Significant Watches

This episode is all about the three Cs of watches: Condition, condition, condition! We draw on our friendly neighborhood vintage expert, Eric Wind, to talk about what he looks at when evaluating a watch's condition. We also talk about how to value condition vs. provenance, our views on watch restoration, and whether there are any big "no-nos" when it comes to watch restoration that we just won't touch. 

Show Notes:

Eric Wind's HSNY Talk

WSJ: Why Collecting Vintage Watches Took Off During the Pandemic

A Universal Geneve with amazing WWII provenance

Truedome.com, and Rescapement interview with the founders

Reference Points: Rolex Explorer

Significant Watches is back! First, we talk about our name change, then the crew chats about our recent experience at The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, which you can get a glimpse of over on Wind Vintage and Rescapement. Then we dive into the 2022 Audemars Piguet releases, and what is in the pipeline for the upcoming Royal Oak 50th anniversary in the auction world. See if Eric thinks the anniversary hype will have an effect on the market, or whether the Royal Oak is Too Big Too Fail and won’t fall victim to the same fatigue that has befallen other models on their anniversaries. Finally, we take on the hype head-on, talking the Tiffany Nautilus (ugh), and which watches might be impacted by a full-scale economic collapse.

Show Notes

Rescapement watch spotting at the Miami Beach Antique Show

Wind Vintage watch spotting at the Miami Beach Antique Show, Part 1 and Part 2

We go deep on military watches. We start by giving an overview of military watches, then chat affordable military watches to collect, tips for collecting watches from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF), the Argentine FAP, French Marine Nationale, and others. Then, we talk our military watch 'grails.' Enjoy episode 7, and let us know which areas of collecting we should do deep dives on next!

Rescapement interview with Jack Carlson featuring his WWI Waltham trench watch

Gabe's CIA-issued Benrus Ultra Deep

Eric's Benrus Type I

Rolex Daytona for the Argentine FAP

@watchsafari

Seikosha 'Kamizake' watch

Lange German military watch

RAF-issued Seiko Gen 2 chronograph

Gabe's WWW II-era Cartier chronograph

Affordable vintage military watch recommendations:

Benrus, CWC, WWII Dirty Dozen, IDF-issued Tudor Submariners and Eterna Kontikis, Breguet Type XX, Heuer Bundeswehr, IWC Mark XI, Smiths W10

A strange story of 40 Breitling 817 chronographs 

Everything you need to know about the Zenith Carielli CP-2 chronograph

Marine Nationale, by Watchistry

Erika's Originals MN straps 

Eric's Canadian Tre Tacche from D-Day

Rolex 'Prisoner of War' Pre-Daytona

Grail military watches

Rolex MilSub

RCN Tudor Snowflake

Captain John Barbey's watch

In Episode 6, we discuss the recent article 'The hunt for JP Morgan's million-dollar pocket watch' by Daniel Miller. The conversation transitions into the subject of missing watches, and which significant examples have stood out over the years. With the new year right around the corner, we look back at 2021 and revisit our favorite stories, watch purchases, lots at auction, while ending with our predictions for what 2022 will hold.

Show Notes:

0:00 JP Morgan’s lost pocket watch

5:15 Missing watches

22:45 Celebrity Memorabilia Auctions

24:00 Stories of the Year

A retrospective on shaped watches, Revolution

The women behind Cartier, ACM

An introduction to coin watches, Rescapement

Lange 1: Made in Germany, Subdial

How watches end up in movies, ACM

All watches should be unisex, Hodinkee

Watchmaking through space and time with Vianney Halter, ACM

What is independent watchmaking?, ACM

The long, lurid history of erotic watches, GQ

36:00 Favorite Lots Sold at Auction

Pink-on-pink Patek Philippe ref. 1518 perpetual calendar

Vulcain Cricket Nautical

Cartier 8-Day Travel Clock

Patek Philippe ref. 699 pocket watch

What happens when 2 of 6 Cartier Pebbles come up for auction in the same month?

42:00 Favorite Watch Purchase of 2021

47:00 People of The Year

Mywatchmemoir.com

Fifthwrist.com

Tyler the Creator is Rescapement’s ‘Collector of the Year’

53:00 Predictions

Gabe and Tony talk attending the New York auctions, while Eric gives his perspective from sunny Palm Beach. We offer our final takes on the Tiffany & Co. Patek Nautilus, before moving on to Heuer, Rolex, Lange, and novelist Ralph Ellison's Omega Speedmaster.

