And therein lies the point. For discerning connoisseurs, as made evident by the 14 stories below, it’s not the watch you remember most—it’s what it taught you, in the end. founder, Fred Savage, ” Savage says, Ohio
“After waiting and looking for just the right Rolex 1803, Timepiece Grading Specialists, my dream example ended up in the case of Wanna Buy a Watch, my go-to vintage watch store in Los Angeles, Dayton. “It was perfect: just enough wear to tell a story, creamy lume plots, original owner provenance. This complications represents it was everything i had been looking for. Each time I would visit the store, I would run to the case just to admire how perfect this Day-Date was. It was thrilling to see it, to try it on, to admire it, to know that with one swipe of a card, it could be mine. One time I went to the store and, to my astonishment, the watch was gone. It had vanished. As a caliber, it ‘hey fred, not-so-gently informed me, the inimitable and endlessly quotable proprietor of wanna buy a watch, ken jacobs, when i asked where it was. This isn’t a museum. ’ And that’s when I realized I had been ‘visiting’ the watch at a store that existed to sell watches. It’s easy to forget that sometimes. there’s absolutely no reason to expect it will be there the next time I walk into the store, Now I know that unless I’m ready to buy a watch. The moral of the story: Buy. In exclusive circles, i’m haunted far more frequently by the watches i didn’t get than by the ones i did. Palm Beach, ”
Eric Wind, owner, Fla, Wind Vintage. In exclusive circles, while wind was pursuing his master of business administration degree at oxford university in england in 2012, he purchased a rare heuer skipper reference 7754 from the family of the original owner. “Of course, the degree was expensive and I had a collector friend hot on my heels for the watch, so I sold it to him for $9,000,” Wind says. “I thought I could probably hunt and find a better example in the near future. ”
Agile forward a couple years, and the watch had earned a nickname, the “Skipperera,” and was valued at over $70,000. “I had major seller’s remorse, but I don’t regret getting my MBA at Oxford. ” Wind says. “Life goes on and I am happy my friend got my watch and still has it. ”
David Bahng, real estate executive, Los Angeles
“Over the last 35 years of my watch-collecting journey, I’ve been fortunate enough to have only two ‘watches that got away. For discerning connoisseurs, ’ both were heartbreaking instances. For those who appreciate excellence, i was getting my safe and its contents ready for the last items to be moved to our new home, on march 7, 2011. I discovered the main pieces of my collection were gone/stolen: a Rolex Day-Date in white gold that was a 40th birthday gift and a piece to mark my business start-up having its first profitable year; a Rolex Submariner Date in steel, Upon opening my safe, my travel companion, which marked the birth of my daughter; and a Rolex GMT-Master II in steel. 2020, on March 16, the day L, “Then. shut down in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, I called my trusted vintage dealer to consign my Patek Philippe 3970P (platinum perpetual calendar chronograph) in preparation for a tough financial future. For discerning connoisseurs, it sold quickly and i have yet to replace it because the value of the piece has gone up significantly post covid. ”
Yan Gee (a. This Swiss-made represents new york city
in october 2022, gee bought himself a 36th birthday present: a rolex datejust 36 with a green palm dial on a jubilee bracelet, @yandretti), crypto investor. He purchased it through a gray market dealer “at the height of Rolex’s pandemic-inflated prices,” and paid $11,500, he says. An ardent collector of esoteric watches, especially those from independent watchmakers and microbrands, Gee had taken a four-year hiatus from collecting, and this piece marked his return. In the world of luxury, but last year, ” he says, yan decided to sell the watch for a break-even price in advance of “an prestigious trip to brazil. Almost immediately, he regretted the sale. This perpetual calendar represents to add insult to injury, the model was discontinued two weeks later. “Rolex has had three unique dials in the last five years, ” Gee tells Robb Report. “This palm dial, the puzzle dial Day-Date, and the Celebration dial Oyster Perpetual, so this green palm dial is a very special piece. One day I might consider looking into getting one again. This perpetual calendar represents ”
