If you hear the words “affordable vintage watch” and immediately laugh, imagining that there’s no way that there are any bargains left out there — well, we can’t exactly blame you. To paraphrase Lt. Aldo Raine: “We in the vintage watch business. And business is a-boomin.’”
Or something like that. In any case, it’s true that many vintage watches that were once relatively affordable — the venerable Rolex Datejust, anyone? The Universal Geneve Polerouter — are now firmly in “How-badly-do-I-need-to-pay-my-rent-this-month?”-territory.
But there are still bargains to be had — you simply have to know where to look. Certain sellers, such as Watches to Buy and Cool Vintage Watches, routinely stock affordable models, and traditional watch sales forums such as the Wallet Friendly Watch Forum (formerly the “Poor Man’s Watch Forum”) and aggregators such as Watch Recon can help you find the goods for under X number of dollars. eBay, while a positive minefield, is always a great resource, especially for research.
As long as you keep a few things in mind, you should be able to land a bargain now and again:
Service: Fixing up a mechanical watch is expensive and time-consuming, so don’t expect these affordable watches to have necessarily been to the spa recently. (Sometimes you get lucky, and a watch was recently serviced, however, or service history is known.) Thus, you’re always taking somewhat of a risk that a watch isn’t running up to spec, but an honest seller will disclose the details to you, and then you can make an informed decision.
Barn Finds: The likelihood that you’re going to find a $35,000 vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm for $5 at Goodwill is unlikely — but you never know. Keep your eyes peeled, especially with respect listings on eBay and other, smaller auction sites with crappy pictures. It’s anyone’s guess what might turn up and ultimately be overlooked by the crowd.
Esoterica: In, say, the sub-$1k vintage watch category, you’re likely going to turn up some wacky shit — for the most part, these aren’t going to be watches you’re necessarily familiar with. But that’s ok. Hell, that’s the fun part! The ’60s and ’70s in particular were full of interesting mechanical watches with such cool use of color and such interesting designs, that you’d have to be a cold-hearted sonofayouknowwhat not to find something you like, eventually. Be open.
Water Resistance: When buying vintage dive watches, don’t expect them to be water-resistant anymore — especially at this price. Gaskets wear out and often need changing, and many of the less expensive watches didn’t feature all that much water resistance to begin with. Unless you’re ready to drop money on new gaskets and pressure testing, it’s best to enjoy these old divers topside.
