What’s the difference between a vintage and an antique watch?
Antique watches are at least 100 years-old. Vintage watches are at least 20 years-old. Any watch under 20 years is likely to be classified as simply “old”—neither modern nor quite yet vintage.

How do I know how old my antique watch is?
To determine the age of your watch, you will need to open your watch and find the serial number on the watch’s movement. This crucial figure will indicate the manufacture date. (Unfortunately, you cannot rely on the number stamped outside on the watch case which is largely used only for identification purposes.) You can cross reference the movement’s serial number with the manufacturer’s database (most of which are listed online) to determine the year your watch was produced.

If your watch does not have a serial number, it becomes harder to trace its history—but not impossible! Antique and vintage watches require a highly trained eye to determine its age and authenticity. Therefore, we recommend reaching out to an auction house like Christie’s or Sotheby’s. Their team of experts can generally tell you via e-mail and photos if your watch is of exceptional value and worth bringing in for a more thorough review.

Which is worth more: a vintage or antique watch?
This is going to be an annoying response but: it depends. There is no hard-and-fast rule to say the older a watch, the more valuable it is.

Some vintage watches fetch jaw-dropping sums at the auction houses because they’re highly sought after by collectors who covet their prestige, history or unique qualities. To wit, the 1925 Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication pocket watch fetched a whopping $24 million USD at a Sotheby’s auction in 2014.

However, other vintage timepieces are not considered “exceptional” by market standards and are not worth nearly as much. Ultimately, your watch is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

Is my watch worth less if it’s damaged?
The condition of a vintage or antique watch can actually increase if it’s gently damaged. Watch collectors oftentimes prefer a watch that has a little wear-and-tear, believing it to have more character and imbued with history. Clear signs of age like a black-turned-brown Tropical Dial or a Crazed Dial with cracked lacquer can be a boon to your watch’s resale value; for more on these desirable signs of damage, read our post “How to Start a Vintage Watch Collection” here.

However, your watch may be worth significantly less if it was damaged and then repaired. Collectors largely shy away from a vintage or antique watch that was restored and far prefer a watch that has all its original parts, even if it’s imperfect.

Investing in a vintage watch is a smart way to put your money towards an item that you can immediately enjoy (and wear) and still has the potential to actually appreciate in value. However, we always caution: a return on your fine mechanical watch investment is never a given. Although some luxury watches may appreciate in value, it’s not a guarantee that you’ll be able to resell your watch for a premium.

Therefore, you want to purchase a watch that you will love regardless of whether or not it fetches a higher resale value. However, to hedge your bets, look for simple, classic, and conservative designs from well-established and legacy brands which are most likely to hold their value and accuracy over time.

To help you navigate the vast world of vintage and antique watches, our experts break down two key brands—Patek Philippe and Rolex—and which models will hold their value over time.

Vintage Patek Philippe

Vintage Patek Philippe watches retain their value better and appreciate more than any other watch brand. Fewer than one million Patek Philippe watches have been made since the brand was established in 1839. (To compare: Rolex makes nearly 1 million watches every year.) Patek Philippe watches are beautifully handcrafted; it can take up to nine months to produce a basic Patek Philippe watch and up to two years to manufacture a more complicated model. Therefore, the incredible scarcity and brand prestige add to the value of any Patek Philippe watch.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava is one of the safest watches to invest in. The Calatrava is a signature model for Patek Philippe and is considered prototypical of the Patek Philippe style and design. The model has also greatly appreciated in value; to wit, the Patek Philippe Calatrava retailed for $300 in 1950 ($3,121.58 in 2017 dollars). Today, the Patek Philippe Calatrava retails for roughly $20,000.

Similarly, the Patek Philippe Nautilus is another reliable investment, particularly if you can source a model from the 1970s and 80s. The Nautilus watch has largely outpaced inflation; the watch retailed for $3,000 in the 1980s (roughly $9,500 in today’s dollars), but now the model retails for $50,000.

Vintage Rolex

While Patek Philippe is a smart investment, their watches are still significant investments and can fall far outside of your budget. Therefore, Rolex is a more accessible investment opportunity.

Within its price range, Rolex has the best resale value of any of its competitors. Rolex is largely recognized as the quintessential status symbol and certain models have garnered an incredibly loyal following making them a particularly attractive investment.

The Rolex GMT-Master, Submariner and Daytona all have their devoted fan base and are likely to be easier to resell than other Rolex watch models. Rolex typically only makes inconspicuous updates to their watch models. Therefore, watches that are in the first release of a significant update can turn into a collectible item for Rolex devotees.

For more information about how to start a vintage watch collection, read our full post on the topic here.