Vintage Watches For Investment...

Click here for CNBC's crash course in investing in timepieces.

2009-10-27T22:03:00.001-04:00

Dow Jones Article-Vintage Watches For Investment-July 2009

2009-07-31T00:05:00.000-04:00

: LONDON (Dow Jones)--A vintage wristwatch is an alternative
: investment unlike any other. As a tangible asset it is unique in
: that it can be enjoyed every second, of every minute, of every
: hour, of every day.

: But watches are long-term investments; consequently their owners
: will often have to wait more than a few rotations of the small
: hand before seeing any significant return on their initial
: outlay.

: The first wristwatches began to appear around 1910 and proceeded to
: displace their pocketed cousins in the market over the following
: two decades. With the 1960s came not only the sexual, but also
: the quartz revolution. Time seemed to come almost to a
: standstill as the industry stood back to asses the impact of this
: new electronic medium.

: However, watches with mechanical movements - which contribute 14%
: of volume, yet 65% of the total market value of watches sold -
: rather than quartz ones, are preferred for investment. This is
: due to the artistry involved in their construction, and the
: quality of the materials they are made from.

: Today, brand-new watches, like luxury cars, depreciate around 40%
: in value the moment they leave the shop - making them a far less
: attractive investment than say, a more vintage model.

: And wristwatches, like automobiles, are also marketed towards, and
: sought after by, a predominantly male audience, guided by the
: latest fads and trends within the market.

: "It's the main piece of jewelry a man will wear," said
: Paul Maudsley, head of watches at Bonhams, an auction house.
: "Well, with the possible exception of his wedding
: ring," he ever-so-quickly added.

: In contrast, the market for ladies' watches at auction is virtually
: nonexistent. "Women can buy jewelry; quite simply, they
: have other things to spend their money on," Maudsley said.

: Unsurprisingly it is the top end of the market, with established
: brands such as Rolex - the world's most collected brand -
: Cartier and Patek Philippe that command the highest prices at
: auction. Watches released by major fashion houses, rather than
: traditional watchmakers, are looked down upon as
: "costume" watches.

: "The market was very buoyant a year ago," said Maudsley.
: The slide of the U.K. into recession has sent a tide of sellers
: into the market place, and a wave of potential buyers out of it
: - according to John Matheou, founder of The Swiss Watch Company,
: based in Chiswick, London.

: The watch market peaked around 12 months ago, after a period of
: inflated prices. When investors got wise to these prices,
: "the
: bubble burst and watches started to come back into the dealers'
: hands," Matheou said. The market quickly leveled out,
: counteracting the "one-upmanship" of the former
: vintage-watch-buyer demographic of bonus-culture-dependent city
: workers.

: In the last year, prices in the top tier (valued above GBP20,000)
: have dropped by between 30-50%, with Rolex watches holding up
: only slightly better than their rivals, Matheou continued.

: It appears that the only recession-proof luxury watches are those
: which have been discontinued. The Rolex GMT II and the Rolex
: Sea-Dweller, which both ceased production over the last six to 12
: months, have seen their values continue to rise. "Once they
: become discontinued, people want them more, as there is an
: element of history attached to them," Matheou said.

: At the artistic end of the supply chain, the Swiss watch industry
: registered its first decline in exports in the fourth quarter of
: 2008, after enjoying 19 consecutive quarters of growth.

: According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, however,
: Swiss exports still totaled an incredible 26.1 million watches -
: worth 15.9 billion Swiss francs ($14.7 billion) - in 2008, with
: an annual growth rate of 0.8%.

: The record price paid for a wristwatch at auction in the U.K. saw a
: gold, 1932 "Trossi Leggenda" Patek Philippe watch,
: originally owned by Italian racing driver Count Carlo Felcie
: Trossi, go under the hammer at Sotheby's in 2008 for CHF2.345
: million - equivalent to GBP1.14 million.

: Because there is no market index, the burden of establishing a
: database of sales figures, by which valuations can be made, lies
: with individual auction houses. Thanks to the growth of the
: Internet, however, most of these databases are easily accessible
: for cross-referencing.

