COLLECTORS JANUARY 2020
ISSUE 04
EDITION
HUMMING IN TO HISTORY Looking back at the stunning Omega F300 VINTAGE FACES ON THE BIG SCREEN The big question, are vintage watches cool?
VINTAGE VS NEW WATCHES A guide to walking through a minefield
O U R G UA R A N T E E D B U Y B AC K S C H E M E
Invest in the gift that keeps on giving ABOUT INVESTMENTS
Welcome to January’s Collectors’ Edition and a Happy New Year to everyone I’ve always thought January to be the perfect month to indulge in a little addition to any collection. After all, Christmas is over, all those financial commitments to friends and family are done with for another year and you can safely treat yourself to a timepiece that will wipe away those winter blues. Or perhaps you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to finally get that collection underway with a judicious investment you’ve had your eye for a while. Whatever the motivation, this month you’ll find a few articles on why I believe 2020 could be the year of the vintage watch (in fairness I probably say that every year!). I’ve noticed far more interest in vintage watches from a younger generation, influenced, possibly, by a resurgence in mid 20th century films and TV series which have featured many vintage watches from that golden era. Whatever the reason, it’s a welcome development and it bodes well for those canny enough to make their investment early! Also this month I’m delighted to introduce a new feature on a more technical level from a very well respected authority in the watch collecting community, Tom Hamilton Dick. Look out for more fascinating articles from Tom in future editions. Happy reading and a Happy New Year.
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A vintage face for the big screen I’m a huge fan of vintage watches. This will be a fact lost on absolutely no one. There is an elegance, style and sophistication to a timepiece from the golden era of the 1950’s and 1960’s (dare I say even the 1970’s) that is hard to replicate in a new watch that can never bear the same heritage for obvious reasons. But here’s a question I struggle to answer, are vintage watches cool?
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Leaving aside the muddy waters of what constitutes cool, the simple answer is I don’t really know. What I do know for sure is that there has been a real surge in people buying vintage time pieces as a statement of fashion and style, especially amongst a younger audience who might traditionally have defaulted to a new designer watch. And, I have a theory as to why this is happening!
Rolexes, Omegas and Patek Phillippes’ that not only captured the essence of the early mid-century, but also managed to faithfully represent the actual watches owned and worn by the main protagonists.
Enjoying the The Crown on Netflix recently I found myself watch spotting as I always do and was suitably impressed by the authenticity of the stylists who had put together a collection of Jaeger Le Coultres,
Likewise as an amateur film buff I found myself recently studying the citizen bullhead adorning the wrist of Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarrantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (there is some discussion about the age
The stunning 1966 Omega Constellation ‘C case’, claimed to be one of the best chronometer movements Omega ever made
appropriateness of this watch I believe but it looked terrific). Indeed not that long ago I can remember drooling over the Omega worn by Ryan Gosling in that tribute to a golden age, La La Land (seamaster? constellation? De Ville? - take your pick) What is not in doubt though, is that the big screen in Hollywood and the smaller screen to an equal extent, have made vintage watches very cool. The reason for this can be found in every area of fashion and contemporary culture and whether
Ryan Gosling, sporting Omega, is well known for wearing his own collection to set
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one calls it brand association or good old fashioned ‘star quality’ there is no doubt that seeing TV and movie idols wearing superb vintage watches boosts their appeal amongst a younger audience that is achingly anxious to find their own space in the style lexicon. And it does no harm at all for a younger generation to see these products in their heyday environment. Once upon a time they were very cool… we were very cool (weren’t we?).
reasons is the Apollo 13 film with its timeless classic Speedmasters. However what I am seeing now is something quite different. A desire for a more subtle, understated timepiece from an unrivalled era amongst an audience who were not a twinkle in an eye at the time.
No discourse on the matter would be complete without referencing the classic film/watch tie ins, from James Bond and his Omega Seamasters to Le Mans which effectively built the reputation of Monaco. My own personal favourite for a number of
Favourite amongst this new cognoscenti are 1960’s Omegas and Rolexes. I’m certain the appeal for these amongst a younger generation is driven by the recent plethora of midcentury period films and dramas that have helped to boost the zeitgeist chic
Omega Genève 1974 (£1,450)
Fred Haise in Apollo 13, as portrayed by Bill Paxton, sporting the Omega Speedmaster
of these admittedly beautiful watches. I for one am not complaining. There are a whole host of reasons one should buy a vintage watch, from style, sophistication and a penchant for timeless design to environmental considerations (yes really, but lets leave that for another time) but if being cool is one of them I’m not going to argue even if it would be a first for me personally!
