Collector’s Guide When Buying Vintage Watches Online

To procure the perfect timepiece to add to your collection, you need to educate yourself before you buy vintage watches. The proliferation of fake watches that claim to be antique can mean that you pay more for the actual value of the items you buy. As a collector, you need to buy antique watches online from reputed and trusted dealers only such as LoveAntiques.com. When you purchase vintage watches from us, you’re assured that what you’re paying for is truly the value of the vintage watches UK has today.

We offer a variety of options, depending on the vintage watch company or maker, the period, or the materials used. Feel free to use the tools available on the website to find the best antique vintage watches.

Tips for Buying Antique Vintage Watches Direct from Dealers

When in the market for antique chronograph watches, sports watches, or hand winding ones, you need to know what to look for and how. As one of the top antique dealers’ online portals, you can guarantee the authenticity of our selection of antique watches UK buyers recommend. But when you do your shopping online, you need to know how to discern them on your own.

Check the dial. This is one of the first features of the watch to look into when shopping for vintage watches for sale. This part of the watch holds the majority of its value. A lot of watchmakers would reprint the dials on antique watches, which could significantly diminish its market value. Another similar issue is when the watches had been “relumed”. This is when vintage watches have been re-applied with luminous paint to enhance its ability to glow in the dark. Don’t just look into the authenticity of the watch (which is an obvious factor) but take time to know if it’s been modified in any way.
Check the movement or engine of the watch. If you are looking for antique wrist watches online, you need to check the type of winding movement used (also known as the winding crown). The engine can get damaged over time, especially for sports watches that are used for diving. When the engine is damaged, it can develop rust and the watchmakers have to replace it. Make sure to check if the movement on the antique wrist watches for sale has been replaced as it can affect the value, too.
Check the polishing. The quality of polish on your antique pocket watch or wrist watch can be a tell-tale indicator of authenticity and quality. A lot of counterfeit vintage watch dealers online tend to polish the watch to enhance its aesthetic appeal. Not the legitimate antique watch dealers, however. Polishing vintage watches to look shiny can actually cause a depreciation of their value. The process of polishing will also require removing the metal causing it to lose its beautiful edge that is achieved during the production process. Authentic dealers of a vintage style watch would offer a higher value on an unpolished watch versus one that has been polished.

Buy Vintage Antique Watches via the Love Antiques Website Today

When it comes to vintage watches for sale, LoveAntiques.com is the authority online. As the biggest gateway to antique dealers in the UK, who carry a huge selection of vintage time pieces, including well-preserved antique watches. Whether you are looking for ladies’ watches, chronograph watches, or pocket watches, we have it all. You can also find antique watches based on styles such as Art Deco, Victorian, retro, or Art Nouveau. Moreover, you can filter your online search based on the materials. Our selection of antique watches online includes pieces made of stainless steel, gold, gold plated, silver, nickel, or diamond, among others.

Antique & Vintage Watch FAQs

Why should I buy a vintage watch?

Vintage timepieces are mostly made from materials that are of high quality, and are therefore expected to stand the test of time. Add a touch of classic elegance to your ensemble and wear a part of someone’s history, especially if it’s that of a famous person. Aside from the story it carries, an original vintage timepiece is unique. Unlike today, production back then was smaller, and the timepieces aged differently, having been exposed to different types of chemical or minerals and environment. The chance of finding an exact replica of a vintage timepiece is slim. Plus, the brands back then frequently introduced small differences in the designs of their timepieces. If you want to distinguish yourself from the pack, then you will want to purchase and wear one of our vintage timepiece collections. Another reason to shop for these pieces is that you get to own high-quality watches for a lot less price range than what you’d have to pay today if they were created using the same techniques, complications and quality.

When does a watch become vintage?

On the question of what makes a model vintage, the first thing you should keep in mind when you shop for these vintage timepieces is that they’re at least two decades old. You’ll get this information by looking at their serial numbers usually located on the back. With the serial number, you’ll be able to identify the date it was manufactured as well as its manufacturer. By simply knowing these two pieces of information before you purchase a model from any dealer, you’d get an idea of the watch’s authenticity and value. However, even simply the age itself may not be enough to call a piece valuable. For a piece to be a valued vintage, it would have to be identified as an item or model that’s no longer in production today. When an item is no longer easily acquirable, its rarity would increase its price. To get a glimpse of fine examples of these pieces, drop by the Love Antiques online shop and browse through our collections of quality vintage watches for sale.

How much do antique vintage watches cost?

You can buy these timepieces at prices between £65 and £78,000, depending on a lot of factors, such as the brand and the exotic designs that were popular a long time ago. A model from the Rolex or Omega collections is the sort of watch that is fail safe for investing, as there's only a limited number of pieces like this on offer and prices are expected to continue to rise. Vintage and antique pieces can also be treasured for their previous owners, like politicians, athletes and actors. Over the years, the interest in vintage products has grown as people become aware of the qualities that set vintage watches apart from modern mass produced ones. With these pieces already out of production and going rarer, these items are expected to become more expensive as the years pass, it’s only the question of how good is the condition of these pieces. If you’re a lover of a certain decade, you’d definitely be ecstatic to get one of the quality timepieces of that decade and would either keep it in a vault to be handed down to your heir, sell it at a higher price in the future, or make it part of your outfit.

What should I consider when purchasing antique vintage watches?

Prior to making a purchase, the sort of question you should be asking a reputable vintage and antique watch dealer should involve quality, condition and price - all pieces of information you can see at the Love Antiques shop. As a dealer of all things antique and vintage, we sort our timepieces with the information we have in different categories so that when you visit our shop, you can easily find everything you need. Vintage timepieces are works of art, especially when they're made by trusted brands known to craft quality pieces, such as Rolex and Omega. Another thing that makes some vintage timepieces impressive is the features that come with them. The calendar watch, for example, can display along with the date and month, the day of the week, the year, and the moon phase. What's even more fascinating is that you only have to set the movement three times every 400 years. Vintage timepieces from well-known luxury brand collections are investment pieces, as they increase in value the most. Love Antiques is the home of the widest range of collections of vintage watches for men and women. We’re not just a vintage watch dealer, we also have antique watches for sale. Check out the different categories we have at our shop and if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.