

• Dial Up
• Crown Down
• Dial Down
• Crown Left
• Crown Up
• Crown Right 

So, if you see a watch movement that says “3 adjustments”, it’s a good sign that it was a quality product from the off.

Automatics – the rotor. Early rotors did not have ball bearings, so wear is highly likely, and you will lose the ability to wind the watch properly, or even at all. My rule of thumb, the earlier the automatic, the more chance it will give you issues. Bumpers, etc… check the mechanism, consider longevity.

Complications – take a modern watch with a complication, say a VC Perpetual Calender. It’s a bollock to keep going right? If it loses power, what do they recommend in order to get it back on track – a specialist service. Same with say a chronograph, or a moonphase. The benefit with a modern watch, you still have the brand around, and they may still carry the parts, and they may fix it for a price. If you have an older movement, say a Minerva or Lemania, or even a complicated Oris, you are going to be hit by the triple threat: part/donor availability, cost, people willing to do the work. It might work for a few years, but it might cost you up to ten times the price of purchase to fix or service, and then I can understand why people give vintage a bad rap, but when you buy a watch equivalent of a Ferrari and not a Ford Focus, you have to pay for the privilege. I personally avoid vintage complications, which is probably for the best as I get a nosebleed if anything has more than a sub-second dial.

Quartz – oh quartz, industry killer and pariah of snobs, surely you don’t belong here? Quartz is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is reliable and relatively issue free, mainly “fixed” by changing batteries or cleaning, but the older the movement the same issues with donors and parts rears its ugly head. Again, you have a complicated quartz movement, or fragile, you are going to pay through the nose. Check the movement, check the maker, see if there are equivalent modern revisions, check compatibility, ask around, do your homework. Also, vintage quartz can be fun, quartz does not equal bad.

EDIT – you could also see some of the early Radio-Controlled watches fall into vintage… I have a Junghans Mega Solar Asymmetric Ceramic from 1993, it is supposed to pick up radio signals and self-regulate, what it actual does is never tell the correct time. My advice… just don’t.

4.  The manufacturing process, or how the watch was made.

As I alluded to, not all watch brands pre-1970 were just dedicated watchmakers tinkering around creating mechanical miracles, there were a lot of “jobbers”. Hundreds of brands, some knocking out cheap pin-pallet nasties, others cramming together decent ebauches into average cases without adjusting them, some combining good parts and adjusting movements. Think AliExpress, and then think about if it was a mail-order catalogue rather than online.

This is why you pop the back.

Some brands did make their own movements. Some went a little in-house, and would import an ebauche, tinker, adjust, develop, and brand it. Others just branded and shat them out.

Look at the movement, see if you can determine what it is. Look for emblems or logos, sometimes under the balance wheel. See who actually made the ebauche. Some makers are better than others. Personally, I see a lot of ETA, Pesuex, FHF and Adolf Schild (AS) on my travels in generic Swiss jobbers. This is common but is a positive sign. You might even recognise some of the names. If you come across other makers, check with your watchmaker if they can source parts easily.

The thing is, they are all good movements. I have many AS, ETA and FHF movements banging away and there is little to stop them. For peanuts you can get a beautifully worn watch which could last you for a long time, and that is where the fun begins.

Oh, just a quick thing, and very obvious – go gentle with them. They might have shock protection, they may be waterproof at point of origin, but they are old-age pensioners. If your Granny swam the Channel in her youth don’t push her in the pond now. Don’t expect them to compete with anything modern, and if you are expecting this, why? I saw a popular YouTuber on WatchCrunch respond to the notion of purchasing an actual JLC Dirty Dozen instead of a modern homage by threatening to waterboard it, w. t. actual f.? Oh, and for timekeeping, do not expect chronometer levels or accuracy: if your 80-year-old Swiss movements keeps within +/- 5 mins over 24 hours, then congratulations, it’s doing very well for itself. Perhaps a service would help but come on, its vintage, you didn’t buy it for accuracy, you bought it to flex (or it was cheap). Let’s all be realistic.