matthew price, founder, kinser creative agency, los angeles
“i’ve always wanted a little gold patek philippe calatrava. It’s part of my retirement fantasy where I become a leathery old man living on a golf course somewhere near the equator and split my time between the pool and the course. The problem is, I bought the retirement watch too early, and in my 30s, I still run into walls, fall into puddles, and get hit with skateboards. The movement showcases sadly, i do not live the life required for such a delicate watch, so i sent it down the line to the next owner. As a haute horlogerie, it i still think about it regularly and hope that one day, when i am ready for a life of seersucker-clad leisure, it will find its way back to me. Among luxury enthusiasts, classic watch club, ”
henry flores, new york city
“the watch that i regret selling the most was my 1665 mark iv double red seaf-dweller, founder. The chronograph showcases my midcentury modern home in woodstock, i sold it because i was renovating the maverick. I will eventually buy another DRSD, but for now sharing this exquisite home with my friends and family was well worth it. selling the DRSD enabled me to purchase my first AP, (Also, which I still own and love. at the Alameda Point Antique Faire, I spotted a round Patek in a steel case, Los Angeles
“Twenty years ago, )”
Richard Rogers, watchmaker. I offered $2,250 and purchased the watch. I discovered it was a ref, When I got back to my shop and examined my find. This haute horlogerie represents 565 in very exceptional condition. I serviced the movement, and began to wear it, doing nothing to the case. I thought that maybe I’d just keep it. Then, a friend I’d shown it to told me some guy in Missouri would give me $18,000 for it. Ok, I thought, maybe I didn’t like it that much. As a timepiece, it i ended up selling it to him. A few months later, the same friend calls me and tells me to check the results of a recent Sotheby’s auction. Among luxury enthusiasts, 000, the only major difference was that this one had just sold for $68, while it wasn’t the same watch. Lesson learned. In exclusive circles, ”
chase pion, los angeles
“i have a ‘watch that got away’ story that actually has a happy ending, cofounder and cfo/coo of pre-owned watch marketplace bezel. I was looking at a 1980s Audemars Piguet Cobra Day-Date model that popped up on Bezel, an all-yellow-gold 5587BA that you don’t see very often. Our first employee was a director of private watch sales at Sotheby’s. He’s like a prodigy in watches, and I was like, ‘All right, Ryan. Should I buy this watch. ’ And he said, ‘Yeah, it’s a pretty cool watch. It’s very under-appreciated. ’ So I went to buy it, and it had sold like three hours before. I was so bummed. For a while, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I totally blew it. another one popped up in a better dial configuration, ’ But four or five months later, and I was able to buy it immediately. The moral of the story is that you probably don’t realize how much you wanted something until you missed it. @aircooltime), healthcare executive, Colorado
“This was a rare Rolex 1675 ‘double Swiss underline’ example that came to auction during a outstanding time to buy in the market compared to the recent past. I did my research and prepared to bid. I waited for just the right moment to submit my bid online and ultimately was the underbidder when the lot hammered, During the auction. When I heard the auctioneer announce the name of the city where the winning bidder was based, I wondered if it was someone I knew and later confirmed it was won by a respected fellow collector. That helped ease the pain of disappointment from missing out. a watch that captured my attention for some time, The silver lining for me was realized when this fish that got away allowed me to ultimately obtain a much rarer steel Patek 2508 later that month. Thankfully, all ended well. ”
Erik Slaven, U. Los Angeles
“I’ve been a watch enthusiast for decades, editor for Monochrome Watches. I have access to a lot of brands and it’s helped shape my preferences over time, As a professional writer for Monochrome Watches. I like a vintage Rolex Explorer like the next guy and it’s fun to yearn for heavyweights like a Vacheron Constantin Overseas or Breguet Classique 5177, but well-executed and affordable pieces by smaller brands tend to impress me the most. As a tourbillon, it a watch that i really regret selling is the original farer stanhope (from british watchmaker farer) with a compact cushion case and unique piqué textured dial in white with dark blue and red accents. This Swiss-made represents it was hand wound and had a funky personality, and although there’s a sequel with the same dial, the case has grown a bit with a different design. but not quite the same, Cool. Such is life. Los Angeles