: Although prices may have dipped, interest in watch auctions
: continues to grow - a trend which isn't set to change anytime
: soon, Matheou said.

: Watches tend not to change hands, or wrists, too often. A lot of
: vintage wristwatches brought to auction are sold by their
: original owners. As long as they're looked after, tales of
: incredible profits are not unfamiliar. For example a Rolex
: submariner bought for GBP100 in 1972, would now sell for between
: GBP10,000-GBP15,000.

: However, a watch worth GBP7,000 on its own, could be worth as much
: as 70% more, at GBP12,000, if complete with case and
: documents, Matheou informs us.

: The timepieces themselves are always going to be more accurate than
: the art of investing in them. So, if a chosen watch is something
: that you're passionate about, then it is likely that, if or when
: the watch is brought to market, someone else will be so too.
: "It's likely that, at the very least, you'll get your money
: back, if not even more," Maudsley said.

VALID reasons To Buy a Vintage watch NOW... Especially in this Economy!

2009-03-11T23:24:00.025-04:00

I am speaking to those of you who may have slight reservations, or need reasons why NOW is a great time to buy a quality vintage watch; not those of you who already KNOW the reasons and are buying MANY!

Firstly: You are staring at some paper money that looks SO fragile.

Secondly: You are staring at an embarrassingly cheap plastic, disposable watch on your wrist.

Thirdly: You don't know what to DO or THINK about anything in these strange times.

I am only going to speak to you about the above three possibilities.

Firstly: Please envision exchanging some of your spare paper money for a solid, uncommon and highly collectible vintage watch. Most highly collectible watches have increased in value over the past decade between 200-1000 percent. Many STILL retain their value, even TODAY (March 2009). WatchesToBuy.com's sales have increased by about 50% over 2008 thus far in 09'. The reason? Vintage watch collecting is a PASSION... collectors see the VALUE in owning these special and ORIGINAL vintage items. Aesthetically, they are MESMERIZING and EYE-PLEASING. You wear a collection of vintage watches over a lifetime, leave them to a family member, or sell them. Either way, someone is PLEASANTLY surprised a decade or two later to acquire a tidy sum of money. (e.g. MORE THAN WAS PAID for them!) It's not just a luxury-it's an investment in time.

Secondly: Your plastic watch (and the money you paid for it) will end up in the landfill with all the other garbage, further contributing to the world's stress. Then you'll buy another... and another -you get it the idea.

Thirdly: There is a reason watch collectors and dealers all over the world are hanging on to their favorite vintage watches in these times and MANY more are buying vintage watches NOW. THEY LOVE THEM and so will you!

Buy a vintage watch today...don't feel guilty-you're making the right decision!

Talk to me to find the RIGHT WATCH!
Derek Dier
WatchesToBuy.com
d@derekdier.com
519-808-7355

New Year Vintage Watch Update...

2009-01-31T14:04:00.007-05:00

WatchesToBuy.com has seen a 54% increase in sales over the holiday season compared to 2007! What does this say?? Well, as we thought, investors and collectors alike are parking their money in tangible assets instead of "questionable" paper money. We see buyers purchasing uncommon watches in the $2500 and under price range-watches that simply look great on the wrist, and not necessarily "important" brand names. Omega and Rolex under $3000 are still selling well. ROLEX sports watches over $5000 are quieter, as they were inflated by speculators in recent years. Does that sound familiar? Vintage Heuer, LeCoultre and Breitling are also recommended, as fewer of these watches were produced in comparison to other major brands. We are surprised to see slower sales in SOLID GOLD watches, as we believe their value is intrinsic and will only increase over the coming months. Gold need not be flashy, it just needs the right colour band to tone it down. We are intent on offering UNCOMMON and great looking watches for sale that should easily stand the "test of time".

Remember, we travel far and wide to find watches-if there is something you are seeking, ASK US! We can get it.