5. Brands and what to buy?

When gunning for things like Omega, JLC, etc… you really need to do your homework. Start out small, and work to these if you must, or just go via trusted dealers. I would avoid things like Enicar, Rado, etc… too many franken watches, so either go with trusted sellers or find some other muse.

You buy the seller not the watch – absolutely 100%.

A healthy dose of realism is required. If you want an 80-year old watch then you need to be aware that it’s going to potentially have some issues:

Age – it’s going to have either been worn or neglected. Either way, it’s going to look worse than when it was made, and various degrees of decay. Yes, it may also have radium paint, but don’t lick it. If you don’t mind a few scrapes then fine.

Movement – again, it’s either going to have been worn, or left to rot. It may need a service, it almost definitely will need one down the line. A good movement will still be a solid affair, but it will drift, and it will need a correction every day or two. Personally, I quite like having them all running different speeds, it shows some character within the group. But it’s going to be fine for wear, but not for extreme timing purpose.

Package – if you want a shiny watch with a retro vibe, and modern levels of precision, buy a heritage model or something from a microbrand. If you want something with a bit of history, character, and a little bit of craftsmanship, buy vintage.

Vintage is not scary – simple but true. If it looks too good to be true then it is. Be prepared to walk away from a watch you fall in love with. Ask questions, demand to see movements, ask about service history, check serials… but at the end of the day if you like something, and are happy with it, then that should be important. The last part will actually involve some work on your behalf when it comes to vintage – ideally only you can assess whether the market value is stupid for certain models, whether that £8 random jobber is exciting enough for you, or if the redialled 40s tank is for you.

As well as random brands, be prepared to see random watches with jewellers names, store names, department store names, shop names, made-up names… Again, pop the back, root around, don’t be swayed by the front. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

What is in a name? Nothing really. Most of the brands you see are dead. Some were never even brands. Here is a good one: Jean Renet. The finest Swiss watch maker this side of the River Thames. Made up brand in a sense but generic Swiss “jobbers”, which in itself is not an insult but it’s not like they are a watchmaker of renown, but you can get some nice pieces. This is common though, as is with certain microbrands now, and don’t feel bad if you inherit one of these or get one on your travels, it’s probably a decent watch and should be a faithful companion.

I suppose now is a good time to introduce the elephant in the room – vintage big brands. I will be honest, I have a number of vintage Omega and Vacheron Constantin in my collection, those are the big hitters, but honestly, they are a ticking time bomb…

Vintage Omega is popular, always has been, but the prices have sky-rocketed. I blame LaLaLand for all this – Ryan Gosling is a dangerous influence and must be stopped at all costs. The lure of a vintage Omega is very difficult to ignore, and I sympathise. 10 years ago I got the quartz movement of my grandfather’s slim Seamaster replaced by a third party in the UK but using the correct movement. I paid almost £400, the Omega premium was an additional £125 and a trip to Switzerland with no discernible deadline. Welcome to vintage Omega, you can check in but you can never leave. I expect the same thing to happen with Cali-dialled BubbleBacks thanks to Bullet Train, f*** you Brad Pitt.

Vintage watches from bigger brands are becoming more and more limited to service as time goes on as said brands are limiting the release of parts available to non-authorised repairers. Case in point, my VC cal.k1002… no-one wants to touch it, it’s too risky, and the movement itself was only produced in numbers of 24 during the years of production – I’m limited to VC only, and I do not even want to consider the cost of that. Omega are the same for some of their calibres. My Omega Seamaster f300Hz is one of my greatest finds and stupidest mistakes – bought cheap from a watch fair and watch dealer, the price was ridiculous, but when I sent it in for a new battery it turned out it needed a major overhaul. I found only one guy in the UK who would touch it… it’s a rare tuning fork mechanism and it is the horological equivalent of milking a unicorn. It cost me double the price of entry just to correct it. This was over a decade ago… now, who will touch it?

