Pre-loved / vintage watches

[Zhampagne]

I know there are some very knowledgeable watch collectors on this board.

I have a big birthday coming up and would like a nice watch. I would prefer pre-owned or vintage, a decent 'name', and definitely not a 'ladies' style - I much prefer mens' watches. I'm just starting my research - please can anyone recommend reputable dealers (online or physical)? I am based near Birmingham but willing to travel within the UK. Thank you.

Hopeful bump for the evening crowd

I'll tag my partner @Verv as she works in the luxury international watch industry (pretty much the only woman at her level.) She might not get on until tomorrow but I'm sure she can help with advice. She takes any opportunity to talk watches, regardless of budget/style/era!

Watchfinder.co.uk (they also have a very good YouTube channel with excellent photography) or Chrono24 are good places to start. Are you looking for a specific brand or model?

Thank you both.

I'm at the very beginning of my research and don't know much about watches beyond the household names. I do have quite a clear idea of the look I would like, so if you can make any recommendations of where I should start based on the following I'd be very grateful!

• Leather strap rather than metal bracelet
• Round face, reasonably large. I currently wear a 42mm Apple Watch and could probably go slightly bigger again. My mother wears a 28mm Omega Constellation and that is far too small for me.
• Low profile to the wrist, no chunky rotating bezels. Minimal twiddly extra dials / chronographs etc.
• No diamonds
• A respected watch-maker rather than a jeweller or fashion brand
• and finally this might be unspeakably naff but since childhood I have loved the kinds of watches with a little aperture in the face to show the sun or the moon for day or night, so this would be a bonus.

Budget around £2.5 - 3k.

Thank you!

I’m by no means a watch expert but I’ve been looking at lots of photos of watches for a significant birthday (much smaller budget sadly!). I love simple moon phase watches and from your description Frederique Constant or Jaeger LeCoultre slimline moonphase watches (men’s) sprang to mind. Although I’m not sure if any show the sun or they’re all just the moon. Anyway, just a suggestion until the experts arrive!

What leaps to mind from your list is the Omega Speedmaster. This is mine - it's 42mm, manually wound (autos are available). It is on leather but comes originally on a bracelet, it looks great on anything. The bezel is fixed & narrow, the height is around 12mm. There is a chronograph but it's not intrusive. The dial is beautifully designed and very legible.
There are many different versions of the Speedy, mine is the Moonwatch Professional, as used by NASA, but there are different dial colours, moon phase complications are available. Some of the crystals are hesalite, some are sapphire crystal. Some movements are handwound (30 seconds daily or every other day), some are automatic.
I love mine, it goes with everything, can take any kind of strap and, whilst not a chronometer, is very accurate.
You should be able to get a good example for your budget.
Let me know if you need any further information or photos of the watch.

Hi,
I'd suggest looking at Tudor.
They are the sister company to Rolex and for many years shared cases/crowns/tooling before becoming more independent and launching their own lines.
The Black Bay 58 is a fantastic watch, but does have a rotating bezel. That said, its not massive and fits well with the general theme of the watch.
Always best to buy on bracelet if you can, and then add leather / textile straps.
Plenty of Tudor stockists so easy to try on and find out what suits as most of the ranges are usually carried.

A pre-owned Mont Blanc Geosphere may almost tick the sun and moon phase box, but uses the entire earth, which is lumed and looks ace in low light.

Omega Aqua Terra also worth looking at as they are bezel free and chunky.

The above should be found within or around your budget.

Ive excluded Cartier Santos as its a squared shape.

If you'd be willing to up budget slightly or go interest free, Panerai Luminor Base models are brilliant. 44mm so large, and built for strap changing with a huge range of custom and manufacturer leathers/alligator etc so you can completely change the look of the watch in about 2 minutes. Im a big fan.

Hope this has helped, happy hunting.

www.panerai.com/gb/en/collections/watch-collection/luminor/pam01086-luminor-base-logo---44mm.html

www.tudorwatch.com/en/watch-family/black-bay-fifty-eight

www.watchfinder.co.uk/Montblanc/1858%20Geosphere/119286/38493/item/192338?

www.omegawatches.com/en-gb/watches/seamaster/aqua-terra-150m/seamaster-aqua-terra-gents-collection/productgclid=CjwKCAjwxo6IBhBKEiwAXSYBs0AKu7IhQZ-nJdkBK8fdS0nc8wT8y3a8nm3OhAPyeMVemFrFVTPs6RoCMa8QAvD_BwE

I would also agree with Chinook, The Speedmaster Pro is a stone cold classic.
Manual winding takes some getting used to if youre used to quartz or automatic watches, but its a real pleasure to sit and wind your watch over a morning coffee. Some watch lovers swear by the ritual.

Not particularly great water resistance though, varying from 30-50 metres which means do not get wet. It'll accept a squirt of glasses cleaner and a cloth wipe but dont stick it under a tap or submerge in water.

Water resistances aren't as they appear as they refer to water pressure not depth as some assume, so a quick guide if youre properly new to it (and apologies if im preaching to the converted)

30m - Avoid getting wet, splash proof only.
50m - can take a bit of water like a quick rinse under a slow tap but not particularly advisable for swimming etc.
100m and above - absolutely fine for submersion, swimming, scuba diving, showers, etc.
200m - can fully dive with it.
12000m - can go to the bottom of the Mariana Trench with it, you might die but the watch won't leak.

