Some 15 years ago, Paul Robertson began thinking fondly on the Seikos he owned and wore in the ’80s and ’90s. This bout of nostalgia naturally lead him to eBay where he tried to replace one of those watches, a reference 7002 diver. Robertson couldn’t find one, but it leads him down a rabbit hole. He eventually stumbled across a black-and-gold 6139-6012 chronograph, running, but in rough shape.
“When it arrived, I could instantly see its potential. I bought some basic tools and opened it up. With no prior watch experience I was able to diagnose the problem, find a spare part and fix it,” Robertson told me over an email. “I then restored the cosmetics with a new crystal, and suddenly I had a stunning vintage timepiece on my wrist. Anyone who fixes or restores anything knows that feeling. I still own that watch and am certain it was directly responsible for nearly every watch purchase since.”
Today, Robertson says he owns some 150 watches (about 50 of them projects) and sells old Seikos on the side of his day job as a Radiographer to, in his words, “feed the habit.” He’s one of the two individuals behind Two Men Selling Seiko, an Instagram marketplace specializing in the sale of vintage and pre-owned Seikos. It works like this: the page posts (usually) two new watches every day with photos, video and information on the timepieces on offer. Robertson and his partner, another Seiko collector, set a starting bid, then followers will place their bid (in $5 AUD increments) over the following 24 hours. Robertson says that in the 12 months since starting the venture, they’ve sold about 500 watches.
“We wanted to provide a simple, no-fuss platform for Seiko enthusiasts to get hold of good original, honest watches at fair prices,” Robertson says. “We source our watches mostly in Australia or Japan and pass them onto collectors at the fairest prices we can. Beyond what we paid, we let our audience decide what they are worth. We see ourselves as providing a ‘Seiko community service’. Profits are generally poured straight back to the acquisition of more watches and on it goes.”
The Two Men Selling Seiko account is interesting because followers have to be approved. Robertson says there’s really no vetting process behind the move, but it does help keep the account orderly. “Anyone is welcome, but we ask them to conduct themselves in a manner that is aligned with our sales philosophy. Those who want to cause trouble, not pay up, complain, make unnecessary demands can be blocked. So rather than a private sales club, it’s just a way of us having a method to show people the door if needed,” he says.
The setup of Robertson’s business is certainly unique, but it’s just one part of a growing ecosystem of individuals and businesses buying and selling watches through online social media platform. More than 135,000 posts can be found on Instagram tagged with #watchforsale, everything from pre-owned luxury watches from brands like Rolex and Panerai to cheap vintage finds. Clean, modern, bright and packed with great-looking photos of watches, it’s a decidedly stark contrast to traditional forms of online watch sales which, historically, have been relegated to outdated-looking places like eBay, Chrono24 and forums.
