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Vintage Watches

Every vintage watch has a story to tell, and that’s what makes them special. Each piece offers a unique window into the past that traces back through generations, and owning one means getting to enjoy a piece of decades-old mechanical art. Welcome to the world of vintage.

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Popular Brands
  1. Rolex Rolex
  2. Breitling Breitling
  3. Omega Omega
  4. TAG Heuer TAG Heuer
  5. Tudor Tudor
  6. Cartier Cartier
  7. Panerai Panerai
  8. IWC IWC
  9. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  10. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  11. Hublot Hublot
  12. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  13. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
All Brands
  1. A. Lange and Sohne A. Lange and Sohne
  2. Audemars Piguet Audemars Piguet
  3. Ball Ball
  4. Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier
  5. Bell and Ross Bell and Ross
  6. Blancpain Blancpain
  7. Breitling Breitling
  8. Bremont Bremont
  9. Bvlgari Bvlgari
  10. Carl F. Bucherer Carl F. Bucherer
  11. Cartier Cartier
  12. Chanel Chanel
  13. Chopard Chopard
  14. Corum Corum
  15. Eterna Eterna
  16. Fortis Fortis
  17. Frederique Constant Frederique Constant
  18. Girard Perregaux Girard Perregaux
  19. Glashutte Original Glashutte Original
  20. Graham Graham
  21. Grand Seiko Grand Seiko
  22. Hamilton Hamilton
  23. Hermes Hermes
  24. Hublot Hublot
  25. IWC IWC
  26. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre
  27. Longines Longines
  28. Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix
  29. Montblanc Montblanc
  30. Nomos Glashutte Nomos Glashutte
  31. Omega Omega
  32. Oris Oris
  33. Panerai Panerai
  34. Patek Philippe Patek Philippe
  35. Porsche Design Porsche Design
  36. Rado Rado
  37. Rolex Rolex
  38. TAG Heuer TAG Heuer
  39. Tudor Tudor
  40. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin
  41. Zenith Zenith
Series
Case Size
The size of a watch is very important for style and comfort. If you prefer an oversized watch like a Panerai Luminor, you’ll probably want Large. If you’re looking for something more discreet like a Rolex Lady Datejust, you’ll want Small. For everything in between, Medium.
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Stock Type
  1. Watchfinder Watchfinder
Case Material
  1. Bronze Bronze
  2. Carbon Carbon
  3. Ceramic Ceramic
  4. Other Other
  5. Platinum Platinum
  6. Rose Gold Rose Gold
  7. Silver Silver
  8. Steel Steel
  9. Steel & Rose Gold Steel & Rose Gold
  10. Steel & White Gold Steel & White Gold
  11. Steel & Yellow Gold Steel & Yellow Gold
  12. Titanium Titanium
  13. White Gold White Gold
  14. Yellow Gold Yellow Gold
  15. Yellow Gold Plated Yellow Gold Plated
Dial Colour
Black
Blue
Bronze
Brown
Champagne
Diamond
Green
Grey
Ivory
Orange
Pink
Purple
Red
Salmon
Silver
Specialised
White
Yellow
Strap
  1. Bracelet Bracelet
  2. Fabric Fabric
  3. Leather Leather
  4. Rubber Rubber
Box and Papers
  1. Original box Original box
  1. Original papers Original papers
Movement
A mechanical watch is powered by a spring. Manual mechanical watches must be hand wound. Automatic watches are also mechanical, and are wound by a weight that spins with the wearer's movements. A quartz watch is battery powered and extremely accurate.
  1. Automatic Automatic
  2. Manual Manual
  3. Quartz Quartz
Promotion
Limited Edition
  1. Limited Edition Limited Edition
Reset Results (337)
Results (337)
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Rolex Datejust 16013 396067
Manufacturer's Warranty

Rolex
Datejust
16013

Box
Papers
Year 1987
£5,450
Rolex Datejust 16234 401726
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1989
£5,500
Rolex Datejust Lady 69160 398095
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69160

Box
Papers
Year 1989
£3,550
Rolex Datejust Lady 79173 353958
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
79173

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£5,850
Rolex Datejust Lady 69174 394526
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69174

Box
Papers
Year 1994
£5,595
Omega Seamaster 120m 2511.80.00 419986
Vintage

Omega
Seamaster 120m
2511.80.00

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£1,850
Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 419827
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6694

Box
Papers
Year 1978
£4,300
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 421585
Vintage

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16600

Box
Papers
Year 1990
£6,700
Rolex Datejust 16200 420038
New Price
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16200

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,730
Rolex Day-Date 18038 393961
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18038

Box
Papers
Year 1980
£13,250
Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 421586
Vintage

Rolex
Sea-Dweller
16600

Box
Papers
Year 1999
£6,950
Rolex Datejust 16000 383854
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16000

Box
Papers
Year 1988
£5,950
Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 395175
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6694

Box
Papers
Year 1975
£3,650
Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 379460
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6694

Box
Papers
Year 1983
£3,700
Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 398822
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6694

Box
Papers
Year 1963
£3,450
Rolex Air-King 5700 399161
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
5700

Box
Papers
Year 1973
£4,350
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15210 419594
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15210

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£4,915
Rolex Datejust Lady 69178 404386
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69178

Box
Papers
Year 1987
£6,950
Rolex Datejust 16030 385818
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1979
£5,850
Rolex Day-Date 18038 403809
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18038

Box
Papers
Year 1979
£11,950
Rolex Datejust Lady 69173 403812
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69173

