When I first began my watch journey in 2009, I was completely fascinated by all of the latest and greatest famous brands' offerings. New technologies, new movements, ceramic bezels, etc etc. Perhaps it is because I have been hanging out in this forum for far too long, but non-vintage no longer does anything for me. It has gotten to the point where I am seriously contemplating selling every modern watch I have and focusing on vintage -- specifically, Omega's Speedmaster and Seamaster lines, and a couple of other niche areas such as rare (and large) vintage Seiko dive watches. Has anyone else undergone a similar experience where their initial foray into the watch world evolved into a serious love and appreciation of vintage? Is this an uncommon experience?
I started with quartz watches (yes, that's not a joke) in my 20's, mostly as accessories. Wittnauer, Bulova, Longines, etc. Bought a few nice modern watches (Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Seiko) but was mostly into vintage when I started with mechanicals. Now I've sold off most of my collection and I can see buying a few more modern watches (Reverso Classique manual wind mechanical, Breguet 5197) and being content.
I sold 30 Fossil's before I started looking into "high end" pieces over that $40 Fossil that I'd sell for $70. I'm in the same boat as far as my distaste for new pieces. Probably the only ones I can get excited about are in the $15k+ range. Vintage has my soul in it's grasp for the foreseeable future. I need to at least trick myself into thinking every purchase is somewhat of a safety net finically and that I've purchased the piece right. Incredible how most people started off this the cringy quartz watches before moving into the tasteful fine wine of vintage collecting..... Happy Hunting, Thomas
My first "high end" timepiece was a quartz Tag Heuer from the 90's, and I thought I was so cool wearing it, lol.
i rock a tag professional 2000 series quartz at work and at the beach and when need a beat watch! nothing wrong with good ol quartz watches lol Obviously i like my omega more, but automatics aren't for everything
I like 'em both, but have been buying modern as of recent. Why? Chasing vintage parts and dealing with running problems of various older pieces has become less enjoyable than in the past.
I'm interested in both - "used" modern (let someone else drive it off the lot) and vintage. However, I wish I bought more aggressively with vintage when I started because the nice stuff is snapped up! I buy on a limited budget so I still find interesting stuff that works for me.
I love reading about Omega vintage, especially Speedmaster and Seamaster and looking at their pictures but for practical reasons I don't want manual winding and precious watches too precious to wear. I was very close to buy a 145.12 but refused last minute. But I really enjoy watching you enjoying your wonderful hobby.
I'm in the same boat. I had a 38mm Hamilton thinomatic which started my love affair with watches. Overtime I began wanting something smaller and thinner and that's hard to find with the modern offerings. Nomos comes close but the lugs are too long. I just love a thin case with a domed crystal in the 35-36mm range. This was the style style for decades yet there's not one modern company producing watches like this. I guess I should be greatful because now I've discovered the world of vintage manual winds.
The core of my collection is vintage, but I travel a lot in dodgy parts of the tropics, and modern makes sense: water resistant, and easier to repair or replace if something goes wrong. Love coming home tho.
I live in an area that is very hot and humid for a third of the year. I found that wearing vintage in our summer time can be really fraught with freakout moments for me. Looking at my wrist and seeing a rain cloud under glass a couple of times last June made me wear my 4 contemporary watches whenever I knew I was going to be out in the soup that passes for an atmosphere around here. My appreciation of mechanical watches is fairly recent. Research into a Speedmaster I was given years ago and more or less ignored for 30 or 40 years sparked my interest in mechanical timepieces. Prior to cellphones I owned a "dress" Seiko quartz and a brown and a black all purpose digital cheap watches. After I started carrying a cell phone I quit wearing a watch except when I wore a suit - what was the point? Researching that old Omega made me realize how beautiful the entire little package is. Before I dove into vintage I bought a new Hamilton branded ETA 2824 for a daily wear and I still put that on because I'm not afraid to hurt it. I can fix it easily. But it has no quirks, none of the "soul" that some of my vintage pieces have. It's analogous to contemporary automobiles versus vintage machines. I would not even consider driving a vintage car as my daily ride; comfort, reliability and safety would all be necessary sacrifices. But firing up a '60s muscle car or European sports car is a very special driving experience - no matter how often you do it. With vintage watches I can get that special experience a lot more often.
I went from the well aged Seiko my parents bought me when I was 16ish (late seventies) straight to a hundred year old pocket watch because it was just so damn cool. Quartz watches didn't get a look in until later.... when the need for something in the collection which could be killed traveling for the company or mowing the lawn became obvious. So it wasn't so much an evolution as an abrupt conversion. the 70mm lump that started the collection:
I've always loved watches (I'm in my 50's), but I didn't get into full obsession mode until I discovered OmegaForums and fell in love with vintage watches. That was October of 2014 when the addiction began .. I haven't bought a modern watch in quite a long time, although I do have a real need for them as I wear them in/around the water and while cycling. This was my OF one-year anniversary post (when my collection was still in its infancy): https://omegaforums.net/threads/yesterday-was-mine-but-today-is-oddboys-one-year-anniv-on-Ω-forums.30229/ Here's one of the latest obsessions, the Zodiac SeaWolf (Black) Pack: Funny, my 16 yo daughter just happened to see the above pic, and she commented, 'what? three of the same watch?' Of course, I then proceeded to try and explain to her how different they are, but she just rolled her eyes!!
I'm 50-50 on modern vs vintage. But about half my modern watches are Speedmasters. I'm thinking about selling my modern watches that are not Speedmasters. Only exception would be my modern Ploprof. Future watch purchases for me will be vintage.
I wear a quartz f1 tag as my daily watch for now which I also bought in 1990. I still think it's cool. It is obviously not of the same build quality of my other watches bit it has a charm of its own. I like both modern and vintage but I only have a small number of modern watches, 2. For me it is the design of the watch that appeals especially Omega watches from the 70s. Both modern and vintage have their advantages and disadvantages so I think it is best to have both.
I have one of those as a birth year watch or as close to it. Incidentally, it was after I bought it and took it to have a pressure test done that I stumbled into a collector's market and picked up a $50 Technos...one year later, the TAG is still there, as well as the Seiko Quartz chrono my cousin bought me as a gift; everything else is mechanical from the 30s to the 70s!
I buy (relatively) modern watches occasionally, but inceasingly find that they don't do it for me. I too bought many a quartz watch back in the day, not totally understanding why I should pay more for a less accurate watch. I guess my love affair with mechanical movements well and truly began when I first read about and properly understood how they worked.