Auction & Collecting

11 articles

• The Perfect Vintage Rolex? Theo & Harris Frames the Originality vs Patina Debate — Theo & Harris asks a blunt question: does a 'perfect' vintage Rolex exist? The video frames the choice as a trade-off between absolute originality and cosmetically perfect restorat
• $10,000 loss on a Vacheron Constantin — resale reality check — He lost $10,000 on a Vacheron Constantin. The video walks through a resale that went badly and why a Vacheron does not guarantee profit.
• $10,000 Loss on a Vacheron Constantin — What That Seller's Story Reveals — A seller reports a $10,000 loss on a Vacheron Constantin. The account surfaces familiar failure points in high-value watch transactions and forces a rethink of verification and esc
• Polishing Erases Original Case Lines — Why Collectors Reject Refinished Watches — A single polish can remove the crisp edges and machine finishes collectors value most. That loss — not just surface shine — drives the backlash against case refinishing.
• This Rolex Submariner Shouldn't Exist — Why I Still Want One — A Rolex Submariner that 'shouldn't exist' is exactly the kind of anomaly that makes collecting interesting. The piece argues that contradictions — not conformity — can create value
• You Are Ruining Your Watch Collection: Stop Chasing Resale and Neglecting Service — Chasing instant resale turns curated boxes into liabilities. Neglecting regular service and sloppy storage damages value faster than market swings.
• The Harsh Truth Every Collector Needs to Hear About Their Watch Box — Mechanical watches generally benefit from a routine service every 4–7 years. Skipping maintenance destroys condition, provenance and long-term value.
• When Tritium Shows Up on a Fifty Fathoms: The Red Flag Collectors Can't Ignore — A single dot of tritium can cut a vintage Fifty Fathoms' value by tens of percent. Find it where radium should be and you’re staring at a refinished dial, swapped hands, or a later
• Geneva Auction Week: How Antiquorum’s Sale Puts Smart Buys Within Reach — Sub-CHF 10,000 lots at Antiquorum’s Geneva sale hide some of the best buying opportunities. Expect compact 1960s–70s steel sports watches, early Valjoux and Venus chronographs, and
• A Survivor’s Timepiece: Kurt Kahn’s Gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Heads to Auction — An 18k yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual owned by Kurt Kahn, a Holocaust survivor, is heading to auction with a detailed paper trail and family archive. The lot pairs a classic mi
• Under the Radar Classic: Why the IWC Mark XVI Spitfire IW325502 Is a Collector’s Sweet Spot — 39mm across, the IWC Mark XVI Spitfire ref. IW325502 packs a sunburst anthracite dial and a reliable automatic caliber 30110 (28,800 vph). It launched in the mid-2000s and now trad