Tips for Buying a Vintage Timepiece

 

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Whether you are looking to make an investment or simply looking to purchase a timepiece with sentimental value (a watch from the year of your birth or the year you were married), education is key when it comes to buying vintage timepieces. See below for some tips to get you started on your watch purchasing journey:

• Do your homework: It may be tempting to impulse buy a nice looking vintage timepiece, but it’s important to refrain unless some investigation is done first. Certain vintage watches have a high price tag and as such you will want to be an expert on that model before pulling the purchasing trigger. Understand all the details of the watch, the market prices, and the conditions they are generally in. You don’t want to fall into a trap as sometimes the seller is even unaware.
• Ask the experts: In an increasingly connected world - this is an easy task! Many collectors and watch experts exist on the web, constantly commenting in forums to share their knowledge and answer specific questions. Tap into this community and share your passion! Search for your questions to see if they’ve already been answered, if not - feel free to reach out to fellow watch enthusiasts to see if any can offer some additional insight.
• Find a watchmaker: This is important to the lifelong care of your vintage timepiece. Find a watchmaker who has a strong knowledge of certain brands or specific movements. Ask if he is able to source replacement or new parts should your timepiece be in need of repair.
• Find the right price: Prices might widely vary on pieces that look similar. Do your research, compare the watch to others like it - overpaying for a timepiece you love isn’t the end of the world, but it should be taken into consideration if it far exceeds the average market price. You may also want to ask the guarantees a seller can give should you discover after purchasing the watch it isn’t as ‘original’ as it appeared to be.

If you’re looking into purchasing a vintage timepiece, let Central Watch help. Our watchmakers are all masters of their their trade, working with the most state-of-the-art equipment available. We can service any watch on the market and have direct parts accounts with many of the leading watch manufacturers in the world. We are also proud to offer a unique selection of the finest vintage timepieces, all meticulously restored by our in-house technicians. Let one of our experts help answer your questions, stop by our shop in Grand Central Terminal or give us a call: 212-685-1689