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Vintage Watches

Every vintage watch has a story to tell, and that’s what makes them special. Each piece offers a unique window into the past that traces back through generations, and owning one means getting to enjoy a piece of decades-old mechanical art. Welcome to the world of vintage.

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Popular Brands
  1. Rolex Rolex
  2. Omega Omega
  3. Panerai Panerai
  4. Breitling Breitling
  5. IWC IWC
  6. Cartier Cartier
  7. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  8. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  9. Tudor Tudor
  10. Hublot Hublot
  11. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  12. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  13. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
All Brands
  1. A. Lange and Sohne A. Lange and Sohne
  2. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  3. B.R.M Watches B.R.M Watches
  4. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  5. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  6. Blancpain Blancpain
  7. Breguet Breguet
  8. Breitling Breitling
  9. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  10. Cartier Cartier
  11. Chopard Chopard
  12. Corum Corum
  13. Eterna Eterna
  14. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  15. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  16. Glashutte Original Glashutte Original
  17. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  18. Hamilton Hamilton
  19. Hermes Hermes
  20. Hublot Hublot
  21. IWC IWC
  22. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  23. Longines Longines
  24. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  25. Montblanc Montblanc
  26. Omega Omega
  27. Oris Oris
  28. Panerai Panerai
  29. Parmigiani Parmigiani
  30. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  31. Piaget Piaget
  32. Porsche Design Porsche Design
  33. Rado Rado
  34. Raymond Weil Raymond Weil
  35. Rolex Rolex
  36. Tag Heuer Tag Heuer
  37. Tudor Tudor
  38. Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardin
  39. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  40. Zenith Zenith
Series
Case Size
The size of a watch is very important for style and comfort. If you prefer an oversized watch like a Panerai Luminor, you’ll probably want Large. If you’re looking for something more discreet like a Rolex Lady Datejust, you’ll want Small. For everything in between, Medium.
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Stock Type
  1. Stock Stock
Case Material
  1. Bronze Bronze
  2. Carbon Carbon
  3. Ceramic Ceramic
  4. Platinum Platinum
  5. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  6. Silver Silver
  7. Steel Steel
  8. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  9. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  10. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  11. Titanium Titanium
  12. White Gold White Gold
  13. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
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  1. Bracelet Bracelet
  2. Fabric Fabric
  3. Leather Leather
  4. Rubber Rubber
Box and Papers
  1. Original box Original box
  1. Original papers Original papers
Movement
A mechanical watch is powered by a spring. Manual mechanical watches must be hand wound. Automatic watches are also mechanical, and are wound by a weight that spins with the wearer's movements. A quartz watch is battery powered and extremely accurate.
  1. Automatic Automatic
  2. Manual Manual
  3. Quartz Quartz
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Limited Edition
  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (31)
Results (31)
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Vacheron Constantin Patrimony 30050/000J-7604 267239
Vintage

Vacheron Constantin
Patrimony
30050/000J-7604

Box
Papers
Year 1997
€53,860
Patek Philippe Calatrava 3802/200R 260024
Vintage

Patek Philippe
Calatrava
3802/200R

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€15,810
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 3590.50.00 281612
Vintage

Omega
Speedmaster Moonwatch
3590.50.00

Box
Papers
Year 1990
€5,040
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 145012-67SP 268468
Vintage

Omega
Speedmaster Moonwatch
145012-67SP

Box
Papers
Year 1989
€8,160
Rolex Explorer II 16570 281632
Vintage

Rolex
Explorer II
16570

Box
Papers
Year 1996
€7,885
Rolex Datejust Lady 69258 266705
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69258

Box
Papers
Year 1999
€13,225
Rolex Datejust Lady 6917 276531
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
6917

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€11,210
Rolex Datejust Lady 69173 269223
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69173

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€3,385
Rolex Datejust 16234 282335
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€7,845
Rolex Datejust 16220 266375
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1992
€7,185
Rolex Datejust 16200 282563
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€5,690
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68240 269426
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68240

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€5,345
Rolex Datejust Lady 69174 282126
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69174

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€4,165
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 276533
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68274

Box
Papers
Year 1987
€6,840
Rolex Datejust 1601 275671
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
1601

Box
Papers
Year 1976
€3,495
Rolex GMT Master II 16710 280245
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master II
16710

Box
Papers
Year 1997
€9,985
Rolex Datejust 16220 266959
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16220