Derek Dier
WatchesToBuy.com

Choosing the RIGHT watch to give as a gift

2008-11-24T11:24:00.009-05:00

When choosing a vintage watch as a gift , the first thing to consider is the SIZE of the watch. Know what size of watch the receiver prefers. Draw a circle (or square) showing the dimensions mentioned in our description (on paper), so you have an idea of what the watch will look like on their wrist.

Secondly-find out what CASE metal the receiver prefers....Is it silver? (steel, platinum, rhodium plate or Sterling Silver) gold or gold plate?

Thirdly-does the buyer prefer an automatic or manual winding watch? Often, when given as a gift-this does not matter, as it is quite simple to wind a watch daily-further adding to the nostalgic quality of owning a VINTAGE WATCH.

It is important to keep VINTAGE watches out of water. Due to their age, seals around the crowns, etc. may have shrunk and are no longer available as spare parts. Upon special request we can waterproof vintage Tudors and Rolex. ALWAYS keep any water resistant SCREW-DOWN crowns fastened at all times, to prevent dust and moisture intrusion.

The MOST important factor is VISUAL APPEAL. Choose a style or design era your receiver prefers. If they like the Art Deco period; watches from the 20's-30's of all kinds will bring a smile. For those who appreciate the classic look-the 1940's produced simplistic and clean-lined styles. If they are the more flamboyant type-the 1950's produced bold and stylistic watches that realy catch the eye! If they prefer the modern look- the 1960's offers sleek and trim styling without any "flash". The 1970's are for the cool "avante garde" wearer, who likes their look to appear on the the "edge". The 1980's- well... let's not even talk about it.

If you don't see a particular watch you are seeking on WatchesToBuy.com ...chances are we may have it...jut ask!

Remember...order at least 10 days prior to to guarantee delivery. Fedex still takes 2-3 days crossing borders.

Give a gift that stands the test of time!

Derek Dier
WatchesToBuy.com

Canadian Military Rolex Review

2008-10-23T12:31:00.037-04:00

WatchesToBuy.com has an affinity toward the elusive CANADIAN version ROLEX watches! We will focus on the WW2 military NON-OYSTER Rolex watches that were produced during the 1940's this time-and save the others for another day. Rolex exported their movements to Canada in the 1940's and had their watches cased here in Canada to circumvent duty costs. Case companies such as ID and PIONEER were commissioned to produce cases for the NON-OYSTER watches such as the ROLEX Victory, Skyrocket, Hurricane, Corvette and Wellington. These watches were often crudely signed ROLEX on the inner case and sometimes not signed at all. The movements were caliber 59 or modified caliber 59's for the Rolex Standard, which were all signed ROLEX on the dial plate (under the dial)-but not anywhere on the visible portion of the movement. One must remove the dial to see the Rolex signature. Of these watches, cases were stainless steel, sterling silver, rhodium plated or gold filled. They were never solid gold. Case sizes were always small-between 27.5 and 29.5mm. The Wellington and Hurricane were the smallest of the non-oyster watches produced, but were also the most expensive when sold new, due to their higher quality-with these signed ROLEX movements being adjusted to 6 positions. The Victory and Skyrocket were $32.75 in 1942, whilst the Wellington and Hurricane were $52-$55 depending on the case metals. We cannot forget the importance of the ROLEX nurses' watches and dress watches (standards) of the same era-we will save them for another blog. We are lucky to have acquired one of the only original Newspaper sized ROLEX advertising samples sent to dealers in 1942, which shows the original Canadian WW2 Rolex pricing. Please click here to see the full sized ROLEX AD Along with this, please click here to view some of WatchesToBuy's *permanent collection of WW2 Rolex-with their original boxes *(not for sale).

Derek Dier: Vintage Watch Specialist

WatchesToBuy.com

Latest Results from October. 17/08 Sotheby's Watch Auction ---Click here for results

2008-10-18T19:10:00.016-04:00

Good to see prices are remaining strong in the vintage and modern watch market! It appears investors are placing their money in "tangibles" such as vintage watches in these uncertain economic times.

Derek Dier

Should I wind an Automatic Watch??