Show Notes:

Tony's 13 weird takeaways from attending my first in-person auction

All, and I mean all of my opinions and observations from the year-end watch auctions (Hodinkee)

Full lume Heuer Autavia ref. 2446 sold by Phillips for $163k

Jeff Stein's On the Dash

The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 that Gabe didn't win

The GMT-Master ref. 6542 Eric posted

Hodinkee: A strange document about the famous Rolex GMT-Master radioactivity recall

How Top Watchmakers Intervene at Auctions (Wall Street Journal, 2007)

The 'Hulk' Submariner that sold for $94.5k at Phillips

Axis watches: The A Lange Nazi watch and the Seikosha 'kamikaze' watch

langepedia.com

In Episode 4, we talk about that Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, then zoom out to discuss retailer-signed watches and corporate-stamped watches, before letting Eric and Charlie nerd-out on coin watches from Patek, Audemars Piguet, and others. 

Show Notes: 

NYT: Patek Philippe's Nautilus Returns in Tiffany Blue

Rolex Chronograph 3525 sold by Dobbies Nairobi

Eric Talking Domino's Rolex with John P

An Introduction to Coin Watches

In our third episode, Gabriel Benador and Eric Wind discuss the anti-flipping policies, how of titanium is the contemporary watch metal, and the most significant lots coming up at New York Auction Week.

Show Notes:

Josh Shapiro HSNY Lecture

McKinsey State of Fashion Report: Watches

Lange 1 -- Made in Germany: A study of early Lange 1s

Patek Philippe ref. 2419 Minute Repeater retailed by Cartier, sold at Christie's Hong Kong

Patek Philippe ref 1518 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph at Sotheby's New York

George Daniels Tourbillon Pocket Watch at Phillips NY

Patek Philippe reference 2526 at Phillips NY

Patek Philippe reference 208 coin watch at Phillips NY

What Taylor Swift can teach us about restoring vintage watches

Eric on Collectability Podcast with John Reardon

In our second episode, Eric Wind and Gabriel Benador discuss the most significant lots from Geneva Auction Week: a WTF Omega Speedmaster, buckoo bucks Journe boxes, and everything else from the world of independent and vintage watches.   

Show Notes

Cartier London Crash, sold by Sotheby's for CHF 806,500

Omega Speedmaster CK 2915-1, sold by Phillips for CHF 3.1m

Omega Speedmaster CK2915-1, sold by Sotheby's for CHF 327,600

FP Journe box, sold for $100,800 at Phillips

De Bethune DB28, sold for $126,000 at Phillips

Roger Smith Series 2, sold for $655,000 at Phillips

Christian Klings, sold for $255,000 at Phillips

Rolex MilSub, sold for $504,000 at Phillips

Rolex 5513 'Explorer Dial', sold for $88,200 at Phillips

Only Watch Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock

Welcome to the first episode of Significant Lots: A Watch Collector Roundtable. This will be a new weekly podcast featuring a roundtable of 4 watch collectors, along with the occasional guest.

We’ll take a “collector’s perspective” on topics in watches, sharing our hot takes on modern moves and releases to coverage of the vintage market, auctions, and everything in between.

Every week you’ll hear from me, Tony. I write a newsletter about watches called Rescapement, as well as contributing to publications like A Collected Man and Hodinkee.

More importantly, you’ll hear from Eric Wind, owner of Wind Vintage and an all-around expert on all things vintage. Eric is a former VP, Senior Specialist in Watches at Christie’s, and before that, he was a contributor to Hodinkee.

Along with Eric is Gabriel Bedanor, a prolific collector of modern, independent, and vintage watches based in New York.

Finally, there’s Charlie Dunne, aka books_on_time on Instagram, one of the most passionate lovers and learners of watches around, who also contributes to publications like Revolution and Collectability.

Honestly, the initial idea for this podcast came about as we wanted to have fun, honest conversations about the auction season, so that’s what this episode is all about. We take a look at all of the upcoming auctions in Geneva, the brands and lots we’re excited about, and even make a prediction or two. We hope you enjoy it, and let us know what you’d like to see from the podcast!

Show Notes

4:30: Hodinkee Watch of the Week: Why I Still Love My Junghans Max Bill

7:00: F.P. Journe “Souscription,” sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for ~$2m

8:45: Ming x Massena Lab at Phillips: Ref. 17.09 Honeytrap and Bumblebee

9:00: Grand Seiko at Phillips: SBGD202 and 44GS

29:10: Auction Watch: Treasures From the Samsung Collection

41:40: Urwerk UR-102

45:05: Ulysse Nardin Freak Prototype No. 1

47:24: AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

Pardon our background noise as we worked out the kinks in this first episode; we hope you’re able to look past our issues (and cat meows) and enjoy the conversation.