So what then… well the parts for ETA, FHF, AS, etc… are still available, and the sheer amount of these watches around means that watchmakers can obtain your parts quite easily. My chap I use runs on around £150-180 a full service for a manual Swiss ebauche of 15J + and up to £250 for an auto. Full donor movement swaps are £35-50 plus movement cost (and usually I can source as well). So what? Well, let’s break down one find: I purchased a sterile 30mm Vertex from 1936 for £50 that needed a service (wouldn’t wind, wouldn’t run, usually bs). Movement is awesome, it’s the same as IWCs from that era, and therefore I spent £160 on a full service and a new strap, and I have a watch that has a superb pedigree for a similar price to an Orient Bambino, and I would wear more than said reference. It’s easy. Hi, my name is Christopher, and I am not your average collector. I’ve bought 50s generic Swiss with fully functioning ETA 1080s, AS or FHF ebauches for £8-£15. 1940s waterproof sports watch dress up very nicely on a black leather strap. Rules are made to be broken.

Where is a good place to start? – ooh, tough one, and it depends on where you are in the world and what your watch market was like. I do not see much in the line of Gruen or Benrus, especially tanks and military/field, but Greg sees them all the bloody time and fails to understand my giddiness. I see a lot of generic Swiss and have the luxury of things like original Smiths which did not travel very far overseas, and he does not. At the risk of pushing people further into this rabbit hole, there are excellent brands worth checking if you want to spend a little and getting a lot, keeping things pre-1970s, but by no means is this exhaustive. If you want to know about a brand, please ask, I’ll happily oblige you.

This might seem weird, but brands I like and would buy on sight if decent: Majex, Talis, Timor, Edox and Vertex. There are many, many others that are decent – but these are great “jobbers”, made of decent parts and overall have a good quality vibe and product. I am also partial to a decent Roamer and Cyma, who have their own movements (MST and Cyma Tavannes respectively), and these can be found for not much coin. Essentially, buy what you like… I’ve recently been getting into Le Cheminant, and Ernest Borel.

for the Americas: Waltham, Elgin, Gruen, Benrus, Bulova and Hamilton. Excellent for tank watches.

Again, when gunning for things like Omega, JLC, etc… you really need to do your homework. Start out small, and work to these if you must, or just go via trusted dealers.

6. Franken watches

There are varying levels of franken and mod. A lot of people assume Franken watches as either the marriage watches (whereby a pocket watch is turned into a wrist watch), or made up of multiple watches, or even something of a much lower quality, whereby a mod could be seen as an improvement. It’s not necessarily correct, nor do I really subscribe to any camp in this, but just consider that this is not a clear cut term. People who are into it, will use the term franken when they’re trying to be all down and negative on something, but ta-da, it becomes a mod when it’s something they like, and there I have pretty much summed up people in general.

If a watch looks too good to be true, it probably is. If that dial looks pristine and the watch is 1940s, chances are it’s not original or has been interfered with (in a good way or a bad way). If you can get papers with it, great, but it’s really unlikely that you will get papers with the watch.

Some brands I personally avoid as much as possible and have had issues with: Enicar (many franken), Rado (franken jobbies out of the Far East, look nice, definitely spank), Favre Leuba (the worst, I have yet to see an unmolested dial in nearly 20 years), Titoni, Citizen, Seiko, Fortis (you can get kits of these), Roamer, Oris… you may have others, please share.

Oh – special circle of hell – marriage watches. Watches that were originally pocket watches and are now 47mm + monstrosities, it breaks my heart. However, please do not confuse this practice with old pocket watch movements from the 1900s-1920s that were set in watch cases at the time for whatever purpose, but these are probably a whole discussion for another time with people who actually collect them, I’m just a post 1930s watch guy.

7.  Lume

Oh yes, lume. Very important this, so pay attention: until the 1990s, lume was radioactive paint.

Radium paint is an early 20th century invention. Radium itself has a potential half life of 1600 years, but the paint itself will break down a lot sooner. It’s not a long term invention, and one could argue it was supposed to be topped up at regular intervals. I could be very facetious and say that the very application of lume limits the lifespan of a watch by including built-in obsolescence before it leaves the factory, especially if it is a tool, but that might not make me any friends.