2008-10-14T19:21:00.005-04:00

If you haven't worn an automatic watch for more than 30 hours...the answer is YES! When you purchase a new ROLEX, or have one serviced, you will notice that the factory instructions mention to wind the watch CLOCKWISE about 40 times prior to wearing. You must wind an automatic watch if it is left motionless for over 30 hours, if it has the usual 40 hour reserve found in in automatic watches such as OMEGA, ROLEX, etc. The MAINSPRING needs to have enough energy to supply the watch with a constant power to keep the watch accurate. If you DON'T wind an automatic after 30 hours, the watch MAY keep inaccurate time. If you wear your automatic daily, you need not worry, as the motion of your wrist will keep it wound.

Secondly, you CANNOT overwind an automatic watch...so, don't worry! 40 winds is perfect.

For Rolex... simply unscrew (COUNTERCLOCKWISE) the winding crown and start winding CLOCKWISE ONLY about 40 times. You will feel the resistance of the movement (which is normal).

For Omega and most other AUTOMATIC watches without a screw down crown, simply turn the winding crown CLOCKWISE ONLY about 40 times. Again, you will hear and feel the movement winding.

Derek Dier
WatchesToBuy.com

ABC news article on "where to put your money" October 10th.

2008-10-11T10:45:00.000-04:00

Wondering Where to Put Your Money? Go Back to Basics
In a Struggling Economy, Experts Advise Investing in 'the Stuff You Can't Live Without'
By NICK WATT
Oct. 10, 2008

In a struggling economy, experts advise thinking long-term and outside the box. Some suggest investing in things like fine wine, rare stamps, Alpacas, and commodities such as diamonds.

So if you're an average person, with a job, a mortgage, a family and a little bit of money in the bank, what should you do with it? Geoff Anandappa of Stanley Gibbons Ltd., a London-based collectibles and investment company, suggests investing in rare stamps, what he calls a "blue-chip investment."

For 50 years the value of rare stamps has risen by at least 9 percent a year, driven by investors' interest and the passion of collectors. Anandappa doesn't see that growth slowing down now.

"On the contrary," he said. "I think it's going to increase because at times when the stock markets are volatile, property is a bit shaky, people put their money into hard assets."

Anandappa is so confident, he will guarantee, in writing, a 25 percent increase on your investment over five years. He also sells autographs and is similarly bullish, especially if the famous person in question has passed away.

"You know there's never going to be any more," he explained.

So, Abraham Lincoln: $25,000. Jessica Alba: $80.

I think Vintage Watches should be on this list!!

Derek Dier

Vintage watches for investment....

2008-10-10T00:07:00.000-04:00

In this uncertain economy and economic "nightmare" can purchasing and investing in a Vintage watch be considered to be a viable investment alternative? We will answer this question over the next few days. We believe the answer is a definite YES! We here at WatchestoBuy.com have been receiving MANY emails over the past week from astute Watch collectors seeking various uncommon watches which they would like to "put away" with money they've pulled from the stock market. Physical assets will likely be the investors' choice over the coming months. Evidently, the buyers are out there for vintage watches, as we are still selling steadily. It's a constant circle of buyers and sellers seeking their watches of choice. What other investment can one wear, enjoy, easily store and reap the monetary benefits? Many brands (especially vintage ROLEX) have seen exponential gains in the past 3 years or so. These HUGE gains probably won't be sustained, as they were inflated in our opinion. We have adjusted our prices accordingly. The Paul Newman Daytonas and ROLEX chronographs of all kinds will surely prevail over time. ROLEX with box and papers have been the watches of choice as of late, and remain strong. I am seeing TUDOR, BREITLING and HEUER watches holding strong, as well as lower end ROLEX (Air-Kings, Oysterdates), as they have remained obtainable for the regular consumer seeking a luxury watch. Watches under $500 are steadily selling, as long as they are fully cleaned/restored and in very fine condition. Please visit our blog often, as we will be posting many watch collecting "secrets" over the coming days; along with tips on caring for vintage watches, what's hot (and not) and more!

Derek Dier
WatchesToBuy.com