5 Tips to Buy Vintage and keep your shirt!
Thanks to @chronotriggered previous guide on buying vintage, I put together this video showing some of my vintage scores and talking about pitfalls to avoid when shopping vintage.
Does this help you shop for your first vintage watch?
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Captain Crunch
Co-founder of WatchCrunch; Inventor of the Zero Pass strap.
United States
Member since
Last active: 12 hrs ago
16.51 cm
Pop the back… check
Buy the seller… check
Do your homework… check
that‘s pretty much it, nice one, no complaints
Pop the back… check
Buy the seller… check
Do your homework… check
that‘s pretty much it, nice one, no complaints
But no "bag of wasps."
But no "bag of wasps."
Yes - some ‘triggerisms didn’t make it in 😂
Yes - some ‘triggerisms didn’t make it in 😂
Part Deux
You make an interesting point on vintage digital — generally it is very binary, in that it either works or doesn’t anymore. (Not much in the way of losing time/gaining time etc.) That means servicing for a digital watch almost doesn’t exist, because it is a totally different thing to mechanical, and requires a skill set that more or less never existed beyond hobbyists because they were never really meant to be serviced. But then, what if you can’t get the module anymore?
It’s kind of sad because I have an eighties/nineties anadigi that my father asked if I could get running and… nope. Battery ate it. Replacement module (despite being on used by loads of brands) just isn’t viable to get anymore, and there’s no way I am skilled enough to retrace paths or replace blown caps. It’s just dead. And it’s a shame. (It’s a Sekonda version of basically the watch worn by Muldoon in Jurassic Park.) Same is true of the big brands — I couldn’t get a replacement module for my wife’s Baby-G (one that is less than twenty years old) and so found a second hand replacement of the entire watch. It looks and functions more or less the same, but will wear out, and one day the strap will be irreplaceable too, and fundamentally while it looks like the same watch she wore all those years ago, it isn’t her watch from all those years ago.
When tinkering with watches and things, I sometimes think about psychometry (I think...) that vaguely SF concept of being able to see the history of an object, to re-experience its past. Quartz and digital are just not going to have that, because eventually only option is hoping a manufacturer re-issues a watch.
Anyway, on that sad note, I have to go find out if I can get my twenty-three year old hand-me-down from my father Eco-Drive serviced or at least a new battery at a reasonable price, because those at least have hopefully a little more potential for future survival. XD
I always enjoy your video style, but I have to say that there isn't an abundance of value in this particular video.
The first section, titled "Do your research" starts out promising with the words "But what does that mean?". Unfortunately, it stops there, and only says "a quick google search...", and doesn't really go on to offer any tips on how to find the elusive reference information that's really needed to safely enter the world of vintage watches.
It reminded me of the old joke:
Q: How do you carve a statue of an elephant?
A: You take a big block of stone and carve away everything that doesn't look like an elephant.
I always enjoy your video style, but I have to say that there isn't an abundance of value in this particular video.
The first section, titled "Do your research" starts out promising with the words "But what does that mean?". Unfortunately, it stops there, and only says "a quick google search...", and doesn't really go on to offer any tips on how to find the elusive reference information that's really needed to safely enter the world of vintage watches.
It reminded me of the old joke:
Q: How do you carve a statue of an elephant?
A: You take a big block of stone and carve away everything that doesn't look like an elephant.
Check the video description for more useful links
You make an interesting point on vintage digital — generally it is very binary, in that it either works or doesn’t anymore. (Not much in the way of losing time/gaining time etc.) That means servicing for a digital watch almost doesn’t exist, because it is a totally different thing to mechanical, and requires a skill set that more or less never existed beyond hobbyists because they were never really meant to be serviced. But then, what if you can’t get the module anymore?
It’s kind of sad because I have an eighties/nineties anadigi that my father asked if I could get running and… nope. Battery ate it. Replacement module (despite being on used by loads of brands) just isn’t viable to get anymore, and there’s no way I am skilled enough to retrace paths or replace blown caps. It’s just dead. And it’s a shame. (It’s a Sekonda version of basically the watch worn by Muldoon in Jurassic Park.) Same is true of the big brands — I couldn’t get a replacement module for my wife’s Baby-G (one that is less than twenty years old) and so found a second hand replacement of the entire watch. It looks and functions more or less the same, but will wear out, and one day the strap will be irreplaceable too, and fundamentally while it looks like the same watch she wore all those years ago, it isn’t her watch from all those years ago.
When tinkering with watches and things, I sometimes think about psychometry (I think...) that vaguely SF concept of being able to see the history of an object, to re-experience its past. Quartz and digital are just not going to have that, because eventually only option is hoping a manufacturer re-issues a watch.
