Watches for a compulsive collector?
Discussion
Bit of a random post, this.. My mother in law has far too much time and money on her hands and as a hobby spends money fairly randomly to my eyes at a local antiques auction house. You name it, she collects it.. Clarice Cliff china, antique silver baby rattles (!?), old jewellery that she gets remade into even weirder looking stuff.. I think probably 75% of the time she gets ripped off despite the rest of us trying to reign her in..
She has a regular income through some commercial property she owns so it's not like she's short of a bob or two but there must be something safer she could be spending it on (the grandkids would be good but, there you go!). She's noticed I've started collecting a couple of watches of late and asked if this could be something she should be looking at. I tend to think she's just as likely to make some expensive mistakes buying up old watches but wondered what you guys think? Are there any brands / models / eras in particular that are more of a safe bet than others? I can research further for her but I'm not sure where to start.. old Omegas perhaps? My gut feeling is she spends between 500 pounds to 2K at a time when she's "on a spree".. I think if she is making the odd purchase of a watch or two that holds it's value that would be a good result to be honest (and no I don't think I'd inherit any of them
!)
Another thing that occurred to me was to suggest she makes a few purchases of new watches likely to be future classics.. Black Bay Bronze, Re-issued Autavia, SS Rolexes etc, although this is obviously a bigger chunk of money to consider at a time.
Any thoughts welcome!
She has a regular income through some commercial property she owns so it's not like she's short of a bob or two but there must be something safer she could be spending it on (the grandkids would be good but, there you go!). She's noticed I've started collecting a couple of watches of late and asked if this could be something she should be looking at. I tend to think she's just as likely to make some expensive mistakes buying up old watches but wondered what you guys think? Are there any brands / models / eras in particular that are more of a safe bet than others? I can research further for her but I'm not sure where to start.. old Omegas perhaps? My gut feeling is she spends between 500 pounds to 2K at a time when she's "on a spree".. I think if she is making the odd purchase of a watch or two that holds it's value that would be a good result to be honest (and no I don't think I'd inherit any of them
!)Another thing that occurred to me was to suggest she makes a few purchases of new watches likely to be future classics.. Black Bay Bronze, Re-issued Autavia, SS Rolexes etc, although this is obviously a bigger chunk of money to consider at a time.
Any thoughts welcome!
As a general rule, vintage ladies watches do not hold value in the way that gents watches do. It could be because ladies watches from the 50's 60's and 70's were really small.
Buying vintage watches in clean original condition (collecting) is a skill that takes time to learn. The only way to learn is to collect, but expect to get stung in the process. So if she is prepared to start small and do the homework then there's no reason why she couldn't start a collection. I wouldn't advise spunking thousands for quite a while though, too much throw away on a bad deal.
Don't forget to warn her that every few years each mechanical watch will need a service, that is likely to cost £100 ish from a decent independent.
Try starting with Hamilton or Omega, you'll be amazed at how little some of the ladies watches go for on ebay.
Buying vintage watches in clean original condition (collecting) is a skill that takes time to learn. The only way to learn is to collect, but expect to get stung in the process. So if she is prepared to start small and do the homework then there's no reason why she couldn't start a collection. I wouldn't advise spunking thousands for quite a while though, too much throw away on a bad deal.
Don't forget to warn her that every few years each mechanical watch will need a service, that is likely to cost £100 ish from a decent independent.
Try starting with Hamilton or Omega, you'll be amazed at how little some of the ladies watches go for on ebay.
mikeveal said:
As a general rule, vintage ladies watches do not hold value in the way that gents watches do. It could be because ladies watches from the 50's 60's and 70's were really small.
Buying vintage watches in clean original condition (collecting) is a skill that takes time to learn. The only way to learn is to collect, but expect to get stung in the process. So if she is prepared to start small and do the homework then there's no reason why she couldn't start a collection. I wouldn't advise spunking thousands for quite a while though, too much throw away on a bad deal.
Don't forget to warn her that every few years each mechanical watch will need a service, that is likely to cost £100 ish from a decent independent.
Try starting with Hamilton or Omega, you'll be amazed at how little some of the ladies watches go for on ebay.