Box
Papers
Year 1996
€7,185
Rolex Datejust 16030 282135
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1983
€6,025
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1500 275878
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
1500

Box
Papers
Year 1986
€3,965
Rolex GMT Master II 16710 272123
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master II
16710

Box
Papers
Year 1999
€14,380
Rolex Cellini 6621/8 269418
Vintage

Rolex
Cellini
6621/8

Box
Papers
Year 1993
€4,670
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15053 272652
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15053

Box
Papers
Year 1989
€6,380
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68274 272649
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68274

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€6,670
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15000 275045
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15000

Box
Papers
Year 1989
€3,660
Rolex GMT Master 1675 270218
Vintage

Rolex
GMT Master
1675

Box
Papers
Year 1972
€14,445
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 283659
Vintage

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16600

Box
Papers
Year 1999
€9,705
Rolex Day-Date 18238 265164
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18238

Box
Papers
Year 1990
€27,025
Rolex Day-Date 18238 250685
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18238

Box
Papers
Year 1990
€27,025
Rolex Day-Date 18238 267400
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18238

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€29,325
Rolex Explorer 14270 281640
Vintage

Rolex
Explorer
14270

Box
Papers
Year 1998
€6,715
Rolex Air-King 14010 265154
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
14010

Box
Papers
Year 1994
€5,460

Vintage Watches

There has been a huge upsurge in vintage watch collecting over the past twenty years, a natural consequence perhaps of the mechanical watch revival that took place in the 1990s after the doom-laden era of the quartz crisis had receded.

Since then vintage watches have grabbed the watch industry’s biggest headlines, with a number of Rolex and Patek Philippe models regularly selling for well over a million dollars at the most prestigious auction houses.

Vintage watches have never been in such high demand, with even models from lesser-known brands seeing their value increase ten-fold over the last decade or so. Of course, precious few vintage timepieces—or any timepieces, for that matter—will reach anywhere near the astronomical price ($17.75 million) fetched by Paul Newman’s Daytona in 2017, but a vintage watch by a brand like Omega or Zenith which sold for a couple of hundred pounds in the 1990s, would fetch several times that in today’s market.

If you’re wondering what defines a vintage watch in the first place, the answer isn’t set in stone. Some people consider any pre-1980 model to qualify as vintage, while others insist it’s anything over 25 years old. Any watch over a hundred years old, on the other hand, is classed as an antique—one you might consider locking in a safe rather than actually wearing.

If you’re thinking of starting your own vintage collection featuring the most established brands, there are a number of names and models to consider. Vintage Patek Philippe pieces are among the most desirable, whether it’s a pre-World War II time-only Calatrava, a 1970s Nautilus or any perpetual calendar model in gold or platinum.

The most popular vintage Audemars Piguet models are the first-generation Royal Oaks, a luxury steel sports model launched in 1972 that gave rise to a whole new genre in high-end watchmaking.

Extremely rare and therefore much sought-after are vintage Panerai watches, of which as few as 350 were made between 1938 and 1994, after which the brand finally began making watches commercially and for the civilian market, rather than just for the Italian navy. Vintage Radiomir and Luminor models now command six-figure sums at auction.

Vintage Breitling and vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre watches are generally more affordable than the above, but even more wallet-friendly are a number of chronograph models by the legendary Heuer.

Vintage TAG Heuer (as it is now called) is best represented by several chronograph models with strong motor-racing links, the most famous being the square-cased Monaco. Famously worn by Hollywood maverick Steve McQueen, this distinctive and iconic timepiece is now a regular in the brand’s catalogue, with a number of dial variations and special editions. There’s something extra-cool about the early models, though, whose tiny imperfections enhance their appeal.

A few oft-repeated rules for budding vintage collectors are as follows: always buy from a trusted seller; try to buy watches with all original parts (dials, for example, have often been repainted or replaced on older watches); and never wear any vintage watch, whether a diver’s watch or not, in water as it will have almost certainly lost its water resistance due to the seals on the gaskets eroding.

And don’t be put off by faded lume, the odd battle scar and a little patina. Part of the charm of a vintage watch is that it’s been around the block a few times, had a few different wearers, got a few tales to tell.

At Watchfinder we sell a number of vintage models from brands including Rolex, Tudor, Zenith, Omega and more. Browse our selection online today to find your perfect vintage timepiece and add another chapter to its story.

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