Anyway, on that sad note, I have to go find out if I can get my twenty-three year old hand-me-down from my father Eco-Drive serviced or at least a new battery at a reasonable price, because those at least have hopefully a little more potential for future survival. XD
Yeah it's less romantic to just replace the innards 😞
Informative video. im a fan of good vintage watches. Something to be said for the design of certain eras and their history.
With vintage watches, Research research and more research, Please do your homework be very careful.1967 rolex datejust
Great video! You’ve actually taken some of the fear out of the prospect for me. I’m super interested in getting into it. Now about that watchmaker friend….any watchmakers in the Salt Lake Area looking for a buddy? I have a trampoline in my back yard and sometimes say “oh my heck.”😜
With vintage watches, Research research and more research, Please do your homework be very careful.1967 rolex datejust
2 tone for the win!!
Great video! You’ve actually taken some of the fear out of the prospect for me. I’m super interested in getting into it. Now about that watchmaker friend….any watchmakers in the Salt Lake Area looking for a buddy? I have a trampoline in my back yard and sometimes say “oh my heck.”😜
That's gonna be a hard one to pass up!!
2 tone for the win!!
Thanks max,we'll be doing my Current watch collection review, Love to hear some suggestions from you
I love that Omega 1960s chronograph...you've now sparked a flame that has to be quenched 😉
Surely you have one? 😂
They are, and I cannot really muster a better word than this after a long day of watching football, “banging”.
great video, surprisingly all of the vintage watch that shows here are in relatively very good condition 👍
great video, surprisingly all of the vintage watch that shows here are in relatively very good condition 👍
Here’s a beat up selection to satisfy the baying mob.
Surely you have one? 😂
They are, and I cannot really muster a better word than this after a long day of watching football, “banging”.
I've actually been super leery about vintage Omegas due to the number of Frankenwatches and Fakes out there. Seems like quite the minefield especially for vintage Speedies.
I've just got to put my helmet on and wade in...
At the risk of some shameless self-promotion, the guide did have a little epilogue. It kind of touches on why you don’t need to go vintage to get the vibe, and it shows a modern watch played against a similar period Rolex I found the next day, and my thought process about my decision to (spoiler-alert) walk away from the watch. Almost like a final case study…
Having a little reflection on @Max’s video, section 5 is very important, and I just want to say with regards to pin-pallet and jewel count you can get high numbers of jewels in some of those movements as well, but the core mechanics involving pin(s) remains the same. The best description of movements like this is one I’ve seen on 17jewels.info when he talks about the EB 8021-68, a 23J (!) pin-pallet, and he calls it a “stone grave”. Love it. I actually have one of those movements in an Albion World Timer, so even I do succumb to pin-pallet once in a while. It’s just hard to resist sometimes…
My guess is if Max tried to communicate everything that was in the thread it would have bored the viewers to sleep.
There are unlikely too many of us that spend our time accumulating lengthy links to websites that describe every type of movement. However, since a number of us especially @chronotriggered and @Aurelian have provided those links, I think the miss was Max not mentioning that in the video itself.
Since a lot of viewers are watching YouTube on a TV you don't see the links below the video and thus are unaware of them. Always good to mention in the video itself any additional content that will be below the video within YouTube.
Agreed. I often catch up on watch related YouTube videos by streaming them to my TV when I'm on the treadmill, and when doing so, never see any of the comments or links. The same thing happens when watching the video within WC.
I realize that YouTube videos that are heavy on information can often be somewhat dry, and appreciate that a truly useful Vintage Buying guide would be tough to condense into a 10 minute video. I enjoy being entertained, but I also like to be informed, and for me an ideal watch related YouTube video has a nice mix of both. I first discovered Max from an old video of his from his old Haute Ones channel talking about watch straps, and that video was a great example of a video that both informed and entertained. Max's personality always comes through in his videos, so I always find them enjoyable to watch, but this isn't one of his best as far as I'm concerned.
Another example of where this one falls short for me is when talking about pin-pallet escapements. His response to his own question "How do you tell (if a watch has a pin-pallet escapement" of "Well, pop the back", assumes that the viewer is able to locate the escape wheel or pallet fork (which isn't always easy, especially from photos), and knows how to tell the difference in appearance between a pin-pallet escapement and a lever escapement. Given the likely target audience for the video, that may be a bit of a stretch. Some explanation of what to look for after the back is popped would have been beneficial.
I debated about posting this as I know I'm probably coming across like Grandpa Simpson.
