1. Nine Basic Things You Should Always Look At Before Buying A Vintage Rolex

There’s a wealth of vintage Rolex watches out there, and some references are extremely desirable. However, trying to acquire a vintage Rolex can be a tricky business. This is mainly because there are a lot of fake and “frankenstein” watches out there, and it can be hard for buyers to discern exactly what is what. Fortunately, here’s a basic check list that can help you get started on your way to acquiring your desired vintage Rolex watch. It’s not an exhaustive list, of course, but it’s a good place to start especially for first-time buyers.

Source: Hodinkee

2. Collecting Watches – My Personal 7 Rules

Still on the topic of buying and collecting, this is a look at the personal watch collecting rules of Robert-Jan Broer. If you are unaware, Broer is the founder of Fratellowatches and is an experienced watch blogger and collector. He started Fratellowatches in 2004, which makes it one of the oldest watch blogs around. In this article, he shares some of his rules when it comes to collecting and buying watches. A great read for anyone who is considering a new purchase.

Source: Fratellowatches

3. Rise and Fall: The King Seiko 4502-7001

Vintage King Seikos are amazing watches, especially the King Seiko 4502-7001. It has a timeless design, which means it looks contemporary, even today. But most important of all, inside it beats Seiko’s hi-beat caliber 4502. This is impressive especially when you remember that this watch was built in the seventies and that even today, there are very few mass produced watches that have such a high frequency. Take a closer look at this important vintage Seiko and also the caliber 4502 as the author dissembles a King Seiko he recently acquired to fix a timekeeping error.

Source: Adventures in Amateur Watch Fettling

4. How the Royal Oak Watch Became a Cult Classic

If you were to compile a list of iconic watches, it would be hard to keep Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak off that list. Created in 1972 by the late Gerald Genta, the Royal Oak is often regarded as the grand daddy of luxury sports watches. Though it wasn’t an immediate success, rival brands could see the potential of the Royal Oak design – so much so that Patek Philippe felt compelled to respond by hiring Genta to design their own Royal Oak rival – this, of course, led to the Nautilus. Revisit the roots of the Royal Oak and find out how it became the icon that it is today by hitting the link below.

Source: The New York Times

5. Watches Are Bad Investments—With One Notable Exception

When buying a new watch, many people often say that they are investing, but that’s only because they don’t know better. The truth is that investing in watches is a pretty bad idea mainly because of the very fickle nature of the watch market. In addition, the watch market is in a bit of a bubble itself and has enjoyed tremendous growth in the past five or so years, and whether it can sustain such growth over the next few years is questionable at best. That said, a lot also depends on the watches that you acquire, and it’s no secret that watches from Rolex, Patek Philippe, and a handful of other brands hold their value best. If you still think that watches are good investment vehicles, take a look at this article.

Source: Time