Timeless Stories

I've lost count of the times I've been asked whether a vintage watch makes a good investment. My reply is nearly always the same. "It depends". It's not that I'm trying to avoid the answer or, heaven forbid, I don't believe in the merits of a vintage watch as a worthy investment. No, in truth the simple answer is I understand how wary a potential investor might be when considering a watch as a potential long term investment.    For me the beauty of a vintage watch purchase is that, as investm...

I'm a huge fan of period drama. Give me a Sunday night of historical fiction and I'm there. So I was delighted to see the latest season of The Crown return to Netflix last week. (as to how much of that was fact and how much fiction, I'll leave to others to decide!) Notwithstanding any views on the monarchy, I've always been intrigued by the choice of timepiece for the Royal Family and with the latest series set in the 1980's (I vaguely remember that decade!) I was trying hard to spot the peri...

I make no apologies for saying these might be two of the most significant watches to come across my desk in recent times. Whilst I can wax lyrical with the very best of them and I'm not shy of a dramatic turn of phrase, there are occasions when I'm rendered a little speechless.  No. 1 The first moment was when I opened the box of this Rolex Sub 5513 dating from 1984. I checked my notes again. Then checked the watch again. Surely there was some mistake, because the watch before me looked nothi...

This Remembrance Sunday, perhaps more than any other given the current circumstances, I'm reminded of the sacrifice countless people have given in the service of their country. I think nobody needs reminding of the passion I have for military watches. Looking through my collection I was suddenly struck by the number of RAF issued watches I have available from my collection. Today it seems appropriate to share just a few of those with you.   To start with, take this stunning Lemania RAF issue ...

Recently, as you may already be aware, I've been re-organising my collection and assessing my stock. This has nothing to do with Mrs Watch Collectors' insistence on me getting my act together, I was going to do it anyway (honestly).  In any event last week was all about sports watches, but this week I've been categorising my collection of military watches and what a joy it has been. I can barely pick a piece up without spending an inordinate amount of time either researching it again on the i...

Sometimes I take moment to review my collection and it's an exercise that never fails to reinvigorate my interest. On this occasion I took a few minutes out of my busy day (looking at watches on the internet) to organise my inventory (looking at watches I own) and, as a result, I put together a selection of Omega sports watches that genuinely surprised me. Not just in terms of the sheer quantity of Omega sports watches I had assembled (that never really surprises me or Mrs Watch Collector) bu...

Nobody could ever say football was a quiet game of subtlety.  It's a sport that excites the passions and makes the heart beat faster, a game full of colour and life that is loved the world over.  And perhaps the decade that most excites the imagination is the 1970's. A time of Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer and Omega! Ok, in a list of famous footballing Icons perhaps Omega isn't the first name that springs to mind but, for me, this Omega Soccer Time is perfect reflection of the most iconic decade ...

When I was a young man, free of cares and woes, there were certain things in life that were absolutes. Banks were safe places to leave money, the England football team was one of the best in the world, computers would never be small enough to fit in the average home and when you bought a good quality watch, the face would almost certainly be white. That wasn't to say other watches, famous watches at that, weren't different colours. But it was just the way things were meant to be, watches had ...

Last week I talked at length about the launch of the new 2020 Rolex Submariner. At the time I wondered what effect that launch might have on the pre-owned market. Mystery over! In the last couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to sell three absolutely exquisite Rolex Subs 5513's and an 'as new' 2019 Hulk. Let's just say demand is high. And who can blame those buyers.  There is nothing more appealing than a legendary timepiece which, by default, is now in limited supply.   As I wrote last w...

It's happened. Some people (including Rolex) said it probably wouldn't happen this year.  But then it did. They launched the first new Submariner in 12 years and people went into meltdown. Whether you love it or hate it, there's no getting away from the fact that the Rolex Submariner is the tool watch of the horological world. Perhaps even the most iconic of all the Rolex watches. So when they change it, we notice. Especially when they change something as established as the actual size of the...

These four watches share something very suprising in common with me. We were all born in the same year and no, before you ask, i'm not only 21. Leaving aside the tough paper round I clearly had, what it obvious to anyone who cares to look, is the fact that some faces defy age.  Mrs Watch Collector would be the first to agree of course,  but whereas I wear my years of hard labour in a face that can best be described as 'lived in', these masterpieces of mid 20th century engineering are perhaps ...

September is that time of year we all begin to focus our minds on returning to work. This year, for obvious reason, that return to work is unlike any other as the world tentatively returns to something approaching normality. Its undoubtedly been a tough summer for everyone and I know from my own experience it's been a challenge to keep business moving. But I am, if nothing else, an optimist (you have to be) and so for this week's blog I'd like to share with you a few pieces that for me repres...