MrWatchMaster

It is fair to say that there has been a renaissance for vintage watches in recent times. The desire to seek out and own particular watch brands and designs from the early to middle of the previous century has escalated.

We have also seen that many brands are recreating timepieces from their past, recent examples being Vacheron Constantin’s 1956 collection and Oris Big Crown pilot’s watch special edition, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the original design.

These ‘retro’ designs demonstrate that the desire to own a ‘piece of history’ celebrating the past is as strong as ever.

The evidence extends into the Auction world with sales of vintage watches achieving often extraordinary results. Our analysis below of the Top 50 Most Expensive Watches Sold At Auction is testament to this.

In terms of most coveted brands, Patek Philippe dominates, making up 76% of the top 50. Other brands include, Rolex (12%), Breguet (6%) George Daniels (4%) and Vacheron Constantin (2%). It is interesting that contemporary master watchmaker, George Daniels outperforms a heritage brand like Vacheron Constantin which has been around since 1755.

The economic uncertainty and unattractive interest rates, has driven collectors and investors to consider alternative opportunities. High quality vintage Watches could fit the criteria (N.B. we are not advisors on financial matters and are not responsible for any action taken). As ambassadors of luxury online auction house, NY Elizabeth Auctions, and are helping them to attract new customers to take part in their auctions.

Our friends at NY Elizabeth Auctions have shared with us some expert advice when thinking about buying at auction and building a collection, as follows:

Why people should buy at auction?  You can often achieve better pricing. We ensure authenticity of goods and trust with our auction provenance.  

What should they look out for?  People should be aware of the condition of the goods being auctioned. If something looks ‘to good to be true’ then you should avoid it.

What would you recommend in building a collection? Buy Watches you love, with varied complications and styles – always buy the best you can afford.

We are excited about this evolving area of the pre-owned vintage Watch market.

About NY Elizabeth Auctions

NY Elizabeth Auction was established in 1956 as an art gallery, and is now one of the leading auction houses with locations worldwide including United States, United kingdom, Germany, and France. 

All of our watches go through a stringent authentication process internally and externally, we make sure all watches are 100% authentic before listing them. That’s what differentiates us from others, and we ship everything ourselves via our partnership with Fedex, fully insured.

Nouriel Gino Yazdinian, CEO, sold a private art collection to a Kuwaiti billionaire when he was 19-years old for $40m USD.

We love what we do and enjoy coming to work every day. We are one of the fastest growing auction houses, we have had over 160 auctions in the past 6-months alone.

Ny Elizabeth Auctions is a valued member of LiveAuctioneers.com

For more information about NY Elizabeth Auctions, please visit https://nyelizabeth.com

N.B. We are not advisors on financial matters and take no responsibility for any action taken after reading this feature