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Vintage watch shops in London

  1. cookieandmilk

    cookieandmilk Aug 7, 2013

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    Hello. I will be in London this weekend. Can anyone point me towards any shops for some classic watches (Especially locations people would actually buy from)

    thanks
     
  2. SpikiSpikester Ω 2

    SpikiSpikester @ ΩF Staff Member Aug 7, 2013

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    There are plenty of places selling vintage Omega's but not really any bricks and mortar places where I'd actually buy from. They are generally very highly priced (blame London overheads) and there are so many redials it could make you dizzy.

    Dablitzer focusses on different watches to me though and he may know some dealers in Portobello that he'd recommend.

    Do try to get to Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly to look at Somlo. It's really near the stretch of watch boutiques on Regent Street and two Omega boutiques. But don't event think about buying in there, unless you want to pay at least double what anyone else will charge you :)
     
  3. LouS Ω 2

    LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Aug 7, 2013

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    We do? We've got the sociopath at Plaza, John Criscitello down in the Bowery, the little booth in Grand Central with a stock of a dozen and a half watches on a good day, Aaron Faber, the new place on Madison in the 70s (not sure if open yet), a couple of booths in one of the antiques buildings in the west 20s, one of whom is almost certainly a fence, the acres of blingy dreck on 47th street, and a pawn/junk/antiques shop here and there. Of these, perhaps only Aaron Faber qualifies as "awesome." I'll add John and the Central Watch guys as "pleasant." What am I missing?

    I've always regarded NYC as a middling watch town at best. To my personal knowledge, one can do far better in Munich, Paris, and any large city in Italy. We'll disallow Basel and Zurich for home field advantage. I've never been to SE Asia, which I understand has multiple places that put all of those cities to shame.
     
  4. LouS Ω 2

    LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Aug 7, 2013

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    Yes, Aloi is the guy at the upstairs booth in the antiques building in the west 20s. He never has more than about a dozen pieces on display. If he has more elsewhere, it doesn't do the browser any good. I do know of a number of private dealers in addition - the guys that work out of private offices by appointment - but you can't browse there either.

    I am aware of the ability of the Borough Park crowd to procure modern watches (anything, really, not just watches) at very attractive prices, but I had no idea that they dealt in vintage watches. I assume it is a word of mouth, "my cousin has a friend who knows a guy who owes him a favor" type connection, or do they have retail outlets?

    As for tourists, I never met one in any of the vintage haunts. My sense is that they generally pursue modern. That was made very concrete to me when I took the hardest body check since my college broomball days at Wempe when I was looking at a Lange One from a Chinese tourist interested in the same piece.

    I'll still argue that for the general availability of everything under the sun in this burg, NYC is relatively poor in vintage watches for the flaneur. For aimless browsing, it sounds like London is more promising - just to put the thread back on track!
     
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  5. Stewart H

    Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Aug 7, 2013

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    IMO you are never going to get a "bargain" in a major city. There are specialist dealers who sell vintage watches but they have the overheads associated with a major city. I am sure that, in London, there are dozens of small jewelers who have a NOS this or that from the 60s, but finding them is another matter. If you are prepared to pay dealer's prices in London, then other places are Austin Kaye in the Strand and The Antique Watch Co. in Clerkenwell Road. Just bear in mind that a dealer is not eBay.
     
  6. ulackfocus

    ulackfocus Aug 7, 2013

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    Why can't crap like that happen to me? I would have loved to pulled the sweater over his head and taken my penalty. :D

    Agreed, with one stipulation: some of the dealers have great connections and score some very uncommon pieces. Sometimes uncommon enough to warrant paying their price.
     
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  7. vadimo

    vadimo Nov 10, 2016

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    I was thinking same thing as OP today, where can I go and browse nice vintage or second hand watches? Surely in London there are has to be places? I work here, Liverpool St. Not a banker :)
     
  8. buddman

    buddman Nov 11, 2016

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    There are some pieces to be found in Gray's Antique Market across from Selfridges.

    Somlo in Burlington Arcade is VERY expensive but their collection is unrivalled. They are the only vintage watch store in the world supported directly by Omega.

    I noted last week that many of the vintage shops in Burlington Arcade are now gone - the arcade is now just turning into an extension of Bond Street and everything that made it unique for the past 200 years is quickly slipping away.
     
  9. DManzaluni

    DManzaluni Nov 11, 2016

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    I LOVE that line!!

    Ya think!

    I always get suspicious about people who have absolutely no interest in or knowledge of the field in which they work.

    But as to London, why has no one mentioned the only place one actually can get watches by negotiation of price & without having to pay retail? PORTOBELLO ROAD?

    I even used to buy watches there from Paul Somlo in the old days!
     
  10. cicindela Ω 2

    cicindela Steve @ ΩF Staff Member Nov 11, 2016

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    I have heard Somlo employees claim that and more , but I have never seen confirmation by Omega of the various claims
    My visits have found large numbers of refinished dials, misrepresentations, inaccurate statements and grossly over priced watches.
     
  11. tyrantlizardrex

    tyrantlizardrex Nov 11, 2016

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    It's listed on the Omega site as a store... but I think that might be out of date information, as they're now conducting all their repairs in house (according to their sales people).

    The prices are beyond optimistic, and into the "rip off all the tourists x10000" area... and as Steve says... so many radials.

    Want to pay £15k for abadly refinished proplof? These are your guys!
     
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  12. Tony C. Ω 2

    Tony C. Ωf Jury member Nov 11, 2016

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    This re-animated thread is a bit of a hodge-podge, but an interesting one at that. I will add two thoughts, neither of which will help those seeking vintage watches in London.

    I agree completely with @LouS appraisal of NYC as a destination for vintage watch shopping. In fact, I'll be more harsh: it sucks. I would prefer to hunt in almost any other major city in the world.

    I do not, however, agree with those who claim that bargains cannot be found in major cities. In fact, I visit Switzerland fairly regularly, where prices are typically very high, yet have found three great bargains at dealers over the past 12 months. One was an Omega 33.3 chronograph that I bought for a friend for roughly one-third of its market value.

    The vintage watch market is very broad and complex, and there are dealers who occasionally fail to recognize the odd, high(er) value watch. Also, believe it or not, there are some dealers who price according to what they paid for the watch, not the most that they can likely get.
     
    Edited Nov 11, 2016
  13. vadimo

    vadimo Nov 11, 2016

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    I still think best deal I would get is here but its nice to browse watches. I will checkout grays antique market.

    This place seems to get good reviews

    Antique Watch CO UK
    http://www.antiquewatchcoltd.com

    Anyone?
     
  14. tyrantlizardrex

    tyrantlizardrex Nov 11, 2016

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    Yep - interesting stuff, high prices.
     
  15. Giff2577

    Giff2577 Quick with the tools! Nov 11, 2016

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    I enjoyed the video by Hodinkee: Road through Britain Somlo Antiques: