1. - The Watchmaker
If you want a true classic, the first thing that you should
organize is a really good (and I mean good) watchmaker.
I am not talking about the sort that changes batteries and sends
everything else to the factory.
What I have in mind is the increasingly rare kind of watchmaker who
has a rear room in his shop stocked with all kinds of spare parts
for the most common movements made in the last sixty years.
Finding such a watchmaker is much harder than finding a certain
watch! I was lucky to find a person like this - not, as you might
expect, a sixty-something year old grey-haired master of the trade
with an obscure little shop in a back alley (though someone like
this may be exactly what you need), but rather a young lady who has
had a special training in historic watch repair.
2. - The Brand
If you don't find a watchmaker of the type I described, there is
only one way to play it reasonably safe:
Go for a brand that still exists!
Major brands usually stock parts for about thirty years, and for
most of them, it is a question of honor to try everything possible
to get one of their products running again.
Some companies have special departments dedicated to restoration;
Patek Philippe, e.g., will even make missing parts for one of their
old pocket or wristwatches. This, however, can take a long time, and
it can become extremely expensive.
3. - Where To Buy
Buy your vintage watch from a reliable source, if possible, with
a guarantee, or make arrangements to give the watch back if it does
not correspond to the dealer's description.
Good sources to buy vintage watches are auction houses of all
kinds (including internet auctions if you have a money-back
guarantee); you get reasonably reliable descriptions (make sure to
understand what a "very good" means), you can be sure that the watch
is genuine, and you can also be sure that there are no questions
about the ownership (to put it mildly ...).
Flea markets or special watch markets are OK if
- you know exactly what you are doing (meaning you know a thing
or two about watches),
- and if you are dealing with a seller who will not have
disappeared the next day. If you pay cash at a booth with a sign
"John Doe - Vintage Watches" it may be difficult to trace the
seller if a problem should arise.
Always make sure to get a receipt with the dealer's
address on it that lists brand, reference number and/or serial
number of the watch that you bought.
4. - Knowledge Is Power
This is probably the most often ignored, yet probably the most
important factor in the game of hunting down a classic:
Become as much of an expert as possible!
Knowledge is power - learn about the various references and calibers
(including their special potential flaws) of your favorite brand or
type of watch, and you will know exactly when to spend how much on
which watch.
If you want a vintage Omega, an early Patek Philippe, or a
classic Breitling, you should first buy (and read!) the books, then
buy the watch.
5. - Accept That Your Watch Is Old
Although this should be understood, please remember that you must
not expect too much from a vintage watch!
Even if it is a "certified chronometer," this only means that it
did meet the regulations when it was made - and this may have been
thirty years ago.
A minute slow or fast per day does not even make me frown in a watch
from the fifties, and I accept five minutes in a late 19th century
pocket watch.
It is a special feeling to have a true classic on your
wrist, but, like when you are driving a vintage car, you must make
concessions: You wouldn't expect a 1964 Jaguar E-Type to out-perform
a 2001 Porsche, right?
Like accuracy, water-proofness is another issue that you
shouldn't take for granted in a vintage watch. If you don't know for
sure that the watch has recently been serviced and checked, don't
rely on a diver's watch from the sixties as still being water-proof.
If you keep this in mind, you will be more or less on the safe
side - there is no such thing as an absolute guarantee. If you want
this, buy a new watch from an authorized dealer.
With increasing experience, you will probably become more and more
ready to accept a risk.
The first time when you notice that the watch that is offered as
type X is in fact the rare variant Y, and you will get it for a low
price, will be one of the highlights in your collector's career that
you will remember forever.
On the other hand, you will also never forget the day when you
bought a watch for what looked like a reasonable price only to find
out later that is was a "mariage" between a movement and a
case that were never meant for each other.
I have experienced both situations myself, and I wouldn't want to
miss these experiences. You learn from them, and they are what
really makes collecting watches such fun!
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