@Verv,
Good point about the water resistance, I completely forgot about it as my Speedmaster never goes near water, that's for dive watches! Recently I have discovered Vostok watches - it's possible to buy all the parts for a bespoke, literally "one off" watch & put them together for a unique look. The average cost is around £100. Not what the OP is after but a lot of fun!

What about this, the Breitling Chronometer Navitimer:

www.breitling.com/de-de/watches/navitimer/navitimer-automatic-41/A17326241B1/

It does have a rotating bezel but it’s not chunky. It’s a ladies’ watch but the Navitimers have been been designed for women but similar in style to men’s watches. So none of the usual feminine “touches” (I’m looking at you, pastel Rolex with butterflies).

I have it in this design and love it (but admittedly not what you’re after!)

www.breitling.com/de-de/watches/navitimer/navitimer-automatic-35/A17395211A1/

@ChinookPilotsGoVertical Vostok are Ace! Proper no messing Russian tractors
I like the scuba dudes.

Over budget but lovely www.watchfinder.co.uk/Jaeger-LeCoultre/Master%20Calendar/1558420/25798/item/195494?searchId=840d273b-19a0-48d5-ba20-221a8ef036fe&rank=2

Classic Omega www.watchfinder.co.uk/Omega/De%20Ville%20Prestige/424.13.40.21.02.001/26317/item/192015?searchId=b6bc291e-b48c-4a15-9be1-17076420303a&rank=28

Baume et Mercier www.watchfinder.co.uk/Baume%20et%20Mercier/Clifton/M0A10052/24794/item/181722?searchId=fbc4aa4a-d3da-46ad-84c1-3735015b966c&rank=9

Have a look at Ronde de Cartier, I think it’s beautiful, and I think fits your brief perfectly. Check it out on the Cartier website, then source one if you like it. Sorry, don’t know how to link!

@Verv this box is now full but I designed all of them myself & I'm really pleased with how they have worked out.

Actually I copied the one on the right because I could buy the parts for less than the ebay guy wanted for the watch. I did change the strap & hands so it's not an absolute copy.
OP, this is not exactly meeting all your preferences but might be worth a look? 39mm, lovely dial, very legible. I must concede there is a chronograph but I really like it & reckon it's worth having a look at.

@ChinookPilotsGoVertical

Actually I copied the one on the right because I could buy the parts for less than the ebay guy wanted for the watch. I did change the strap & hands so it's not an absolute copy. OP, this is not exactly meeting all your preferences but might be worth a look? 39mm, lovely dial, very legible. I must concede there is a chronograph but I really like it & reckon it's worth having a look at.

This is gorgeous!

@Hereforthedramaz,
Tag Heuer Monaco. I love mine. It's notionally square, which is not what the OP specified, but the actual dial is round & the case is sufficiently curved as not to be overly square. Heuer made the first Monaco in 1969 for racing drivers. It was claimed that it was the world's first automatic chronograph & the crown was deliberately put on the "wrong" side to signify that it didn't need to be wound up daily.
Heuer were bought by TAG (Techniques d'Avant Garde, a science & engineering company, F1, aerospace, marine etc) in the 80s, but some of the classic pieces still say "Heuer" on the dial. There are other versions of the Monaco with quartz movements & "TAG Heuer" on the dial (& the crown on the right) ,but this is the classic. Steve McQueen wore one - he wore it in "Le Man's" where he played a racing driver (that was a great bit of product placement by Heuer & a whole other story), liked it so much that he kept it.

Le Mans obviously, we need an edit function.

[quote ChinookPilotsGoVertical]@Hereforthedramaz,
Tag Heuer Monaco. I love mine. It's notionally square, which is not what the OP specified, but the actual dial is round & the case is sufficiently curved as not to be overly square. Heuer made the first Monaco in 1969 for racing drivers. It was claimed that it was the world's first automatic chronograph & the crown was deliberately put on the "wrong" side to signify that it didn't need to be wound up daily.
Heuer were bought by TAG (Techniques d'Avant Garde, a science & engineering company, F1, aerospace, marine etc) in the 80s, but some of the classic pieces still say "Heuer" on the dial. There are other versions of the Monaco with quartz movements & "TAG Heuer" on the dial (& the crown on the right) ,but this is the classic. Steve McQueen wore one - he wore it in "Le Man's" where he played a racing driver (that was a great bit of product placement by Heuer & a whole other story), liked it so much that he kept it.[/quote]
Amazing thank you, I'm off to research secondhand versions now!

@ChinookPilotsGoVertical

Actually I copied the one on the right because I could buy the parts for less than the ebay guy wanted for the watch. I did change the strap & hands so it's not an absolute copy. OP, this is not exactly meeting all your preferences but might be worth a look? 39mm, lovely dial, very legible. I must concede there is a chronograph but I really like it & reckon it's worth having a look at.

Have you ever had a problem with the glass popping out? I worked in a jewellers that sold tags years ago and we had several square tags in for repair as the glass used to fall out.

@Greyhare,
Thankfully not. Was a cause found? The newer ones are sapphire crystals I wonder if the old ones were acrylic?

Thats imo the nicest Monaco configuration. Blooming lovely :)

Love the Vostoks collection. Are you on the watch forums?

@Verv,
I'm on TZ-UK as Speedy2254, also Omega Forum (though haven't been on for a while), plus Drinking Coffee & Talking Watches & the Vostok page on Facebook.
Are you on any forums?
Do you follow any YouTube watch channels?

@chinookpilotsgovertical I'm same name on TZ but don't really watch any YouTube channels religiously.
On the paneristi group on fb and a couple of the rolex ones but generally have them muted as the bickering does my head in.