Every so often my female friends, when I mention an interest in watches, say that they would like to find a vintage "cocktail" (for lack of a better word) woman's watch. Perhaps art deco, generally with diamonds (of course!)...I would guess ranging in the 1920-1950 period. If they have researched a bit more, they might ask about Hamilton and Tiffany (which might have a Hamilton movement regardless), and then a number of brands I simply have never heard of...ones that they see on eBay and the like. Budgets it seems are generally +- $3-5K range. If you have already been down this path and can help point me in the right direction...I'm wondering if there are any movements to avoid (or that are recommended), if the brand matters, etc. Any tips or useful resources would be great to avoid the junk. Thanks!
Hmm ... I have a host of them in store from the late 1800s to 1950. I sell a few silver trenches to women; also the Gents gold 1920s are often in the 28mm range making them too small for today's men but nice on a woman's wrist. I do have some photos on this phone... Apart from the 1944 Rolex, there's nothing there over £300
You should also consider the Art Deco enameled watches from the 1920s. Elgin made a dizzying variety of watches with colored enamel, some with diamonds and sapphires, as did Gruen. Hamilton made many styles of white gold and platinum ladies watches with diamonds, but only one or two very conservative designs with black enamel. Examples like the ones below can be found for $350 to $1200.
Yes, but they've all since been traded or sold. Still, I'm always looking for them since I like the Art Deco designs.
Thanks all. @coronado do you think that the brand/movement matters when purchasing these types of pieces?
Generally speaking, I would recommend getting watches from the well-known brands for two main reasons: 1) Easier to sell if you need to sell in the future, as demand for certain brands will likely always be much higher. 2) Availability of parts if repairs are needed. A lot of that has to do with geography. I live in the United States and parts for vintage Hamilton, Elgin, Gruen, Bulova, etc are VERY easy for me to obtain at minimal cost. But parts for 1920s Swiss watches such as Rolex, Omega , IWC, etc are much harder for me to find. The opposite may be true depending on where you are. Additionally, there is a lot of historical information (vintage advertisements, catalogs, articles, and other research) available for the American watches, and so demand for them is strong here in the US. And all the American and Swiss brands I mentioned above made good movements, as did other makers I didn't list. Other folks here on the forum can probably recommend other brands I didn't think of. But despite all of that, the best advice I can give is to buy what you like and will enjoy wearing or collecting.