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This message has been edited by KMII on 2026-04-04 09:25:39
The Old Way of Watch Geeks
Flea Markets, Word of Mouth, and Back Alley Wisdom ...
It was slower. Harder. But in its own way, it was purer. No noise. Just watches, and the people who loved them enough to remember every detail by heart. if you wanted a vintage watch, you didn’t scroll you searched . Flea markets, dusty pawn shops, estate sales. You’d drive hours for a tip from a guy who knew a guy whose uncle worked at a Bulova factory in the ’60s. Those repairmen? Gold. Some were ex-brand techs ... Rolex ... Omega, Patek ... who’d hung up their factory badges and opened a bench in the back of a jewelry store. They didn’t post on forums. They’d just grunt, pop the case open, and tell you in two sentences what you were holding, where it came from, and why that crown was different. No jargon, no flexing. Just facts, passed down like tools. Buy the seller, not the watch !!! wasn’t a slogan it was survival.
Before forums, Instagram, and YouTube tutorials, watch collecting lived in the quiet hum of flea markets, dimly lit jewelry shops, and the back rooms of independent watchmakers. There were no likes, no resell price trackers, no influencer unboxings just people who loved the quiet tick of a well-made machine and the stories those machines carried.
You didn’t Google a reference number you asked . Maybe it was the old guy behind the counter at a mom-and-pop shop on Jewelers’ Row who’d been winding watches since the ‘60s. Or the retired Rolex technician who opened a tiny repair bench in his garage and remembered which calibers hated humidity. These were your databases. Your authentication tools. Your auction previews.
Information moved slow, but it was dense . A five-minute conversation with a seasoned repairman could tell you more about a vintage Submariner’s case evolution than a dozen modern blog posts. He’d flip it over, squint at the hallmarks, run a finger along the edge of the caseback, and say, “Nah, that crown wasn’t original. Came off a 5513 in ‘78.” No photos, no citations just memory, honed by decades of handling steel and gold.
Flea markets and watch swap meets were the real marketplaces. No listings, no algorithms just tables lined with battered boxes, trays of orphaned watches, and guys trading stories as much as timepieces. You’d find a 1960s Omega here, a forgotten Jaeger-LeCoultre there, all for prices that seem laughable now. But you had to know or know someone who did. A watch wasn’t valuable because it was hyped. It was valuable because the guy next to you swore it was one of the few with a tropical dial he’d ever seen.
Magazines like WatchTime or auction catalogues from Sotheby’s or Antiquorum were gospel, passed around like contraband. You’d study them like blueprints. But even those were secondary to the real currency: trust. You bought from someone you’d met three times at different shows, who never oversold, who admitted when he didn’t know.
There was no FOMO. No fear you’d miss the next drop. Watches weren’t assets; they were companions. You wore them, beat them up, handed them to your kid. Collecting wasn’t about completing a grid—it was about chasing a feeling, a connection to craft, to history, to the quiet pride of owning something that outlasted trends.
my fondness of vintage pieces and the hobby was never about the polish or the price tag. it's about the weight on my wrist that feels like memory ... a whisper from someone else's yesterday, letting it sync with my now.
This message has been edited by KMII on 2026-04-04 09:25:39
How true. Very nice post, mon ami. Those were the days. Now, there is something which is still true, the taste in watches, education versus watch snobbery, trends, social status and so on...
A wonderful write up 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I unfortunately entered the scene too late to fully immerse myself into what you describe and have often been living in places where potential pickings would have been exceedingly slim, as there was little market previously 🤷🏻♂️
But does sound like an era that’s unlikely to return …
What a post, which I bookmarked - A pure pleasure reading, although I didn‘t really fully witness these ol‘ times !
Also loved your photography, backgrounds, epiphemalia and watches.. very nice and as well cool watches ‼️
On a humble personal note, I specifically enjoyed the Bulova and Benrus pieces,
but also the Omegas..
- Thank you for these lines, I‘ll tip my Beret
- and wish you a happy Easter !
Best, 😊😊👌
I took the time to read your post and savour every word and photos.
I would have loved to have known that era, but I only started collecting watches later.
One of your sentences that I completely endorse is “Watches weren’t assets; they were companions”: it's exactly how I feel about my watches.
Thanks for this post.
Best, Emmanuel
Your collection of vintage pieces is absolutely amazing. Just as amazing is the props in the excellent photos. The Cal Neva ashtray especially caught my eye as I lived in Tahoe City during
it's rat-pack heyday and kept visiting it until it was shuttered up not that long ago. Love that last piece!
Hear Hear, you put into words exactly how I feel, your passion and ethos comes through in the way you capture your wonderful pieces, thank you 😊👍🙏
Well said. Those were indeed the days. My father used to to take to Porterbello Road flee markets in the 70’s and 80. You could pick up a vintage GMT or Submariner for £150-200 with some haggling. What an era!