COLLECTORS JUNE 2021
ISSUE 07
EDITION
Full value future part-exchange guarantee IT’S BRITISH SUMMER TIME Is there such a thing as a seasonal watch?
THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION We are going to back to the moon!
Make their year with the perfect gift
The gift of a timepiece lasts a lifetime & we have a selection of superb vintage watches at prices you won’t believe BROWSE OUR COLLECTION
Welcome back everyone It’s been a while since we’ve been able to bring you an edition of the Collectors Edition, but we are delighted to be back to share our passion for all thing horological. It’s been a long spring. Following a very long, dark winter. In fact it’s been a bit of a year all round for the most obvious reasons in history. But sometimes you need a few dark days to make you appreciate the better times. This definitely feels like a better time now. What can we say really? We are still here and there are a great many people to thank for that. Here at The Watch Collector we’ve managed to keep ticking along (sorry) pretty well, finding new pieces to interest our audience and even managing to keep trading through the difficult times. If you’ve followed our progress then you’ll know we’ve continued to bring you some amazing pieces from across the world. If you have had other things to focus on over the last few months then you’ll find tons of new things to look at and some amazing new watches to enjoy. Whatever the last year has meant for you I hope at the very least we can offer a passionate diversion and a chance to enjoy your love of watches with us. Enjoy reading.
T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
Take the uncertainty out of vintage watch buying Our full collection comes with a full value future part-exchange - guaranteed I am so confident in all the items supplied by myself, that I will happily take them back from you any time in the future after 12 months and allow you the full purchase price in part-exchange. When I discussed this idea with a few friends and clients the initial reaction was ‘are you crazy?’ - but here’s my reasoning; I understand from personal experience that over time our tastes can mature. Therefore some great pieces we bought in the past don’t
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COLLECTORS EDITION • ISSUE 07
get any wrist time or just don’t sit right in our evolving collections. As a result, some lovely watches are simply not being enjoyed as they should be, and that’s a crying shame. If these pieces were bought from myself I know the quality and would gladly have them back again. So I decided to guarantee that any purchase from The Watch Collector is completely risk free! You can buy any piece safe in the knowledge that if at any time in the future, for whatever reason you want to change it, you won’t lose a penny.
Conditions • After 12 months we will take your watch back in partexchange and allow your full purchase price against any new watch of the same or higher value. • The watch must be purchased directly through the watch collector web site. • Watches must be in the same condition as when purchased. Any boxes or papers supplied at the time of purchase must be returned.
Omega Speedmaster Snoopy “Eyes on the stars” (£18,495)
Rolex Submariner 16610LV “KERMIT” Full SET
Zenith Pilot type 20 chronograph (£3,950)
(£15,450) THEWATCHCOLLECTOR.CO.UK
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N E W E S T A R R I VA L S
Handpicked timepieces Omega Speedmaster Mk11 (£2,850)
Omega Seamaster Co Axial master chronometer (£6,995) SHOP NEW ARRIVALS
Croton Nivada Grenchen Chronograph Aviator Sea Diver (£3,995)
Omega Seamaster Automatic
Rolex day date 18ct gold
(£1,250)
(£7,995)
Longines ref 8229-2 Valjoux 72 diver (£3,895)
J L C Grande Reverso Duo date Night and Day Gents
IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium
Longines 7150-1 EPSA super compressor
(£6,995)
(£5,595)
(£8,995)
T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
It’s British Summer Time!
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COLLECTORS EDITION • ISSUE 07
T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
Is there such a thing as a seasonal watch? I suppose it depends on which season you are talking about of course but, with Summer nearly upon us, my own thoughts have turned to the kind of watches I’d like to be wearing during the long hot days to come (surely!). For me something you could easily wear to the beach comes to mind. There are no shortage of suitable dive options, from the ever dependable Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster collections through to the less obvious, but equally appealing in my view, Longines and Bulovas.
Perhaps something with a little colour might be nice too. Often the choice of strap can play a major part in the suitability of a watch. And if it can withstand me splashing around helplessly in water, well then that’s just an added bonus. Ideally it should be something not too expensive as you don’t want to spend your entire time worried about any little scratch. (I rarely do anyway). Although of course it’s always nice to have something to show off at the BBQ or, if you’re fortunate enough, the captain’s table.
Brietling Chronomat Chronograph - the ultimate daily wearer, perfect for summer.
(£3,995)
THEWATCHCOLLECTOR.CO.UK
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T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
So with these admittedly random criteria in my head here are four watches that I think would be ideal Summer companions. They range from the very affordable to the slightly more wallet stretching, but all of them will, I am sure, help you while away the endless sun drenched hours of a typical British Summer! To kick things off I absolutely love this Record Pvd vintage dive watch which I think is fun, distinctive and a definite conversation starter whatever the occasion.