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New Year. New Collection. Kickstart 2020 with the perfect timepiece What is the perfect collection? It’s simple really. It’s the one that makes you happiest. Often the obsession with the holy host of dive, aviator, dress and motorsport can leave you thinking your collection isn’t complete. Likewise it’s a common mistake to assume if it doesn’t command a 5 figure fee for insurance then somehow you’ve sold yourself short. Nonsense of course. Some of the finest collections are those that have been assembled with…well…genuine love. Often that’s more to do with the history of a piece - less about the time it tells and more about the story it reveals.
SHOP WATCHES
Rolex Ladies Datejust (£4,595)
Omega Genève 1974 Rolex GMT Master
(£1,450)
(£7,495)
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TIMELESS STORIES
Humming in to the history books Many people thought the introduction of watches like the Apple Watch might well spell another period of doom and disaster for the Swiss watch industry but if anything the last three years has taught us is that it has learned well from the lessons of the past and is now far more resilient than it was in the late 1970’s and the early/mid 1980’s.
A R T I C L E BY T O M H A M I LT O N D I C K
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Much of this ongoing success is born through the industries relentless marketing and investment in R&D to fine tune their products and produce ever more accurate and complex mechanical watches. There was a time, back in the 1960’s where the industry stood on the precipice what could and really should be considered as the most innovative and exciting time in watch making history since the invention of the escapement... The quartz revolution. A time when the sky was the limit and when watch making simply had no
boundaries. This period between the late 1960’s and mid 1970’s saw more innovation and experimentation than the previous 200 years. Highlights included the introduction of quartz watches from companies like Patek Phillipe accurate to 5 seconds per months, the introduction of LED and later digital LCD watches from the likes of Omega and even pinnacles of watch making like the Omega Marine Chronometer, accurate to just one second per month. As part of the storm of innovation both within the Swiss industry and
across the world came tuning fork movements, developed by Bulova, an American firm established in 1875. Bulova spend years developing what has to be one of the most innovative watch movements of the 20th century. Their approach was to take the traditional mechanical movement but replace the balance system with a tuning fork, powered by electro magnets and run on a battery. This innovation resulted in a highly robust and extremely accurate watch which easily delivered chronometer grade time keeping but was much more resilient than its soon to be quartz counterparts. This movement gave unparalleled accuracy, more reliability and resilience to damage. Along side that it came with a unique selling point, it had a truly ‘sweep’ second hand and it hummed….. a result of the tiny tuning fork vibrating at over 300Hz. Bulova maximised the use of these movements across their range, most famously in their ‘space view’ which gave buyers the change to show off their marvels of technology through
The unique, sweeping tuning fork mechanism. Photo credit: ambwatches.com
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a transparent dial. The company also licensed the production of the movement to others, without doubt most effectively adopted, developed and fine tuned by Omega. Omega adopted the Bulova design and produced it under license as the ‘F300’, this was a range topper for them throughout the 1970’s and boy did they make the most of it.
distinctive watch ever, the Speedsonic ‘Lobster’. So robust was this watch that a small sample was submitted to Omega for testing to replace the famous Moon watch with NASA, needless to say it passed every test. And so to Today, testament to the strength of the Bulova design and the quality of Omegas watches that many examples survive.
The movement was used in their full range of dress watches, with dozens of different designs and configurations, in date and day date models and in stainless steel, 9K and 14K gold and a wide range in 18K gold.
Even a Speedsonic Chronograph, which was double the price of a Speedmaster Professional ‘moon watch’ when new (remember less than 15000 in total produced) can be bought for a fraction of the price of a ‘moon watch’ of the equivalent year. The tuning fork watches are perhaps the most unsung and under valued heroes of the ‘quartz era’ of watch making. Remember, when you see one they are effectively a mechanical watch, which took things to the next level, replacing the balance with a tuning fork was innovation well ahead of its time and it’s a shame the industry isn’t as brave now as it was back then.
