... While I was searching for the Heuer Carrera 1964 CS3111 Black dial yesterday, I had the fortune to speak to a couple of Heuer persons and this was what they said to me.

The Lemania movement in the Heuer seems to be rather sturdy, (It's similar to the 1863 movement in Speedmasters)

This sparked a thought about modern reissues vs vintage, and I was wondering

- For the same amount of money, 3000 USD for example, would you buy a vintage piece or a reissue? (let's say both pieces are fairly similar in prices)

 

Vintage. No question.

 

Vintage. The manufactures are getting smart about doing reissues and pricing them near the vintage prices to get in on the action.

 

Vintage: Value will continue to grow.........probably.
New: Warranty. Theoretically better engineered.

Personally, I go vintage but I know people who are afraid of costly repairs early in ownership thus go new.

 

For the same amount of money, vintage of course. Providing that condition is very good and that the watch won't need excessive servicing.

However, I think it's a moot point because that's not the case for most reissues. I paid under $2000 USD for my Longines Legend Diver. If I wanted the original vintage model (ref 7042), I'd be looking at $10k minimum. The JLC Polaris LE that just got announced at SIHH is $12,600 MSRP; an original Polaris (if you could even find one) would likely run you several times that. The Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 38mm is less than half the price of an A386. Or perhaps the most well known on OF, the 2915 reissue ($7,200 vs. $xxx,xxx). Etc. etc.

In my opinion the beauty of reissues is that they can take virtually unobtainable or prohibitively expensive watches like the 2913 or the Polaris and make it available to a whole new audience for a reasonable price.

 

My heart always has me wanting vintage.

Re-issues seem to always have something 'wrong', like 'too big'; improper, weird placement of a sub-dial, or some other lack of the original beautiful design.

What I do like about re-issues is that I don't have to worry as much about where I wear it, e.g., water-resistance or shock-resistance.

 

This is why I mostly buy reissues. There's just something about actually diving with a watch designed in the '50s or '60s.

 

I would buy the vintage. I have come to realize in my short year in this hobby, that I love vintage watches, but hardly ever wear the ones I have. I tend to wear my new watches because I am less worried about damaging them and messing up their vintage beauty. So in a perfect world I would have both the original and the reissue.

 

Vintage by the bucket, and one beater reissue.

 

I think we all wish that you could wear vintage like modern. Without a care for how/where/when.

but we can't.

if you were to ask an engineer which tool is best, the old one or the new one what would his answer be?

but we don't do this shit because of logic but because of "reasons".

 

Vintage.

Unless you don’t have a sporty modern watch that you like. For practicality purposes it’s good to own at least one modern watch as either a daily driver or swimming/bearer watch (although a diver would be better than a CS3111 for that purpose - which is why I have an eye out for 60th anniversary Seamaster).

 

But in your case CS3111 black cost about 3k to 3.5k... but vintage 3647 and 2447N may cost you 7k to 12k.....
Big difference in price...

 

For some reason this wasnt an easy answer for me. Will give a half-ass response, and say it depends.

 

vintage to keep
reissue to wear

 

I'd go vintage as well. That's what I've done.
As far as carreras are concerned, if you go with black dials they're more expensive, but silver 3647s can be found for 3.5€k in honest condition and nice 2447S for around 6.5k€.
They're more expensive than reissues, but then again I'd say it is normal and the gap is not that big (and this is in the SS realm, gold plated would be even cheaper...)

 

There is a place for both in most collections I should think. It isn't cut and dried that vintage will always win out. Firstly buying vintage is a minefield of originality and condition issues. AFAIK no one gives a 3 year warranty on a vintage watch and buying a re-issue removes a lot of the worries about parts availability etc. Also as noted above, there are certain tasks which are likely unwise in a vintage piece such as diving or timing mission critical re-entry burns. I have a very nice very original 1966 Ed White which is currently the pride of my collection, but day to day I feel more comfortable wearing something more, for want of a better word, disposable (well repairable at least) like the 60th Anni Speedmaster or similar. I know which I would lose more sleep over if it got trashed.

 

Good points on both sides of the point. As a "newby" collector I'm finding it VERY difficult to find vintage and trustable sources?

 

I buy both and enjoy wearing both but like others have said, the vintage ones are worn with more care.
I like my moden omega because I can wear it without worry should it need parts.
Within my small vintage collection I have a few lower value watches that I am less concerned about than the ones I paid a lot more for.
At present my daily wearer is a speedmaster 1989 Apollo 11 LE, it's got a few scratches but it is one of those watches that should be worn and a few dinks here and there are not going to do it any harm.
For holidays I have a cheap 100 dollar Swatch watch.

 

For a CK2915? 'Reissue' all the way (despite the thick clathp)...
For the rest : heavily depends on availability / condition / price of particular vintage...some are just unobtanium and cost more body parts that compose a human body...

 

I'm a vintage collector. Pure and simple. My newest, and least worn, watch is 17 years old. The average age of my watches is probably nearer 50. I'm simply not drawn to re-issue, with three exceptions: the Tudor Black Bay Bronze; the Vacheron Patrimony; and, the JLC Moonphase (Master-something or other).

I get a kick out of glancing at the time and then spending a minute looking at the creamy lume or slight patination on a dial. Modern re-issue try to emulate the lume but they just don't seem to get it right. The watches feel heavier often unbalanced and ... just wrong. Where to modern watches do have the upper hand is build quality. Often with the cases; certainly with the movements and absolutely with the bracelets. I feel twinges of jealousy when I see lume shots that actually still glow or when I see a modern glide-lock clasp ... but it doesn't last long. I only need to look at the cream, yellow or even green markers or play with a twin lock clasp and I suddenly feel much better about my choices.

i have come close to buying the tudor, but then slipped back on my 5513 and forgotten about the new watch. That JLC, though ..... maybe.