Looking Back to Move Forward

Three neo-vintage Patek Philippe references that every watch collector should consider

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As a watch specialist whose job primarily involves curating for watch enthusiasts and collectors, here is a universal truth I have learnt—there is a huge difference between being a collector and an accumulator. Allow me to explain. Anyone with money and access to an authorised dealer or a trader can accumulate modern watches. However, a collector is someone who’s actually spent time and money, often obsessively hunting down rare collectible watches to build a formidable collection. It sounds like a cliché, but it is true—the thrill of the chase, the endless hours spent nerding out with fellow collectors and enthusiasts about a particular Patek Philippe reference, the agony of missing out on a prospective purchase because you deliberated too much ‘before pulling the trigger’, and the sheer joy of finally acquiring that rare reference; these experiences make the whole collecting experience worthwhile and less transactional. The best collectors often have a method or an acquisition map that they use to build their collection.

Once you start to look beyond modern and contemporary timepieces and go down the rabbit hole of collectible vintage and neo-vintage watches, there is an exciting world waiting to be discovered. A luxury product, by definition, is something that should hold its value over time and, if you were to compare prices of some of these collectible references with their modern successors, you will notice how these references have held their own despite volatility in prices that is now associated with modern watches.

So, with that in mind, here are three neovintage references that you should keep an eye on if you are looking to build a formidable watch collection in the years to come.