With demand and prices spiking, the level of risk that comes with buying a vintage watch online is greater than ever.
No matter if you’re a first time buyer or an established collector, then, if you’re not extra extra careful, you may just end up with a genuine fake or a monstrous “frankenwatch.”
Make sure you get the real deal and learn what to look out with our top three risks of buying a vintage watch online.
1. Originality
One of the trickiest things about buying a vintage watch online is knowing how original its components are. Not only do photos and descriptions often fail to provide enough detail, but it can be hard to know what you should even compare them to.
First things first, do your research and find out what a watch should look like in its original state. Past sales at auction houses, dealer websites, and specialised forums can all help in finding examples and comparing the most finest of details.
You want to inspect the hands, dial, movement, crown, case, lugs, and case back as closely as possible. If you notice one inconsistency, chances are there will be more. It also goes without saying that the better a deal sounds, the more likely something is being covered up.
2. Expertise
There’s no doubt you can still find hidden gems online, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult as more and more experts and collectors scoop up all the high-quality vintage watches.
Experts tend to specialise in particular brands, movements, or styles of vintage watches. And so, buyers know what they’re selling is going to be good. But when buying from independent sellers who tend to be more generalists, they often have less knowledge about particular watches and so overlook crucial details.
You’ll know the difference between the two types of sellers. The latter, for example, may avoid taking photos of the movement because they don’t know how to open the case back, they’re afraid to damage anything, or don’t want to show the movement. Whereas the former will be completely open and provide all the information you need to make an informed decision, whether its positive or negative.
3. Condition
When buying a vintage watch online, what adds the most value is not condition, but originality. However, many vintage watch owners have failed to realise this, and thus sellers are left with the job of covering up restorations and polishing as best as possible.
The dial is by far the most important part of a vintage watch — making up ninety-nine percent if not more of its value. So you want to check for any imperfections in the numbers, tracks, and logo. If they’re crude and crooked or bleeding out into the dial, it’s a dead give away it has undergone refinishing.
As well as replacement parts and refurbishments, you also want to look out for scratches on the dial and/or crystal. As you can imagine, if there is damage on the dial, it’s much harder to rectify. If it’s on the crystal, check how easy it is to find a replacement for the particular watch.
Other things to check include water stains, as they may indicate the watch has suffered water damage, and the wearing down of the case or lugs as a sign of over-polishing. Such aspects are hard to ascertain without a trained eye or knowledge of an expert.
