Dear friends

I was asked this question today I couldn't really come to a conclusive answer.

What would be the features that define a watch as 'vintage'?

Certainly being years old or a long discontinued model (or vanished brand) would add points towards the definition. But what about re-issued versions? Would that somehow remove 'points' from a vintage watch?

Or what about watches that never truly stoped production (e.g. moonwatch)? You can walk into an AD today and buy a moonwatch hesalite easily, the main difference versus the vintage from the 60s is probably a better bracelet and lume that actually works... Just joking!


I also realized that the concept of 'years old' really depends on your reference point (i.e. how old you are). I'm pretty sure that a 15 years old watch wouldn't be considered vintage by the majority forum members.

Going a bit deeper, would a wrist watch truly be 'vintage' if you are 90 years old? As an example, my grandparent had a preference for pocket watches and considered wrist watches a 'new fashion stuff'.

So I considered the idea of using an age range to try to provide a simple answer to the question. Myself I would consider 20 years as a starting point for considering a watch 'vintage', with bonus points if it is a discontinued model.

What about you guys: How old would you consider a watch vintage? And what other features you would use to describe a 'vintage' watch?

 

In my opinion every discontinued model of at least 30 years age. Same like Oldtimer cars.

 

I class 30+ years old as vintage.

 

30+ years - vintage
80-100+ years- antique

 

In fact... here're the definitions:
Vintage = 20 years +
Antique = 100 years +

 

Tritium = vintage
Superluminova = modern

Whenever that cutoff was for a watch. In practice there are obviously watches that don't have any sort of lume, so those you have to go by feel. But pretty much anything over 20 years old is at least semi-vintage.

 

For it to be considered vintage then it must be at the very least one year older than me!

 

I use to define vintage as more than 20 years old rolling over time. But i like this Tritium / non tritium definition.

 

Did they still use tritium in the 1970s?
Edit/ add I must admit I never paid attention.

What do you mean by “in fact”? What is the authoritative source for those definitions?

 

I'll go with 25 years, which is when the US DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards exemption begins.

 

Just an old English language dictionary

 

"VINTAGE" applies to things that are desirable, where as undesirable items of the same age would be considered "FAKKED!"

 

Up until the early '90s as far as I know.

 

... Haha semi-vintage

 

IIRC, the transition from tritium to superluminova happened around 1995-1996.

 

for me anything before 69 vintage.

 

So, does this mean that as from 1 January (2019) 1970 watches can be classified as 'vintage'?

 

we all have different opinions on what is vintage for me its the magic number 69 after that l class them as modern someone else may disagree with that but "vintage" is what you make it

 

I like 69

 

In regard to watches my concept of vintage is up to 1979.