Vintage Watches: A Beginner's Guide

If you have often looked ata shining, gleaming new watch and thought, where’s the character? This article is for you. Kai Marshall turns his decade-long vintage watch obsession into a helpful guide for those willing to dive head first into this rabbit hole

- KAI MARSHALL

I get it, you are interested in starting your own collection of vintage watches, but you are overwhelmed with the daunting considerations that go into procuring one of these timeless artefacts. Trust me, I have been there. After

a good decade of dabbling in this wonderful (sometimes, crazy) world of vintage watch collecting, I have made my fair share of mistakes and learned valuable lessons. And if I were to start anew, this would likely be the advice I would offer to my younger self, my ‘Rules of Engagement’, if you will.

PREPARING FOR THE HUNT

But why vintage? Some may dismiss such watches as outdated relics, but there is an intangible quality to vintage watches that modern ones cannot recreate: something known as "patina", and no, the faux-patina, which are quite popular on modern watches these days, do not even come close [it is called "faux" for a reason - Ed]. When you buy a vintage watch, you are participating in the learning of the watch’s unique history and provenance. These timepieces transport us back to a time when they were created as tools for specific functions, offering us a glimpse into very partiular and specific histories. For me personally, it is the connection to the era in which these watches were made, that truly makes vintage watch collecting an appealing pursuit.