Until the 1970s, there were very few collectors of vintage wristwatches. Only enamelled pocket watches, with and without complications, were sought out at auctions and in antique shops. Wristwatches were not even referred to as “collectable”.
In the mid-1980s, the revival of interest in mechanical watches led to an across-the-board boom. The value of new, limited-edition watches wildly appreciated at auction and the concept of collectable watches was born.
Though some experts consider any model no longer in production to be a collector’s piece, it is generally agreed that a watch is a collector’s piece if its manufacturing date precedes 1980.
“For any serious collector, pure form – that is, with the original mechanism, dial and case – is always more desirable”
Emily Eerdmans, Hyde Park Antiques, New York
