A (Vintage) Movado Minute

March 22, 2022

Auctions

Three rare vintage Movados for sale right now

3 Timepieces Given to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Including a (Rarely Seen) Cartier Coin Watch Gifted by Pierre Cartier

January 20, 2021

In-Depth

An Inauguration Day special edition, with an exclusive look at a rarely seen Cartier coin watch owned by FDR.

The vintage watches I'm watching in 2020

January 5, 2020

Guides

The start of a new year is as good a time as any to take a step back and look at the broader market: what’s hot, what’s not, and where is there value to be found? In this list, we’ll take a look at some of the watches we’re watching this year, and why. These aren’t necessarily “bargain picks” or “value finds”, but they are vintage watches that tend to be overlooked by the market more generally, and all will set you back less than $10,000.

Fall 2019 Geneva auction results

November 17, 2019

Auctions

In the run up to the Geneva auctions, we posted our preview of some of the best lots from the three big auction houses, featuring (1) under the radar lots (under $10,000), (2) next up (under $100,000), and (3) top lots. With the results in, it’s time to take a look at how all the lots performed.

We already took a look at the results from Phillips’ Geneva Auction X, but below is a more comprehensive look at the results from Geneva’s big week.

Additionally, you can find the results for every vintage Rolex Daytona up for auction from Phillips, Christie’s and Sotheby’s here.

In general, I was glad to see some under-the-radar (at auctions at least, not amongst the collector community more generally) chronographs perform particularly well. Below, you’ll see a Zenith A386 El Primero, Movado 95M and Grana Split Seconds that all out performed estimates.

Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X: Results

November 10, 2019

Auctions

We previewed all of the big Geneva auctions a couple weeks back, and now that results are coming in, it’s time to look back at how certain lots performed.

Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X took place on November 10, and with over 180 lots up for auction, there are a lot of takeaways. Below are a few general thoughts, as well as the watches we highlighted from our preview and what those pieces ultimately sold for at auction.

While not completely surprising, it’s impressive that the pink gold Rolex Ref. 6062 “Stelline” matched the Ref. 4113 split seconds chronograph (both pictured above) with a sale price of $1.940 million. It’s particularly impressive considering there are thought to be 50 Ref. 6062 models manufactured in pink gold, and only 12 Ref. 4113 models made in stainless steel.

Previewing the fall 2019 Geneva auctions

October 27, 2019

Auctions

With the fall 2019 Geneva auctions fast approaching, it’s time we give a preview of what’s to come over the auctions from Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby’s from November 10-12. There are roughly 200 lots per auction, meaning there’s quite a bit to get through. As such, we’ll divide this preview into three categories: (1) Top Lots, (2) Next Up (pieces with estimates under $100,000) (3) Under the Radar (pieces with estimates under $10,000 or so).

We’ve already created our “Vintage Daytona Database” highlighting all vintage Rolex Daytona (and pre-Daytona chronographs) up for auction this fall, so we’ll largely eschew discussing those in this preview, though some are too good not too highlight.

While most previews start at the top and move down, we’ll do the opposite, starting with watches that are flying under the radar. Unlike in past previews, I’m giving quick hits of each piece, instead of going in-depth on a smaller subset of watches.

Bonham's Summer 2019 Vintage Wristwatches Online Auction

June 29, 2019

Auctions

Bonhams is hosting a number of wristwatch auctions this summer, but the most lots are on offer in its two-part “Vintage Wristwatches from a Private Collection”. Part 1 ended on June 27, while Part 2 is open until July 3. There are no headliner grabbers here, just some decent, honest watches that will all likely sell for under $5,000 to $6,000. The auction is full of Movado, Omega, Universal Geneve, and Vacheron — the collector here seemed to know what he or she liked, and went in deep. There’s also a lot of gold watches, with some exceptions (which I’ll highlight below).