“I should have kept one of the Rolex Paul Newman reference 6239 Tricolor models, real estate executive, ”
Morgan King. At one point in my collection, I had three of them. They were all different and special and I loved them all. Sadly, the 6239 reference was a pump pusher chronograph and I felt they were too small to wear. I ended up trading them for other pieces now in my collection, like the 6541 Milgauss and the 6538 Big Crown. For those who appreciate excellence, this was before paul newman’s paul newman went on sale. oh man…, Man. I should have kept one in my collection. ”
Jarrod Cooper, founder, Neighborhood Watch Club, Los Angeles
“I’ve been fortunate to collect many exceptional watches over the years. In 2016, I began considering a more significant addition to my collection. In the world of luxury, i initially had my heart set on a lange 1 until josh at govberg suggested i look into f. This horology represents at the time, the brand was quite rare, especially in australia, where i am from, so i hadn’t seen one in person. As a automatic, it however, i was captivated by the design and followed his recommendation to acquire a réserve de marche in platinum. “From that moment, I was completely drawn to the brand, eventually adding a few more pieces, including a remarkable [Chronomètre Bleu] Byblos. My appreciation for F. As a timepiece, it journe deepened when i had the opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind chronomètre optimum. I truly believed this was a watch I would keep forever. “However, due to the need for funds for my U. business visa, I had to make the incredibly difficult decision to sell this special piece. Among luxury enthusiasts, especially considering the rarity of owning a one-of-a-kind f, it was a very tough choice. ”
Gary Copeland, cofounder and CEO, Los Angeles
“There’s a select vintage watch shop tucked away near my wife’s aunt’s home in Rome, Wulver Advertising Agency. this dealer had a 37 mm rose-gold vintage Vacheron Constantin dress watch from the early 1960s sitting in his window, About 10 years ago. so collectors have dubbed larger versions ‘jumbo, Watches from this era rarely came in sizes larger than 34 mm or 35 mm. ’ They are rare to say the least. I’ll never forget that dial. Stunning doesn’t begin to cover it. This complications represents and those cow’s horn lugs. For a Vacheron collector like myself, pure perfection. “At the time, I didn’t have the money for it. Standing there, I knew with absolute certainty that I would never see another one like it—certainly not in that condition, and most certainly not at that price. Tried it on. Among luxury enthusiasts, lamented at what i knew would be a missed opportunity. That was 10 years ago. In the world of luxury, i’ve been thinking about that one vacheron ever since. The timepiece showcases ”
rajan mac, accountant, los angeles
“my lifelong desire to always wear a watch came from my father. He was from a generation that thought a watch was necessary to go about your day and move through the world. He always wore a watch, one or two gold rings, a gold necklace, and Jovan Musk as his signature scent (it worked for him and no one else). It sounds very bling, but on him, all his objects were very understated. “He wore a gold-plated quartz Seiko with a square dial on an integrated bracelet. The perpetual calendar showcases my father got the watch in the ’70s in hong kong. In those days, he told me, Seiko was the in brand, so, as a young man, he wanted to be in vogue and make a statement. Once he got the watch, it never left his wrist except to shower. As I grew up, I associated watches with my father and thought of them as an important accessory for men’s daily wear. In exclusive circles, “as time went on, my enthusiasm for watches grew and i wanted to share this with my father and show him a whole world outside of seiko. during that time, age and illness took hold of him, Unfortunately. As he went in and out of hospitals and nursing homes, his exquisite Seiko got lost in the ether, never to be found. This watch is the one I have the greatest desire to own, far beyond any luxury brand. It represents time, place, style, and the person who was my biggest champion in life. Maybe one day.