The Vintage Watch World in 2019 is a Minefield

roadwarrior

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TALKING VINTAGE WATCH RESTORATION ETHICS

NOVEMBER 12, 2019
WORDS BY ZACH KAZAN

https://wornandwound.com/talking-vin...and-eric-wind/

TALKING VINTAGE WATCH RESTORATION ETHICS WITH JAMES LAMDIN, ERIC KU, AND ERIC WIND

The vintage watch world in 2019 is a minefield. There’s no other way to put it. While there are exceptional vintage dealers and resources available to consumers who want to be educated, there are just as many, maybe more, out to make a quick buck in a less than scrupulous way.

Analog/Shift has been a staple in the vintage watch world for a number of years. Known for providing a huge selection of expertly curated watches at various price points, the love and respect for vintage comes through in their detailed product descriptions and beautiful photography that showcases the timepieces as they are, imperfections and all.

James’s point of view could not be clearer. “Anyone who is dismissive of restoration is completely missing the point,” he tells me, in no uncertain terms. The point, he says, is for these things to be used, and to be kept alive. Refinishing, in his estimation, can give new life to a watch that may have been mistreated over the years, and a subtle touch up should never be sneered at. “Watches are very commonly spruced up and made to be better,” he says.

Ed-White-before-after-restoration-LAWatchWorks.jpg

AN “ED WHITE” GETS THE RESTORATION TREATMENT AT LA WATCH WORKS. FROM THEIR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT.

“It is a treacherous market,” says Wind, who sees a vintage watch landscape full of potential disaster for the inexperienced consumer. “The nature of watches themselves,” he says, “lends itself to a lot of swapping of parts as well as undisclosed restoration. I certainly prefer watches in more easily verifiable original condition, with ties to the original owner if possible.”

Wind-Vintage-Rolex-GMT-Master-1675-22Mark-222-Unpolished.jpg


On the topic of transparency, Wind sees some obvious potential pitfalls. “It is concerning,” he says, “I have seen my share of supposedly NOS watches where the case has been totally restored and the owner is unaware.” Not only does this signal some potentially shady business activity, but the sour taste it leaves in the customer’s mouth can have a ripple effect on the industry, and its reputation. “In many cases,” says Wind, “that collector gives up on collecting vintage watches altogether and the market suffers.” We’ve all read horror stories from anonymous posters on watch forums and other websites, and eventually that information seeps into the collective consciousness of the enthusiasts who prop up the hobby.

Part of the challenge of educating the public is making sure that we’re using and understanding the vocabulary of the vintage watch world correctly. Both James and Eric Ku agree that certain words should be avoided when discussing vintage watches. For James, it’s “original—the most overused word in vintage.”
 
yeah i had a foray of binge trigger pulls into vintage a couple years ago...my thoughts... like a crow i was drawn like a moth to a candle to " shiny "...shiny is a marker to check out the credentials of the seller...in fact for truly valuable vintage they are not shiny and reflect the patina and age of a dowager

also, i got to see plenty of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN...translation...parts do not exist for these old watches so they mix and match any which way but loose ... especially the case back is usually replaced- the crown is usually new- the dials are mostly painted...AFTER I HAD SPENT ALL THE MONEY I COULD BEGIN TO DISCERN all the aforementioned techniques ...

in hind sight looking back... I think most of these old 50-100 year old watches look like crap and are black and broken

It would be interesting to see some threads of a vintage hinter...how do they gather these ? what condition ? what do they pay ? tricks of restoration...an honest expose from an insider would be illuminating



i got a lot of " lot of too good to be true bargain exotics " from UKRAINE,BULGARIA...they seemed expert at recreating " 100 year old watches " which had just slight patina and looked great...i think in hind sight these were recreations.. i did enjoy them...

I never spent big money ..mostly $100-$400...so it was a lot of fun... but this is indeed a minefield and with my 2 dozen trigger pulls I have barely scratched the surface and only know i do not know much

and only know enough to be careful and recognize some of the myriad pitfalls..

- if I ever really was to buy a vintage grail I would want a guarantee and get an additional INDEPENDENT appraisal from an AD...

-after being on the boards for more than a decade we have learned that there are a lot of fakes... money makes the monkey dance
 
Caveat Emptor, when entering this Arena.:nope: Thanks Mike.:hat:
 
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