Thanks for that.. Hamilton were a brand that also sprung to my mind.. I thought that too ref ladies watches being somewhat less collectable. Older gents watches are probably closer to current ladies size on current trends!! We have a local clock / watch specialist who carries a lot of older Omegas and the odd Tudor / Rolex so she could perhaps start looking there.Buying vintage watches in clean original condition (collecting) is a skill that takes time to learn. The only way to learn is to collect, but expect to get stung in the process. So if she is prepared to start small and do the homework then there's no reason why she couldn't start a collection. I wouldn't advise spunking thousands for quite a while though, too much throw away on a bad deal.
Don't forget to warn her that every few years each mechanical watch will need a service, that is likely to cost £100 ish from a decent independent.
Try starting with Hamilton or Omega, you'll be amazed at how little some of the ladies watches go for on ebay.
My own experience collecting saxophones and target rifles/pistols is that the best buys are those that need a little "fettling".
In other words, they don't work properly due to either a simple or complex reason, or they need cosmetic help.
Through "learning" over many years I can now quickly establish if the repair is within my DIY skills or whether I have to farm it out to a professional and still add to its value.
Over these years of collecting I am now able to strip most guns and saxophones and do the majority of repair work, vastly increasing the value of the item. It also enhances the enjoyment of the hobby, taking a knackered item and giving it a new lease of life, mostly by your own newly acquired skills. Very satisfying.
Here's some before and after photos of a £50 Grassi Tenor Sax which I refurbished at a cost of around £400. Now worth £1000:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/24...
...and a Weihrauch HW80 which cost me £30 in its original (disgusting) condition: http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/22...
It seems to me that watches are extremely complex and require minute attention to detail, but as watch repairers exist it must be a learnable skill. Would she be interested in learning this or would she be limited to just buying and selling?
Maybe improving the cosmetic condition would be sufficient, or perhaps finding a local watch repairer who gives good rates for regular work (as I have found with my other items) would be a possibility?
There's also the easier skill of "spotting a bargain". Looking for watches that have been undervalued by the seller through poor research. This does require time finding them though, and luck has a lot to do with it. She'd also have to have spent many hundreds of hours doing research on the internet. This generally comes naturally. For me, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I spot what appears to be a "bargain". But if I don't know the model I have to do intensive research which again is quite interesting and enhances my overall knowledge for the next time I come up against this make/model.
An example is Heuer. I saw this Heuer watch go for double the estimate at auction and so did some research just because of this: https://www.fellows.co.uk/1945-lot-109-HEUER-a-gen...
She'll be attracted by the obvious well know brands, and they are easier to research and gain knowledge, but there may be less bargains to be found.
That's my input, hope it's of interest?
In other words, they don't work properly due to either a simple or complex reason, or they need cosmetic help.
Through "learning" over many years I can now quickly establish if the repair is within my DIY skills or whether I have to farm it out to a professional and still add to its value.
Over these years of collecting I am now able to strip most guns and saxophones and do the majority of repair work, vastly increasing the value of the item. It also enhances the enjoyment of the hobby, taking a knackered item and giving it a new lease of life, mostly by your own newly acquired skills. Very satisfying.
Here's some before and after photos of a £50 Grassi Tenor Sax which I refurbished at a cost of around £400. Now worth £1000:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/24...
...and a Weihrauch HW80 which cost me £30 in its original (disgusting) condition: http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/22...
It seems to me that watches are extremely complex and require minute attention to detail, but as watch repairers exist it must be a learnable skill. Would she be interested in learning this or would she be limited to just buying and selling?
Maybe improving the cosmetic condition would be sufficient, or perhaps finding a local watch repairer who gives good rates for regular work (as I have found with my other items) would be a possibility?
There's also the easier skill of "spotting a bargain". Looking for watches that have been undervalued by the seller through poor research. This does require time finding them though, and luck has a lot to do with it. She'd also have to have spent many hundreds of hours doing research on the internet. This generally comes naturally. For me, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I spot what appears to be a "bargain". But if I don't know the model I have to do intensive research which again is quite interesting and enhances my overall knowledge for the next time I come up against this make/model.
An example is Heuer. I saw this Heuer watch go for double the estimate at auction and so did some research just because of this: https://www.fellows.co.uk/1945-lot-109-HEUER-a-gen...
She'll be attracted by the obvious well know brands, and they are easier to research and gain knowledge, but there may be less bargains to be found.
That's my input, hope it's of interest?
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