They also used the movements in a series of Seamaster divers’ watches rated to 60M and 120M. So robust was this movement that it was also used in a number of prototype professional divers’ watches for replacement for the fabled Seamaster 1000 and Seamaster 600 ‘PloProf ’. Omega also used the basis of this movement to introduce another world first, the first chronometer chronograph, which came in the form of the F300 ‘Speedsonic’, a professional chronograph watch developed in two configurations one of which is perhaps Omega most
What’s more staggering is that from a pricing point of view they are still relatively achievable. A good quality F300 dress watch can be found for less than a new Hamilton, a Seamaster 120 Divers watch is ½ the price of a poor PloProf (despite being twice the price when new).
Omega constellation F300
All of this said they truly do represent a fantastic investment opportunity and a brilliant way to enter or re-enter watch collection with a piece that will not only be unique to you but represents the pinnacle of the development of the mechanical watch.
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N E W E S T A R R I VA L S
Handpicked timepieces Omega Speedmaster Professional cal 321 (£5,795)
Rolex GMT Master (£7,495) SHOP NEW ARRIVALS
Omega Genève 1974 (£1,450)
Rolex Datejust rare 6605
Omega Seamaster 300
Rolex Datejust ref 1601
(£4,495)
(£4,450)
(£3,695)
Rolex day date 18ct gold with diamond dial and bezel (£18,495)
Omega Speedmaster Teutonic
Omega Seamaster automatic 120 Big Blue (£6,650)
(£2,150)
T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
Vintage watches vs new watches A simple guide to walking through a minefield
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You would imagine I’m coming at this from one side only. I’m a vintage watch fanatic so naturally it wins every time right? Perhaps a case of having a position and finding the evidence to support it (Brexit anyone!)? Well maybe. But new watches or nearly new account for maybe 20% of the watches I come across so I get to hear plenty of stories about buying from an AD. At the same time I speak to an awful lot of people for whom buying a vintage watch is not only their first foray into the preowned market, but the first time they’ve seriously invested in a Swiss timepiece. So I get it, I really do.
Find something nobody else is wearing like a vintage Yema and you’ll get tired answering questions about it!
I understand the anxiety of stepping into the market and trusting in the quality of the investment you’re about to make. Easier to take the safe option and enjoy a comfy showroom at your local approved dealer. They’ll make you feel special, and they’ve got all the logos and certificates and must be trustworthy.
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And of course they are… completely trustworthy. But that’s sort of not the point really. With that trustworthiness comes a sense of value for money and what that means in terms of investing every cent you spend into the piece that will adorn your wrist. Comfy showrooms don’t come cheap. Neither do expensive advertising campaign and celebrity endorsements. The fact is 30% of the price you pay for your new watch has gone into just selling it to you. Now that might not matter when it comes to buying a new Rolex (let me know if you can get one of those!) where prices just continue to climb the moment you leave a shop. If you are looking to dip into the Swiss watch owners club consider this:
The alternative is to do your research, find a dealer in vintage and pre-loved watches you trust (cough!) and discover what hidden gems you can own for £1000. Undiscovered treasures that will not only run as perfectly as the day they were created, they’ll also give you brand kudos you possibly couldn’t afford with a new watch. A £1500 vintage Omega De Ville is not only stunning to own and wear, it will, in all likelihood, continue to appreciate as it sits staring up from your wrist
A £1000 sports dive watch from a well-known designer end of the Swiss market will probably lose 50% of its value in the first year of ownership. You won’t get that value back unless you box it and store it for the next 50 years (if you’re lucky).
Something like a 1960’s Caravelle dive watch will give you all the credibility you could ever want and has certain unique style that will simply never age. Find something nobody else is wearing like a vintage Yema and you’ll get tired answering questions about it.
A Classic vintage late 1960’s/early 70’s Omega De Ville with 35 mm stainless steel case holding an immaculate silver dial
Of course it all comes down to trust and doing your research (that’s what the internet is for!) and running your hands over a potential investment. So do it, take the plunge and I guarantee you’ll never regret it. And if you do, guess what, I’ll buy it back. That’s the beauty of the vintage watch market, they simply can’t make them anymore and demand is always outstripping supply. Looks like I was biased after all!
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Time for a valuation? A lot of people ask me to offer a valuation and fair price for their timepieces and I’m always happy to help out and expand my own collection in this way. So much so that I have created this upload feature to enable me to provide an easy to understand and accurate valuation of your watch. Uploading offers you: •
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