Waltham Blancpain Paul Newman. A watch that I have waxed lyrical about before - a gem of a piece for any collection
Dating from the 1970’s with a striking blue face and black and red bezel it comes armed for the elements with a sturdy rubber strap. All for less than £1000. An absolute bargain. Next up is Waltham Blancpain Paul Newman. A watch that I have waxed lyrical about before. But still one that I think is an a gem of a piece for any
collection. Superb build quality and an incredibly eye catching watch, it even comes with a alternative mesh bracelet which, whilst being a perfect for any season, doesn’t quite scream Summer in the way this yellow tropic strap does! And taking of straps, this Omega Seamaster 120 Jumbo from (incredibly) 1969, wouldn’t seem quite so perfect to me without the addition of this
Record PVD/DLC coated Vintage Dive watch NOS (£995)
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T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
Omega Seamaster 120 Jumbo Pulsations bezel - a very striking piece today and one I doubt you will see anyone else wearing.
(£2,195)
stunning red and black sports strap which just perfectly complements the subtle, yet complex dial of this classic piece. I’m certain no one else will have this watch, whatever event you are attending this Summer. Last, but not least, I offer you perhaps the more obvious example of the classic adventure watch in the shape of this beautiful blue dial Rolex Yacht Master from 2020. Rolex actually discontinued the blue face option after this last issue so not only will you get the chance to own something truly beautiful and impossibly well built, you’ll actually
be buying something as close to guaranteed appreciation as you can get. So there you have just a small selection of watches I might be breaking out during the coming months. That’s assuming of course my discerning customers don’t decide to treat themselves this Summer! It’s not as though we don’t all deserve a treat is it?
Rolex Yacht-Master Blue Dial - with the immaculate 40mm stainless steel case with Platinum bezel is a wonderful surround to the brilliant blue dial.
THEWATCHCOLLECTOR.CO.UK
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T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
The future of space exploration needs to remember the past
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COLLECTORS EDITION • ISSUE 07
T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
I read, with a certain amount of excitement, about the recent contract awarded by NASA to SpaceX to help land the next generation of astronauts on the moon as part of the Artemis programme. We are going to back to the moon! And not before time either in my view. As a child of the moon landings I vividly remember the excitement generated by the original Apollo missions and it has always seemed crazy that what we could do 50 years ago, seems beyond us now.
Of course my thoughts also immediately went to perhaps one of the most famous of all watches, the Omega Speedmaster Professional. The official manned space flight watch chosen by NASA in the 1960’s after an exhausting
and challenging search for a watch capable of withstanding the rigours of space exploration. I’ve told this story before but it’s always worth repeating. Omega didn’t make the Speedmaster specifically for NASA, the original design from 1957 was adopted by the administration as a flight watch in 1965 and subsequently made it to the moon and back on every mission thereafter. For me it’s actually more impressive that Omega were able to deliver an existing timepiece for these missions. I can imagine NASA technicians giving a briefing of the technical requirements and challenges of space travel to the Omega executive who in turn, opened a display case and casually tossed the Speedmaster across the table with the words “That should do the job.” Nice thought but the reality from the perspective of Omega was probably more useful to their eventual marketing efforts in that the Speedmaster was the only watch from an original shortlist of 6 to withstand a barrage of tests
One of the most sought after Speedmasters limited editions ever produced
THEWATCHCOLLECTOR.CO.UK
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T I M EL E S S S TO R I E S
There could be nothing more inspirational than the Omega Speedmaster strapped to the wrists of the next generation of astronauts. which included low and high pressure and temperature extremes, shock, acceleration, humidity and vibration. (Eat your heart out COSC!) I’ve no doubt these days NASA and SpaceX have an array of digital timepieces which can tell the time, check your pulse, clock the orbits and land the thing on the moon, but for me that would be missing a trick. It would be missing a sense of adventure and a spirit of exploration that was
somehow perfectly summed up by a design icon of the 1960’s that showed engineering excellence would always be more appealing than simple digital capability. I think there could be nothing more inspirational than to see the Omega Speedmaster strapped to the wrists of the next generation of astronauts. And in the spirit of “all for one” I’m happy to help them by supplying some very striking examples of the first watch certified for manned space flight. I happen to have a few in my collection and I’d be prepared to discuss a bulk discount obviously. In fact I’ll just loan them to NASA and they can return them after the successful mission. I offer that only in the interests of esprit de corps or course!
The first variant of the Snoopy series originally launched by Omega in 2003
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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
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: •
An accurate valuation you can trust
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Confidence that any offer price is based on the right images and description
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Peace of mind of knowing you don’t have to send your watch away to be valued
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The reassurance of knowing your watch valuation is based on an honest relationship
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