Radium paint was used until the 60s where it was decided that it was too harmful for the applicators rather than the consumers. Then they looked into Promethium, a beta-radiation emitter that had a half life of 2.5 years (so even more s*** and obsolence). Tritium came a little after, but that only has a 12.5 year half-life, but also had the habit of seeping through dials and cases into the users skin early doors, and needed revising very quickly. Tritium is no longer allowed to be used unless it is encased as well as it is a beta-emitter, and no-rads is deemed the most ideal scenario.

I would say it is only since the late 90s that lume development is only worthy of some the watches it adorns – therefore could potentially be seen as a novelty and developed far too late into the watches life/history as technology improved and will essentially replace watches as tools. Fine, the Japanese were developing non-rad lume since the 60s, but you don’t but vintage watches for lume right?

8.  Buying

I’m not going to spend too much time on this. You can buy vintage anywhere. The only thing I will say is ask for pictures of the movement if its online and ask to pop the back if it’s in the flesh. Worst case, take your own toolkit with you. Be wary though if people say they service it themselves, there are varying levels of “service”, so ask what that means. If it has a guarantee, even better. My watch guy has a year on works… and he will tinker with anything he sells me, he is reasonable.

Do your homework (yawn). Search various platforms, including eBay, see what the going rate is, see what is selling.

I buy a lot from eBay, so I think this is the most important point I want to cover because I see a lot of negativity and concern about the platform. It’s the same line from me time and time again: buy the seller not the watch. Check feedback scores but read the negatives or neutrals – people can be utter bastards. See if they responded, and how they responded. It’s all about trust. If you paid via PayPal and things are not right, talk to the seller, and it the excrement hits the spinning object, start a case via eBay. No returns means f*** all, if it’s defective or mis-sold it goes back. If it doesn’t say it’s done for in the description, then you have grounds for return if it arrives completely wrecked.

9.  Conclusions, and maybe an example – how do I roll?

So, perhaps I could close out by just explaining my process, perhaps that helps?

Criteria / mindset is difficult to explain as I’ve been doing this for so long it just boils down to gut feeling and a quick process:

Looks – do I like it?

Price – is it reasonable?

How battered is it? I can take a fair amount of abuse and wear on a watch, but it must be reflected in price.

Is it working? If the movement works after 70 years and keeps within 5 mins over 24 hours, don’t talk to me about movement quality, I’ve got that on lockdown. It might need a service, but does it work to start with? I found out that my old 17J Bucherer was repaired before I got it, which wasn’t revealed until it stopped working within a week. It even went back for another bridge, and again it stopped winding after a couple of days – some watches are just duff, it happens (rarely). I sent it back, seller was apologetic, we parted friends, it happens…

Brand and picture of movement? Certain brands you know it’s a good movement, but others it’s good to assess the movement. No picture is a gamble, so it’s then a quick dive to see what movements might be associated with the brand.

Do I think it’s worth a gamble? Drunk eBay shopping on a Sunday night is not recommended.

That’s basically it – if I drop £12 on a random, I’m usually 90% sure what I’m getting. £50 on a Cyma or £90 on a Universal Geneve – same. Shit happens, so it’s not the end of the world, but I’m usually better placed to deal with this as I can bounce ideas off my watch guy about how worth it a project may be.

Don’t discount vintage altogether if you like it but there are so many brands offering heritage pieces that you don’t really need to dip into said market to get that look. At the same time, “brands” are going to cost $$$, and complicated and rarer movements are going to hurt when servicing and repair. Omega have started limiting parts, repairs need to go through them now, and that’s annoying when they are particularly popular and prevalent, and the unwary are going to get clobbered down the line. I run on around £150-180 a full service for a manual Swiss ebauche of 15J+ and up to £250 for an auto. Provided the watch has decent everything else to keep such an investment sensible, vintage is fine. Look at some of my other posts, I did a breakdown on my 1936 Vertex as well, it can work if you are smart and picky.

If you made it this far, well done. There is no reward. If you have questions please ask. I expect to see you all driving the prices of vintages watches up now, especially if I have taught you well. There is probably so much more I could have added, or gone into, but this is more just a high-level starting point. I could go case-by-case, brand-by-brand, watch-by-watch, but if I started at A for Aardvark I wouldn’t get to B until 2025. Just go out there, look around, have fun, and ALWAYS POP THE BACK.