Here’s a beat up selection to satisfy the baying mob.
this looks more authentic than what max showing 😂😂. well done @chronotriggered for inspiring max latest video 🙏🏻🙏🏻
I always enjoy your video style, but I have to say that there isn't an abundance of value in this particular video.
The first section, titled "Do your research" starts out promising with the words "But what does that mean?". Unfortunately, it stops there, and only says "a quick google search...", and doesn't really go on to offer any tips on how to find the elusive reference information that's really needed to safely enter the world of vintage watches.
It reminded me of the old joke:
Q: How do you carve a statue of an elephant?
A: You take a big block of stone and carve away everything that doesn't look like an elephant.
Isn’t that half the fun of this hobby jumping down the rabbit hole researching for months on end? no hard or fast rule - just start with a question, hold your nose & jump!
Agreed. I often catch up on watch related YouTube videos by streaming them to my TV when I'm on the treadmill, and when doing so, never see any of the comments or links. The same thing happens when watching the video within WC.
I realize that YouTube videos that are heavy on information can often be somewhat dry, and appreciate that a truly useful Vintage Buying guide would be tough to condense into a 10 minute video. I enjoy being entertained, but I also like to be informed, and for me an ideal watch related YouTube video has a nice mix of both. I first discovered Max from an old video of his from his old Haute Ones channel talking about watch straps, and that video was a great example of a video that both informed and entertained. Max's personality always comes through in his videos, so I always find them enjoyable to watch, but this isn't one of his best as far as I'm concerned.
Another example of where this one falls short for me is when talking about pin-pallet escapements. His response to his own question "How do you tell (if a watch has a pin-pallet escapement" of "Well, pop the back", assumes that the viewer is able to locate the escape wheel or pallet fork (which isn't always easy, especially from photos), and knows how to tell the difference in appearance between a pin-pallet escapement and a lever escapement. Given the likely target audience for the video, that may be a bit of a stretch. Some explanation of what to look for after the back is popped would have been beneficial.
I debated about posting this as I know I'm probably coming across like Grandpa Simpson.
You got it! Always hard to balance entertainment with education. Doesn't help this isn't a particularly strong topic for me.
Pop the back… check
Buy the seller… check
Do your homework… check
that‘s pretty much it, nice one, no complaints
Beware of pin pallets...
If I may - it depends mainly on the movement and partly due to people available to do the work. If the quartz movement malfunctions then you need to consider parts. Unlike mechanical movements, quartz sometimes involves just swapping the movement out. It may be that you could get a more modern movement to work, but failing that, if the brand still exists then it might be you need to go through the brand itself...
Vintage digital, similar, and the parts are likely to be even rarer.
Electronic, tuning fork… similar. Both myself in the guide, and @ChronoGuy mention our experiences with tuning forks at various stages on the site.
Parts, provenance, and people.
Never thought of that, thanks @chronotriggered! Is there anything I should look for when looking at quartz vintage? Or is just luck? And is 90's/2000's quartz considered vintage?
Never thought of that, thanks @chronotriggered! Is there anything I should look for when looking at quartz vintage? Or is just luck? And is 90's/2000's quartz considered vintage?
Other than what I suggested? Not too sure what else I can add other than just maybe ask when the last battery change was, how easy is the battery to change (I do my own - I ask this now because I have seen some watches with the battery still in and there is a risk of leakage and/or corrosion). How long they’ve had the watch is also good. Most of this is luck as well, but the more you know the less likely you are to get burned. I’m still one to take risks sometimes…
If vintage is usually 25 years or so, that takes us up to 1997.
Guys, Vintage is a Way of Life, period!
Let the Bug 🪲 bite you and and Vintage the Animal 👹 devour you ⌚💪👍👌🙌👏😃😆😎😜😂⌚.
Haven't been around much lately, but all of you good folks are great people in my book 🤝 ! @chronotriggered You're a Vintage BEAST Bro 💯💥!
One for all of you Vintage fanatics,
Excelsior Park EP42 newly paired with a Forstner Beads of Rice bracelet recreating the look of the vintage JB beads of rice 😃!
great video, surprisingly all of the vintage watch that shows here are in relatively very good condition 👍
Plenty of great condition vintage examples out there, you just have to be a little patient and willing to pay a bit of a premium when they pop up!
But also, wearing a near perfect vintage example isn't for everyone. I don't want to be the ding dong who ruins something that survived 50 years without a big dent from a doorknob, so I found myself never enjoying the best vintage examples I owned. Nowadays I try and buy vintage that's in good shape but with some wabi/patina that I can wear and enjoy without feeling like I'm destroying a unicorn.
So I guess the last tip for buying vintage is: Know thy self haha
Great headline.