1. ROLEX DAYTONA: BUBBLE VS VINTAGE; ONE PATEK PHILIPPE AQUANAUT 5167A OR A FULL WATCH COLLECTION?
It’s a frustrating time now for anyone who is trying to buy a new sports Rolex. But I think a lot of people are missing the real issue of the problem. Supply isn’t really low. Rather, the supply of sports Rolex watches is going to the wrong people. They are going to speculators and gray dealers looking to make a quick buck. Now, you might be sick of waiting and thinking of paying “market price.” But before you do, consider this: is the watch really rare or is just a bubble? In this video, Tim Mosso from WatchBox provides some sound buying advice as well as evidence to support his case.
Source: WatchBox Studios
2. SEIKO QUARTZ ASTRON – WORLD’S FIRST QUARTZ WATCH PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE
50 years ago, Seiko unveiled one of the most important watches in the history of horology. I’m referring to the Astron, the world’s first quartz watch. Unknown to most people, it was actually marketed as a luxury watch. The Astron featured an 18k solid gold case and was priced at an eye-watering 450,000 yen. That’s was over double the price of most mechanical Grand Seiko watches of its time. Nevertheless, it ushered in an era where it was easy to make accurate watches for cheap. This ultimately made mechanical watches obsolete, resulting in what we know today as the “Quartz Crisis.” Take a trip down memory lane by checking out these high-quality scans of the Seiko Astron promotional brochure.
Source: Plus9Time
3. TOP 10 VINTAGE WATCHES – ACCORDING TO YOU
Vintage watches have a certain indefinable charm. Perhaps it’s the patina on the dial or maybe it’s the scratches and tiny nicks in the case, but there’s a feeling you get from vintage watches that you just don’t get from new ones. I suppose it’s because they lived a life and have seen and experienced the world before you. At any rate, here are the top 10 most popular #tbt articles on Fratellowatches featuring vintage watches.
Source: Fratello Magazine
4. THE LAST GOLDEN AGE OF ENGLISH WATCHMAKING – ALL 77MM OF IT
The Swiss may be the dominant force in watchmaking today but it wasn’t always this way. The early days of watchmaking were overwhelming English, and it was the work of great English watchmakers such as Thomas Tompion, George Graham, Thomas Mudge, and John Harrison, that laid the foundations for later watchmakers. However, as the 20th century approached, English watchmaking found itself in a decline. Their response to this was to move upmarket and produce highly complicated and exquisite watches. One example is the S. Smith & Son grand complication pocket watch that is presented here. It features a tri-color enamel dial, grande and petite sonnerie, perpetual calendar, and a split-seconds chronograph. Also, it’s going to be up for auction soon at Sotheby’s. Learn more about this amazing pocket watch and the history of English watchmaking in the link below.
Source: Watches by SJX
5. CORDER’S COLUMN: ROLEX DROUGHT SHOWS NO SIGN OF EASING
Have you tried buying a sports Rolex recently? It’s almost impossible to find one. Walk into any authorized dealer anywhere in the world and you’ll find that the shelves that are supposed to hold Rolex sports models are mostly empty. Even the humble Submariner, which used to be easy to find five or so years ago, is hard to come by. Reports say Rolex has increased production and trimmed retailers but sports models are no easier to find at authorized dealers. Curiously, if you are willing to pay above list price, you can easily find the models you want at grey dealers and sites like Chrono24. Which really begs the question: is it really a problem with supply or is there something amiss with the brand’s distribution model?
Source: WatchPro