In my case, it wasn’t my father, but my wife's father, who gave me his 1942 gold Bulova tank watch for marrying his daughter… or maybe it was for mowing the old man’s lawn using his creaky, crappy, old push-mower in sweltering New York August heat. (Hey, whaddaya say about a gas mower, Pops?) I like to rummage around for old things. Generally speaking, I feel pretty strongly that older stuff is cooler than newer stuff, except for phones and TVs. So, my wife's father is in his late 70s and has some old stuff in the basement, most of which is crap (I can say that because he won’t be reading this. He doesn’t own a computer. He doesn’t own a microwave. He owns a 1984 Caprice Classic). On one visit to the basement junkyard, I found this cruddy old tank watch (a tank watch is the kind that is square or rectangular and has a curved crystal, as opposed to a round watch with a flatter, round crystal).  The watch had no crystal, the face was blackened from years in an unprotected shoebox, one of the two hands was bent upward at a right angle and the gold casing was covered in a thick green/black tarnish. I pulled it out of the shoebox, turn to my future father-in-law, and said, “Hey, what’s this?”  I can see it’s a Bulova and I can tell it’s old. “That’s nothing you need to worry about, son. Put it back. Now.” And that was the end of it. 

Few months later, as my wedding date was approaching, Amy tells me that her dad is not only giving me the watch as a wedding gift but also will paying for its restoration. Turns out the watch was given to him by his buddies back in 1942 just before he went off for World War II – pretty great history. The watch had just been lying in ruin in the basement of the house, possibly never to be rediscovered until after he, well, you know, did what it is old people eventually do…move to Florida.

So, I took it to a jeweler in D.C., thinking not much could be done with the junker since it was in such awful shape. Then the jeweler calls a month later and tells me that the watch is back and I should come down to the shop to check it out. Upon arriving, the jeweler pulls the watch out of a bag and it looks like it’s brand spanking new. The crystal’s restored, the face is white again, the gold is gleaming, a new brown band was put on it.  The watch had made a complete recovery from the dead.  I almost cried (I’m a pansy like that). And while I have three other vintage watches, it’s my ’42 Bulova that, while not the most expensive, is the most prized.

Why Vintage Watches

If my girl or my car isn’t nearby, there aren’t many ways a guy can distinguish himself in society.  Your suit might do it, your grooming might do it, your shoes might do it. But your watch will do it. And a great vintage watch, like a sweet old car, accumulates more magic and cool as it passes through time. Older watches combine technology (sometimes as many as 300 little moving parts), artistry, functionality and craftsmanship. Plus, since you’re going to be looking at the thing 15 times a day, it’s a real way to own something good-looking with a history (whether you know that history or not). Depending on the watch and its specific features, vintage watches can also increase in value, making them a good investment. Make sure you use a proven professional to help you with that search if you want to get into the investment watch game - you can get easily burned.

Vintage watches are also one of those things a guy can wear that can become a conversation piece. I’ve been at parties or at business functions and someone will inevitably notice my watch and ask about it.  Even though I’m married, it’s still cool when the person asking is an attractive woman, which has happened on more than one occasion.  Remember, women notice the little things.

What To Know

There are a few things, besides just the look and the name, that differentiate watches from one another.  Without getting real technical, these are the essential facts:

You want a watch that’s mechanical, meaning the watch parts move either by winding them or by an automatic movement that kicks into gear when you wear the watch.  Electric watches are the first battery-powered watches and are also in play for a vintage acquisition.  Quartz watches are out of bounds, meaning, though they are very accurate, a Casio from 1985 is very square and not what I mean by vintage.  Mechanical ones may be off by a few minutes, but you’ll make that up in coolness.

Complications also differentiate watches.  Complications are any function beyond the basic telling of time, such as date indicators, moonphase dials, or chronograph dials.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that the more complications a watch has, the more expensive or rare it will be, but often complications will drive the price higher than plainer watches.

Finally, the metal that the case is made from can determine the cost and value of a watch.  A gold-filled watch will usually be more expensive and more valuable than a gold-plated one.  And a gold plated watch can be more expensive than stainless steel.  This rule isn’t hard a fast, but it applies to just about all watches.

What To Pay

Oh, sure, you can pay $10 K for a watch, no problem.  But if you are new to the market and don’t have that kind of cheese (or simply are a regular guy and don’t have a bank balance like LeBron James’), you can get in the game for $200 to $300.  Mind you, the watch will be pretty simple at that price point and probably not have much investment potential, but for your first vintage watch acquisition, you really don’t need to be concerning yourself with the watch as an investment; right now, the watch is a differentiator between you and most other guys. 

Which Ones to Own

The more reasonable brands, both American and Swiss, are Hamilton, Longines, Elgin, Waltham, Wittenauer, Bulova, Benrus, among others.  If you really get into it (and much to my broker’s behest that I tone it down),  Omega, Cartier, Vacheron & Constantine and Breitling are the next levels up.  At the top of the mountain, there are two - Rolex and the grandfather of all, Patek Phillipe.  Both are excellent ways to blow your bonus.

You can get them in vintage watch shops (most cities have at least one) or you can get them on-line.  Either way, I’m going to give you one piece of advice – check out the dealer in every possible way.  You know how you could buy an old ’66 Mustang that’s been refurbished but if you didn’t know what you were looking at, the engine might be rebuilt with cheap parts?  Same thing with a watch.  You never know what’s under the hood of a watch and even if you did look, you probably wouldn’t know what you were looking at.  So find a dealer you believe you can trust by talking to others who’ve bought from the dealer.  Ask for references, then call ‘em.  Oh, and I don’t do eBay.  Too much fraud potential there.  If you go that route, brother, that’s on you.

Understand I’m not knocking today’s watches – they’re slick, some look space-agey, most do better in the gym or on a basketball court than a vintage watch would.  I just don’t think they have much soul.  And what usually drives my taste in watches has to do with its elegance, its timelessness, it’s uniqueness and whether my wife will wear it.  Yep, she raids my drawer and trots off with one of my watches all the time.  Which I think is pretty cool when it’s her Dad’s old Bulova.