In three short decades, the market for collectible vintage watches has gone from flea-market transactions to multimillion-dollar auction deals, pitting reclusive billionaires against both private museums and recently-founded watch investment funds, like Precious Time and Vintage Watches Fund. And prices continue to climb. In the last major sales in June, Christie’s gaveled a 1963 Patek Philippe for $1 million; Sotheby’s sold a Patek minute repeater for almost $3 million; and a simple Omega Constellation (albeit one owned by Elvis Presley) went for a record $52,500 at Antiquorum.
But does the fever pitch of these sales endanger what has made mechanical watches so fascinating in the first place? In contrast to these brand-driven, investment-oriented buying frenzies, Sotheby’s November auction in London featured creations by George Daniels, who handcrafted watches one at a time. His creations remind us what true watchmaking is all about. It’s clear, though, that the business of serious watch collecting is here to stay.
We sat down with the respected watch connoisseur and dealer Max Bernardini for an insider’s view on collecting – and to talk about the watches of today that might become the collectibles of tomorrow.
The Art of Collecting
When you entered the world of watch collecting some 20 years ago, what was the market for vintage watches at auction like? Who were the collectors?
Max Bernardini: The market didn’t really begin until the early 1980s. That was when Antiquorum started holding its first wristwatch auctions. You would find a Patek Philippe chronograph next to a Comex watch, and they would have the same estimates. The dealers and collectors were mostly Italian – and they really helped to create this culture of collecting we now have today.
So then who are today’s watch collectors?
The market has reached an interesting dimension. There are not only individual collectors bidding but also players like the Patek Philippe Museum. There are even hedge funds in existence now – like the Paris-based Precious Time – that invest in vintage watches. And the collector has no demographic limits – you could have a big investor from Asia sitting next to a young guy in jeans. But they all speak the same code.
What’s today’s collector looking for, exactly?
A collector evolves. The essence of a collector is that he always desires something else. It’s not that he lives in a state of disappointment, but there will always be a better or more rare watch out there. And for some, the movement, or the mechanism inside, is actually the last concern. Originality is a concern, and desirability is the deciding factor. Even if a collector has ten Paul Newman Daytonas, he might lose interest and go after that next, more perfect one.
What’s the deal with the Rolex obsession, anyway?
To a young collector, a 31mm chronograph has no attraction. I, myself, happen to love rare vintage movements, but that’s an interest I’ve acquired after 20 years. The young collector wants a big watch, with a cool strap, and Rolex has a good market for that. Then he starts to learn about the different types of collectible models and the discrimination of the market: for example, why an original Rolex bezel that has turned brown is worth something, or why one Steve McQueen is more valuable than another. Pateks are more expensive – the Ref. 1518, for example, usually goes from $200,000 to $300,000 – so the barrier of entry is higher. Rolex is a more attainable type of collecting.
Vacheron Constantin
Sotheby’s in London is holding a sale in November that features pieces from English watchmaker George Daniels. How will this sale compare with the Pateks and Rolexes that have been fetching astronomical prices lately?
George Daniels is not a name that the average collector knows, but he was one of the last great watchmakers of our time. The Sotheby’s sale includes both the watches he made himself, which are technically very important, and those he purchased as a collector. There are not only wristwatches in that latter collection – also clocks and other non-wearable timepieces, all of extreme rarity. This will be a sale for a very small portion of collectors – the true connoisseurs – because there are so few of these pieces. We have seen a lot of sales lately, including historic watches, curated by a collector with a certain point of view and a certain taste. It gives the watches an added value, and the prices fetched show that.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Your shop at Via Caradosso 2 in Milan is not just about watches – it’s filled with vintage Chesterfield sofas, trunks and other pre-World War II items. What’s your inspiration?
I’m creating a world. Vintage luxury is real luxury. You have to understand that items like watches – and jewelry, automobiles and art – were made for a clientele that did not work. Having the physical time to appreciate beautiful objects was the biggest luxury of all. In any type of collecting, a certain culture forms that appreciates this truth. The luxury we see in vintage pieces was the result of leisure and wealth, not, as is often the case today, the result of advertising.
Do you see this watches-as-investments trend as a fad, a short-term type of investment, or is this here to stay?
Vintage watches have gone through terrible crises, but they’ve always remained liquid. Investors still know that they have something that’s worth money. It’s often the case that the more expensive the watch, the easier it is to sell. All emerging markets are going through an evolution that builds this culture of collecting, which allows items to appreciate. The culture of vintage watches has certainly arrived.
Ten to Invest In
Vintage Pateks and Rolexes are tried and true acquisitions on the auction block, but these modern watches are likely to hold their values.
Rolex
This year’s new Oyster Perpetual Submariner in black ceramic looks almost identical to the 1972 version, proving that not much has changed in the 59-year-old watch. $7,500, www.rolex.com
Patek Philippe
The year-old Ref. 5270G is the first perpetual calendar chronography with a fully in-house movement; and its predecessors are all highly collectible, including the 1940s Ref.1518. $176,300, www.patek.com
Vacheron Constantin
The new Métiers d’Art – Les Univers Infinis collection showed Vacheron’s specialty of hand-fired enamel dials. $120,000, www.vacheron-constantin.com
Jaeger-LeCoultre
The Grande Reverso 1931 Rogue is based on a rare vintage version of the well-known Reverso but in a more modern, wearable size. $9,000, www. jaeger-lecoultre.com
Audemars Piguet
The first luxury watch done in stainless steel. Audemars went back to a near-original version for its 40th anniversary this year with the Extra-Thin Royal Oak. $22,500, www.audemarspiguet.com/en
Piaget
Already master of the world’s thinnest watch, Piaget introduced its Altiplano Skeleton earlier this year. $60,000, www.piaget.com
Girard-Perregaux
A perfect example of classic watchmaking and understated elegance, the 1966 Minute Repeater has a true fire-enamel dial. $270,000, www.girard-perregaux.com
TAG Heuer
The 1964 Carrera is already an iconic watch, but the new limited-edition Carrera Jack Heuer 80th Birthday, done by its original designer for his 80th birthday, is a future classic. $4,900, www.tagheuer.com
Blancpain
The first watchmaker to put a carrousel complication (an update on the tourbillion) in a watch, its Carrousel Volant Une Minute is truly one of a kind. $202,000, www.blancpain.com/en
Lange & Söhne
One of the most iconic chronographs in modern watchmaking, this year’s comeback of the Datograph Up/Down is sure to be prized by collectors. $87,400, www.alange-soehne.com/en
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