Been to a NAWCC National in Portland, that was cool. Stumbled on a show in LA once, small but lots of great stuff. Went to an amazing show in HK in the basement of a building with some watch shops on Nathan road, loads of cools stuff and crowded. Been to some local NAWCC events that have a bunch of clocks...
Thinking about going to the regional NAWCC in L.A. next Saturday. Never have been to one before so don't know what to expect. Anyone here going?
Thanks. According to the (online) flier, the general public is admitted to the Mart area on Saturday, but not Friday. I wonder if all the good stuff will already be gone.
Never attended the LA NAWCC Mart but have heard it's a decent show. I would not count on seeing much on Saturday as most of the dealers are gone by 11-12 at the Marts I have attended. Might be worth the $72 NAWCC annual membership + $40 show entry to check it out opening day Friday.
My experiences at the NAWCC watch shows are nothing less than stunning. You won't miss anything by going on Saturday only. Prices there don't always match market price. Excellent values! You will love it.
Thanks guys. Good info. Now I really do want to see it whereas before I didn't know if the hour drive each way would be worth it.
Would be nice if others that regularly attend would chime in on when this show dies down on Saturday. I would also like to know if the public will be escorted and or restricted in buying. If you want to inquire here's contact info: Chairman Jim Gilmore Phone (805) 341 2201 Email : [email protected] If it was only an hours drive each way I'd get there at 8am Friday, pay the extra $72 membership. If I enjoyed it enough and got confirmation that there would be good activity I'd make the trip again on Saturday.
Details at: http://www.nawcc.org/images/stories/regionals/11 2014_GLAR_GreaterLA_Regional.pdf or www.GLAR2015.com
Well, it can be more like two hours on Fridays if it's even near rush hour. And it's a longer rush hour on Friday. I commuted to Pasadena for some months on a consulting gig. Ended up staying in a hotel most weeks to avoid driving every day.
I just got back from the L.A. (Pasadena) show. I can't know what Friday was like, but between 10 and 11 Saturday morning there were empty tables, but enough still there to be interesting. Lots of clocks and pocket watches, dials and movements. Wristwatch dealers were probably half the show or maybe more. Since I'm not in the market for anything in particular right now, though I have a list of watches that would tempt if seen, I just looked without closely examining many. Virtually every dealer that I engaged with asked if I had anything to sell. I did, but since I don't yet have a good enough idea of its value, I wasn't prepared to offer a price. One did give me a ballpark of what he would expect to sell it for, which is a start. I saw a very nice 2915-3 on a dealer's wrist, a nice 321 Seamaster that may have tempted had the owner not been away from his table, a few pre-moons but I think more Mark IIs than not. And of course gold Seamasters and Connies. Older and smaller watches are not of as much interest to me, and there were lots of them. All in all, it was a nice hour spent but not an overwhelmingly number of pieces of interest to me. Going on Friday is probably good advice. Sorry, no pics of watches since I saw no photography going on and I didn't want to be that guy. Plus I didn't have a lot of time.
Glad you enjoyed the show. I am actually surprised at the number of people/dealers still there in your first picture. (Never had a dealer object to taking pictures of watches. If you are interested in something just ask permission first.) If you can figure it out schedule wise, try Friday next time. I'm used to attending from 8am-5pm Friday and 8am-noonish Saturday (occasionally some good deals can be found right before the show dies down). There is usually good activity on Friday, but usually it's dead by 11-12 for most NAWCC Marts on Saturday. For the serious dealers/collectors, a lot of deals are made Thursday night before the show begins or during setup. If you are passionate about this hobby and trying to learn more about watches and their market value, the NAWCC Marts are a good place to start. Membership and show entry is reasonable, plus it's a great way to get to know people with same interest face to face.