When Watching The Budget: Vintage

Most people will tell you it takes a lot of dough to afford a collector-worthy vintage watch collection, but this is not true. Anyone, I really mean anyone, can afford a vintage watch or a vintage watch collection. You could go online and buy an old no-name chronograph for a hundred bucks; now you’ve got a vintage watch. If you want some quality reasonable watches, here is a list for you:

• Breitling Premier: People will ask anywhere from $1000-$5000 for this watch online. I saw a pink gold version in Ralph Lauren’s Greewich, CT store for $12000. That’s why choosing to buy retail is not always the best option.
• Omega Chronostop: You’re lucky if you find one with an original bracelet.
• Chronographe Suisse: Can be found in gold under $1000. I would recommend purchasing a pink gold model, as they have gotten relatively rarer over the past few years.
• Jaeger Lecoultre Memovox: The larger, the better.
• Bovet chronograph: A classic look, but you have to be careful of replacement parts and refinished dials.
• Vulcain Cricket: Cheap and cool. A poor man’s Memovox.
• Omega Cosmic: The coolest watch on the list. You can get it for under $2000 if you’re at the right place, at the right time.
• Cuervo Y Sobrinos Chronograph: I can say with confidence that this is the warmest watch on the list, as the brand was founded in Cuba. C & S is actually a jewelry-store-turned-watch brand.

My favorite:

• Omega gold-capped Seamaster: This is the watch that got me into watches, the only watch I own.

Luke Rottman (Executive Editor: thewatchadviser.com)