Observations from a vintage watch show.

[Fleetlord]

I had heard there was a big vintage watch and jewelry show in Miami this weekend, so I decided to check it out.

I am a casual observer when it comes to vintage, so I just wanted to go and see what was what.

First off this is pretty big money show. There were some big names in vintage there and the inventory was absolutely ridiculous.

Some casual observations.

1) Rolex is king. Vintage Rolex dominated. There were a nice selection of vintage Patek as well, but Rolex is the king..

2) Daytona Daytona Daytona. They were all over the place. If you wanted a Daytona, this was the place to get one. Hard to believe they are scarce after seeing so many in one place, but it's relative I guess..

3) Subs and GMT's. They were all over the place too. But NOT any LV or Hulks that I could see. Mostly 5513, Reds...etc. All at sky high pricing.

4) Condition and Box/Papers of the pieces were very important, especially no polishing... But...the mechanical function of some of the pieces I looked at was a bit suspect. Dealers didn't really know service history or if the watch even really worked. They sure did look good though..

5) You really need to know what you are looking at and looking for at the show. The main dealer guys are busy networking and acquiring pieces from others..etc. There is definitely a clique to this vintage stuff. Which is fine. The staff they leave behind are certainly competent, but there really isn't much time or patience for the novice. It's not show and tell. These are serious watches for serious money. No time for nonsense is the prevailing attitude. Not snobby....just don't be a rookie.

Overall a good time and I would go again...