When I hear the term Dato-Compax my first thoughts are a Rolex 1950's reference 6036 triple date calendar chronograph watch. This is the nickname of one of the most sought-after complicated Rolex watches. The Rolex Dato-Compax is quite rare and to find a nice example in today's market it would cost north of $100,000.
Affordable Dato-Compax Watches
December 01, 2011
Summer Watch Report 2011
September 08, 2011
Summer is officially over and on to the fall watch season which features many watch shows and major auctions that will start in late September. Typically the watch market slows down in the summer but this summer the steam kept rolling.
Geneva Spring Auction Season May 2011
May 20, 2011
I just returned home from Geneva where I attended the three major watch auctions of Antiquorum, Sotheby's, and Christie's. The results were excellent with combined totals of three auctions at about $44 million dollars.
Market Show Report First Quarter 2011
April 14, 2011
The first quarter of 2011 has been very impressive for the watch business. I have attended four IWJG watch shows, two WWT watch shows, and two major watch auctions. Auction houses have been selling over 95% of their merchandise above estimate values and most dealers have been very happy with strong sales at the shows.
The World of Longines Chronographs
January 24, 2011
The vintage Longines chronographs from the 1930s to the 1960s are highly sought-after and have exceptional quality. Unlike most watch manufactures from the time period, Longines made their own in-house movement instead of contracting an outside company.
Patek Philippe ref #96
January 06, 2011
When I started collecting vintage watches back in the late 1980s there were a lot less brands to collect especially with modern watches. On the vintage side it was Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, and Rolex.
Matt's Watch Review For 2010
January 06, 2011
Modern and vintage watches performed very well in 2010. There has been a shortage in product and an increase in demand which has caused a little bit of frenzy lately. On the modern side, all the high end luxury brands have performed well including Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, IWC, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne.
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
September 24, 2010
This is an incredible and extremely rare find. This is the actual Rolex Chronograph that was worn by George Lazenby as James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majestys Secret Service. It is the classic Rolex chronograph ref #6238 or known as the Rolex pre-Daytona.
Rolex GMT Master Ref: 6542
September 01, 2010
The bakelite bezel Rolex GMT is a true collector's item, and to find the 1955 version is an impossible feat, especially one with all the proper original features.
Rolex Moon Phase "Padellone" 1950s
August 02, 2010
Back in the 1950s Rolex made several complicated wristwatches of which included the reference 8171 moon phase. This particular version is made of stainless steel, but it was also made in yellow and rose gold. The Rolex moon phase reference 8171 is an automatic watch and features a triple date calendar.
Rolex Paul Newman Cosmograph "Tropical"
July 21, 2010
When I initially began to collect watches in 1988 I had a strong interest in Rolex sports models which includes Submariners, GMTs, Explorers and Daytona's. In the beginning of this market in the late 1980s collectors desired perfect dials with unchanged color.
FIT FOR A KING...Audemars Offshore Volcano
July 13, 2010
We are extremely happy here in Miami with the acquisition of Lebron James and must say he has excellent watch taste. On his big decision day on a nationally televised ESPN program, Lebron James was wearing an Audemars Piguet Offshore Limited Edition Volcano watch.
A. Lange & Söhne
July 08, 2010
A. Lange & Söhne, which is a German watch company, is one of my favorite watch brands due their strong design and incredible quality. Today I am featuring the original A. Lange & Söhne pilots watch from the 1940s made for the German Air force. The massive watch is 55 millimeters and was made this size to fit over the pilots suit. There were other brands such as Laco and Stowe that made similar watches but the quality of the A. Lange & Söhne was the best.
Blancpain Aqualung 1950s
June 30, 2010
The Aqualung is a dive watch that was developed by Blancpain in the early 1950s and was one of the first serious dive watches ever produced. It is part of Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms dive watch line which also includes the bathyscaphe and air command chronograph.
The Omega "Cosmic" Moonphase
June 18, 2010
Last week we spoke about great patina, and now we are talking about new old stock. This is Omega's 14k Cosmic Moonphase, one of Omega's most complicated watches from the 1950s.
Omega "Soccer Timer" Seamaster
June 10, 2010
In honor of FIFA's World Cup we are featuring Omega's most collectible Seamaster Chronograph Soccer Timer wristwatch.
Rolex "Red" Submariner reference 1680
June 07, 2010
The Rolex Submariner reference 1680 with red writing was made approximately between 1967 and 1973.
The Rolex "Precision" a Dress Watch
May 28, 2010
Since the 1940's Rolex has been making a series of round dress watches that do not get much attention but are quite rare and beautiful.
Omega Seamaster Big Blue
May 25, 2010
This Omega Seamaster Chronograph was launched in 1973 and was Omega's first chronograph to be certified up to 120 meters.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris
May 21, 2010
One of my favorite diving watches is the Jaeger-LeCoultre "Polaris" which was launched in the mid 1960's. The Polaris has always been a very collectible watch due to its limited production run of approximately 1700 pieces.
Patek Philippe ref #2526
May 14, 2010
The Patek Philippe reference 2526 was introduced in the early 1950s and is considered it to be the most iconic time only wristwatch by many collectors.
Watch Auction Genèva May 2010
May 11, 2010
This past weekend four watch auctions took place in Genèva, at Patrizzi and Co., Antiquorum, Sotheby's, and Christies. The results were very strong with sales totaling over 40 million Swiss Francs (CHF) for all four sales.
New York IWJG Watch Show Report, April 26, 2010
May 05, 2010
This was a very active show with a lot of energy and with many Asian and European dealers in attendance. Buying and selling was very brisk and some very collectible watches surfaced including a Rolex James Bond Ref: 6200, Patek Philippe 2499, and a unique Vacheron Constantin World Time Clock.
Omega Railmaster
May 04, 2010
Since the 1950s several watch manufactures have produced a special series of "antimagnetic" watches designed for people who work around magnetic activity.
Heuer "Solunar" Tide Watch
March 31, 2010
The Heuer Solunar has been made since the 1940s but its design has changed over the years.
Market Show Report January to March 2010
March 29, 2010
It's been an exhausting schedule, but I've acquired some good insight on current market conditions for both vintage and modern timepieces.