Box
Papers
Year 1990
£4,500
Rolex Datejust 16234 395871
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1997
£6,650
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15010 403005
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15010

Box
Papers
Year 1971
£4,350
Tudor Submariner 9411/0 352974
New Price
Vintage

Tudor
Submariner
9411/0

Box
Papers
Year 2000
£10,500
Omega Speedmaster Date 3511.80.00 407155
Manufacturer's Warranty

Omega
Speedmaster Date
3511.80.00

Box
Papers
Year 1996
£3,000
Rolex Datejust 116203 418379
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
116203

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£7,925
Rolex Turn-O-Graph 1625 396987
Vintage

Rolex
Turn-O-Graph
1625

Box
Papers
Year 1975
£4,950
Rolex Datejust 16030 417036
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1988
£5,735
Rolex Day-Date 18038 417140
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18038

Box
Papers
Year 1982
£14,500
Rolex Lady Oyster Perpetual 79240 416729
Vintage

Rolex
Lady Oyster Perpetual
79240

Box
Papers
Year 2001
£3,500
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 3891.50.81 421221
Vintage

Omega
Speedmaster Moonwatch
3891.50.81

Box
Papers
Year 1994
£5,695
Rolex Day-Date 18038 408967
Vintage

Rolex
Day-Date
18038

Box
Papers
Year 1981
£14,250
Rolex Air-King 5700 390734
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
5700

Box
Papers
Year 1967
£3,400
Rolex Air-King 5700 389869
Vintage

Rolex
Air-King
5700

Box
Papers
Year 1974
£3,805
Rolex Datejust 16030 397275
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16030

Box
Papers
Year 1983
£4,900
Rolex Datejust Lady 69173 394481
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust Lady
69173

Box
Papers
Year 1989
£4,385
Rolex Mid-Size Datejust 68279 395702
Vintage

Rolex
Mid-Size Datejust
68279

Box
Papers
Year 1992
£13,950
Tudor Date Day 94613 391393
Vintage

Tudor
Date Day
94613

Box
Papers
Year 1992
£2,600
Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 392554
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6694

Box
Papers
Year 1987
£3,650
Rolex Datejust 16234 417927
Vintage

Rolex
Datejust
16234

Box
Papers
Year 1988
£5,390
Rolex Oyster Precision 6694 394636
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Precision
6694

Box
Papers
Year 1973
£3,150
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 15000 414256
Vintage

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual Date
15000

Box
Papers
Year 1981
£4,650

Vintage Watches

There has been a huge upsurge in vintage watch collecting over the past twenty years, a natural consequence perhaps of the mechanical watch revival that took place in the 1990s after the doom-laden era of the quartz crisis had receded.

Since then vintage watches have grabbed the watch industry’s biggest headlines, with a number of Rolex and Patek Philippe models regularly selling for well over a million dollars at the most prestigious auction houses.

Vintage watches have never been in such high demand, with even models from lesser-known brands seeing their value increase ten-fold over the last decade or so. Of course, precious few vintage timepieces—or any timepieces, for that matter—will reach anywhere near the astronomical price ($17.75 million) fetched by Paul Newman’s Daytona in 2017, but a vintage watch by a brand like Omega or Zenith which sold for a couple of hundred pounds in the 1990s, would fetch several times that in today’s market.

If you’re wondering what defines a vintage watch in the first place, the answer isn’t set in stone. Some people consider any pre-1980 model to qualify as vintage, while others insist it’s anything over 25 years old. Any watch over a hundred years old, on the other hand, is classed as an antique—one you might consider locking in a safe rather than actually wearing.

If you’re thinking of starting your own vintage collection featuring the most established brands, there are a number of names and models to consider. Vintage Patek Philippe pieces are among the most desirable, whether it’s a pre-World War II time-only Calatrava, a 1970s Nautilus or any perpetual calendar model in gold or platinum.

The most popular vintage Audemars Piguet models are the first-generation Royal Oaks, a luxury steel sports model launched in 1972 that gave rise to a whole new genre in high-end watchmaking.

Extremely rare and therefore much sought-after are vintage Panerai watches, of which as few as 350 were made between 1938 and 1994, after which the brand finally began making watches commercially and for the civilian market, rather than just for the Italian navy. Vintage Radiomir and Luminor models now command six-figure sums at auction.

Vintage Breitling and vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre watches are generally more affordable than the above, but even more wallet-friendly are a number of chronograph models by the legendary Heuer.

Vintage TAG Heuer (as it is now called) is best represented by several chronograph models with strong motor-racing links, the most famous being the square-cased Monaco. Famously worn by Hollywood maverick Steve McQueen, this distinctive and iconic timepiece is now a regular in the brand’s catalogue, with a number of dial variations and special editions. There’s something extra-cool about the early models, though, whose tiny imperfections enhance their appeal.

A few oft-repeated rules for budding vintage collectors are as follows: always buy from a trusted seller; try to buy watches with all original parts (dials, for example, have often been repainted or replaced on older watches); and never wear any vintage watch, whether a diver’s watch or not, in water as it will have almost certainly lost its water resistance due to the seals on the gaskets eroding.

And don’t be put off by faded lume, the odd battle scar and a little patina. Part of the charm of a vintage watch is that it’s been around the block a few times, had a few different wearers, got a few tales to tell.

At Watchfinder we sell a number of vintage models from brands including Rolex, Tudor, Zenith, Omega and more. Browse our selection online today to find your perfect vintage timepiece and add another chapter to its story.

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