Simple design. German and Swiss heritage are obvious.
Rolex is so successful that it has caused convergent evolution with most modern watches emulating the classic Oyster Case or Submariner. Have you noticed, most modern watches look the same. Can't really blame them. They are all trying to cash in on the Rolex success.
As a matter of fact, even within the Rolex line, the women's watches look like a diminutive representation of their male counterpart.
Please don't get me wrong, Rolex watches are beautiful in their engineering simplicity, but Rolex has always been a little boring.
How boring? So boring that they need to be adorned by Mickey Mouse, brightly colored aftermarket dials, or aftermarket diamonds.
Again, don't get me wrong. We love Rolex and offer many models in mint condition. All I am saying is that it's a big world out there and don't
limit yourself to the herd mentality. At the time of production, vintage Rado and even Seiko were comparably priced to Rolex and offered
more sophisticated movements. Yes, hard to believe, but a vintage Rado or Seiko is actually better than a Rolex. Blasphemy!
Rolex however is quite clever, and soon the other manufacturers will follow. Clever enough to include a trap for even a master watchmaker. The trap is called the Rolex Silicone Ceramic Hairspring in all their watches since the early 2000's. What is this?
This little baby is at the heart of the Rolex movement and the supply is kept very limited by Rolex and unavailable to the public. What does that mean to you? That means that Rolex, and only Rolex can service your watch movement in a modern watch. The silicone ceramic hairspring was designed to "blow up" when serviced, rendering the watch inoperable unless replaced by a new hairspring that only Rolex offers. Yes, your 2022 Rolex can only be serviced by Rolex and they can charge you whatever they want!
Another reason to buy vintage, because vintage can be serviced forever by anyone.
Everyone is trying to copy Rolex. Rolex tends to be conservative and boring.
Watches were not always this boring. There was a time when watches were beautiful.
Modern watches are technically very complicated, big, and heavy.
How complicated?
Modern watches are no longer made by hand. They are made by CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines which works like 3D Printing. Once the design has been produced, then the manufacturer can mass produce the same exact watch at substantial savings. Unfortunately, the ease of production with CNC machines makes for easy precise forgeries that not even an average watchmaker can recognize. There is currently a flood of fake Rolexes on the market today. The real problem with these "robot" manufactured watches is that they are incredibly complex and are over engineered to prevent copies. Because of the incredible complexity of the modern watch, it will be very difficult to service them in the future. Result? You are paying $10,000 or even $20,000 for essentially a disposable watch! This is not the case for a vintage watch that can easily be restored over and over again to its original condition because of its pure simplicity.
How big?
Modern watches are so big that an average dress shirt won't fit over the watch.
How heavy?
So heavy that if you fall overboard, there is a good chance you will drown unless you sacrifice the watch.
It wasn't always like this.
Vintage watches are beautiful. Different shapes. Different colors. Thin. Luxurious.
Look for yourself at the gallery below. We have included a collection of modern watches and for your enjoyment, a collection of vintage watches.
Side by side you can make up your own mind about what to wear on your wrist.
Don't let the experts brainwash you into what to wear.
Beautiful things are beautiful. You know this to be true.
Be careful out there, however. Not all vintage watches are the same. Beckertime was recently sued by Rolex for selling forgeries. Rolex won. Vintage watches cannot be mass produced. They cannot be copied, unlike a modern watch. A vintage watch shows its age, and by virtue of being hand made, every vintage watch is slightly different. Every vintage watch is unique even though it's the same exact model, unlike modern machine made watches that are exactly the same.
Beckertime is not the only one giving vintage watches a bad name.
WatchArtExchange is the only place we know where you will find a beautiful vintage watch that looks and works as good today as the day it left the factory 50 years ago.
Because of their timeless beauty and their simplicity, your vintage watch will last forever.
Enjoy!
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