Obsessed with vintage watches? Us too! Here, everything you need to know before investing in a retro timepiece.
But how can you tell a real one from a fake—and what’s up with self-winding? What does that even mean? Before throwing down on a vintage timepiece, you better do your homework. Ken Jacobs, owner of Wanna Buy A Watch—an LA institution that has specialized in vintage watches for more than 30 years—sheds light on all the questions that arise when shopping for one. Here, everything you need to know—and a whole lot of eye candy!
- Vintage Serpenti Tubogas Watch Circa 1970, Bulgari
- Vintage Yellow Gold Rolls Royce Watch Circa 1976, Corum $9500
Is A Vintage Watch Generally Water Resistant?
- Vintage Yellow Gold Manual Wind Watch Circa 1970, Cartier $7803
- Vintage Yellow Gold Tank Watch Circa 1970, Cartier $6500
- Vintage Watch Circa 1970, Jaeger-Lecoultre $1800
- Vintage Yellow Gold Stirrup Watch Circa 1970, Gucci $3500
Does The Face Of A Vintage Watch Scratch More Easily?
“In the case of a Rolex, fakes have quartz movements (meaning they are battery operated), and the second hand moves with an abrupt motion, unlike the self-windinggenuine Rolex where the movement of the second hand is smooth and continuous. Today the fake watch industry is very advanced and produces a much higher quality of replica watches, which can make it challenging to distinguish them from the real McCoy. Just because a watch looks like the real thing, it doesn’t mean it is. The most definitive test is to have a watchmaker open the case and examine the movement. A Swiss watch won’t have pieces marked China or Japan—all the parts should be from Switzerland if it’s real.”
