Watch Out: Are vintage-inspired watches turning back time?

We look at the brands returning to their archive for inspiration for their latest collections

The vintage mechanical watch market is red hot right now, with record prices being achieved at auction on models, that a year ago, were selling in the low four figures at best. This is in stark contrast with the modern luxury watch market, which is having something of a tough time of late. Not surprisingly, a number of brands have chosen to get in touch with their roots, searching for a way to help them weather these challenging times. The answer most of them have come up with, it seems, is retro-inspired, vintage reissue timepieces and to be honest, we couldn’t be happier about it. It’s a welcome return to more reasonably-sized cases, refined designs and watches that just look plain cool. In short, it’s a return to watches made for gentlemen.

Sixty-years ago, Omega launched three professional timepieces that would go on to become highly sought after collector’s items: the Railmaster, the Seamaster 300 and the Speedmaster. The latter two in particular, belong to, arguably the two most iconic collections Omega has ever produced, with one being worn by James Bond and the other being worn on the moon. To celebrate the anniversary, all three models have been reproduced to almost the exact same specifications as the originals. All three watches are cased in brushed and polished stainless steel and feature a black ‘tropical’ dial, with vintage indexes slightly deepened to allow filling with Super-LumiNova. The stainless steel bracelets have been updated for strength and aesthetics and feature a retro-style OMEGA logo on the clasp. For die-hard enthusiasts Omega has created a very special Trilogy box, limited to just 557 pieces.

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Just over a year ago, Tag Heuer held a competition called the “Autavia Cup” to allow fans to vote for which historic Autavia model from the 1960’s they wanted to see re-issued. Two rounds and 50,000 votes later a winner was declared: TAG Heuer would produce a re-edition of the Autavia Ref. 2446 Mark 3 ‘Rindt’, designed in 1966. Fast-forward to the present day and the new Heuer Autavia is a hot contender for the best vintage re-issue watch of 2017. The design is simple yet still very stylish, with tons of vintage chronograph appeal plus a few modern updates. The stainless steel case has been upped in size to 42mm (from the original 39mm) and the 12-hour graduated black aluminum bidirectional notched bezel is a little thicker than the original and obviously looks quite modern. What has remained largely unchanged however (in a good way), is the dial. In fact, despite being fifty-years apart, in this regard the two models are pretty much identical.

Not one to typically follow trends, Patek Philippe delivered an unexpected (but not unwelcome) surprise, in the form of its retro-styled Ref. 5320G Perpetual Calendar. Having invented the wrist-worn perpetual calendar in 1925, it’s fair to say the brand is something of an authority on the complication. For this latest creation, the 40mm, 18k white gold case with gorgeous, Art Deco style three-tiered lugs takes its design inspiration from the Patek Philippe Ref. 2405, a popular model from over 60 years ago. What will really turn heads however, is the brass dial is covered in a rich, cream color lacquer with a nice glossy finish. Taking elements from several different popular Patek Philippe models from the 1940’s, it has a decidedly vintage look and feel to it, whilst being thoroughly modern in its execution.

The Ulysse Nardin Dive Le Locle is inspired by an almost identical looking model from 1964, with some minor updates of course. As with the Heuer Autavia above, the steel case has been up-sized to 42mm (from 38mm), which is much better suited to today’s tastes. It also features a sub-dial with cross-hair markings at six o’clock for the small seconds, whereas the original had a central seconds hand. Everything else though, such as those distinctive, baton-shaped luminescent hour and minute hands, looks like it’s been lifted straight from the 1964 model, an impression Ulysse Nardin has re-enforced by giving all the indications on the dial the faux patina treatment to simulate an aged dial. Presented in a polished steel case, the Ulysse Nardin Diver Le Locle has lovely facetted lugs and a uni-directional, black-coated aluminium bezel with a nice glossy finish.

Tom Mulraney is the Founder of Luxury Content Creators Inc. and the Managing Editor of online watch magazine thewatchlounge.com.

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