Watch calculator

There are more factors than the age of a watch that determine whether it is vintage or not. Generally, a vintage watch is between 30 and 100 years old; more than that and it will likely be classified as an antique. Since the word vintage gets thrown around pretty carelessly in the watch world to justify a higher price or to sell a slightly damaged watch, here are some other things to consider if you want to sell a vintage watch:

• Is it maintainable?
  An indication that a watch is truly vintage is if you can’t get it serviced by the manufacturer. Perhaps the company no longer exists or they simply refuse to supply their older watches. In any case, a watch that cannot be serviced by the manufacturer is a vintage watch.
• Does the watch date back to before the Swiss “quartz crisis”?
  The years 1973 – 1983 had a dramatic impact on the Swiss watch industry. Hundreds of brands and manufacturers closed their doors forever due to an influx of cheap quartz watches from East Asia flooding the market. In subsequent years, several brands were revived. However, the limited availability of machines and parts meant that they could not replicate their original models. Watches made before the crisis are considered vintage at all levels.
• Is it significantly different from the manufacturer’s current production?
  Collectors are looking for vintage watches with very different specifications than today. If an apparent vintage watch is made from materials not used in a brand’s current collections, that’s a good sign that it really is vintage. Also, if they were still using the same materials, they would likely be providing a service to them that contradicts our first point.