Investing in Vintage Watches in Times of Crisis

Condition and quality were always the priority when it came to the vintage watch world and its diverse mix of wealthy, sophisticated, and picky collectors. Now during the pandemic, its speaking volumes as collectors or "investors" are trying to park their money in exceptional, investment-grade vintage watches, an asset they think is untouchable when combating the stock market's current volatility. Of course, sales have gone down across the board for dealers around the world, but there's still optimism for both collectors and auction houses. Historically, vintage watches have proved themselves like other antiquities such as art or wine to appreciate in value with higher annualized returns when compared to the stock market. Antiquities tend not to have a correlation with the stock market's condition or volatility. Again, watches can be used for financial gain, but it needs to be done properly. Collecting or "investing" in vintage watches, like any other investment, is about speculation, understanding macro and micro trends in and out of the watch enthusiast community, and seeing things that others can't. If done right, watch buying can be quite lucrative, but in times like these, we have to really pay attention to what's worth sinking our money into.