Watch making today has reached the height of efficiency. Even complex watches can be had for inexpensively, and they tell time down to the microsecond. Atomic watches are unparalleled in accuracy, diving watches are completely waterproof, and nearly all will never need anything beyond battery or strap replacement for a hundred years.



Yet, there is something that is often lacking in modern watches that can be found in abundance among vintage or antique timepieces - a sense of style.

A vintage watch is one that was manufactured before the revolution in timing and internal design that created new electronic types. With the coming of quartz works, watches became very accurate and radically reduced in moving parts. But, while vintage watches are almost all mechanical and hence more prone to wear, breakage and inaccuracy, they have a lasting sense of fashion.

Vintage watches were individualistic, stylish and daring. They were made of gold with inlaid designs. Or, they altered the traditional circular or rectangular shape into triangles, hearts and a dozen others. Or, they had a style that was hard to define but easy to see. The faces were not merely backgrounds for hands - they were works of art. Scroll work, thin lines and subtle shades, and a thousand different variations in weight, shape, color and material gave them a unique character.

Hamilton made one of the most distinctive designs in the 1950s, that is still popular today, the Hamilton Ventura chronograph circa 1957. But Rolex was no slouch either. While the company is still producing outstanding watches, the 1938 Pink Gold Chronometer remains one of its finest, thanks to the model’s simple elegance. It has stiff competition from Cartier and others who have been producing reliable, accurate watches that are also stellar fashion accessories since the 1920s.

Many of these watches can be found with interesting additions, some of which have little to do with telling time. There are vintage watches that track the phases of the moon, tell the day or date (but in unique ways) or display miniature analog stop watches. Some vintage watches can be purchased at modest prices, others are valuable antiques. But whatever you pay, all will need special care. Since they’re mechanical, they will usually require winding, or regular use and occasional cleaning.

Vintage watches don’t have the advantages in every case of modern precise manufacturing and contemporary materials. Though given the limitations of technology fifty and more years ago, it’s amazing how carefully constructed they were. It may be necessary to replace a crystal with something contemporary. Stems are more easily broken and springs may not be as accurate as they once were.

However, if you wanted the most precise watch possible, it might be better to pick a more modern variety. But if you remember or can imagine a period when style was worth more than efficiency, you’ll want to investigate what’s offered among vintage watches. You might just recapture the spirit of bygone days, and find your contemporary life lifted to the new heights. After all, the best is always timeless