The Perfect Time for Watch Buying?

Wolf reports that some of the strongest sellers in the current market include the major brands (Rolex, Patek Philippe, etc.) made between 1995 and 2005.

The reason? Manufacturers have discontinued many of the models from that period. "When they come up for auction in good condition, they get a lot of attention, because they're already being looked at as future investments –even though they're not that old," he explained. They're "still old enough that they're starting to appreciate in the fair market arena and people take note of that."

Vintage watches, such as those made from 1950 to 1975, are selling like hotcakes.

Wolf calls this period "the golden age of wristwatches" and cites some of the rare Rolex sport watches from that era as being strong sellers.

Vintage pocket watches made between 1880 and 1910, including those with "complications" are also in demand. Complications are functions added to the watch: date, dual time zones, moon phases, etc.

Those timepieces attract a different set of collectors than wristwatches, and their collectors tend to bid aggressively, says Wolf.

Not all segments of the collectibles market are showing strength, though.

Prices for American pocket watches, for instance, are soft right now, Wolf maintains. Americans aren't buying them and international demand has fallen off, as well. "There are very fine, some very rare examples, but they're very soft at this point," he said.

The usual caveats to collecting high-priced objects apply to watches, of course.  

As in any collectible field, knowledge and patience is the key to earning a profit.

"To think that you're going to buy a watch and make a handsome profit five years later really is not going to happen," Wolf shared.

"In very, very rare cases it could happen. But if you're buying it and you're buying it for a 20-30 year period and you're enjoying it while you're doing it, it can be very gratifying and financially it can be very profitable," he stressed.