Muser - Classic Wristwatches 2014-2015

More great titles for wristwatch aficionados Wristwatch Annual 2014 The Catalog of Producers, Prices, Models, & Specifications By Peter Braun The History of Watches Text by David Thompson Photographs by Saul Peckham About Classic Wristwatches An invaluable resource on vintage watches, Classic Wristwatches 20142015 contains detailed information on 40 of the most historically interesting brands sought after by collectors. Now in its third edition, Classic Wristwatches remains the ultimate guide for information on vintage watches, that is, watches no longer in current production. This easy-to-use e-book fully describes and illustrates each of the more than 900 timepieces it highlights, and also provides an estimated price carefully calculated by experts in the field. At the end of this e-book edition, a price list for all the watches is includeda handy feature for looking up a model in a particular range or comparing manufacturers prices. To make searching for your favorite watches even easier, a search-by-decade function has been added. Stefan Muser has been the owner of the renowned auction house Dr.

Crott in Mannheim, Germany, since 1993. He is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable auctioneers in Europe. Peter Braun is editor-in-chief of the renowned German wristwatch magazine Armbanduhren . Michael Ph. Horlbeck is a collector and journalist who writes a collecting column for the German magazine Armbanduhren . Horlbeck is also author of a book on mechanical alarm wristwatches.

To learn more about the paperback edition of Classic Wristwatches , please visit our website. To view our complete selection of e-books, visit www.abbeville.com/digital. TABLE OF CONTENTS Brands How to Use This Book Classic Wristwatches 20142015 contains a wealth of information, including pictures and specifications for more than 900 different watches. Here are some features to help you navigate:

But the prices that are now being fetched for pieces speak for themselves. For the vintage collector, it is most probably worthwhile taking a good look at the somewhat lesser-known watch brandsfor instance using the current, updated Classic Wristwatches catalog, in which we present about 900 vintage wristwatches, each with a picture, a concise description, and a development forecast. The estimated prices and forecasts are oriented on the actual market situation in Germany at the time of printing. Some prices making the rounds on the Internet could be different from those listed in this catalog. But those pieces advertised on the web need careful scrutiny. H. H.

Crott auction house. For the sake of accurate comparisons, all the estimated prices and development forecasts are based on very well-preserved, original, functioning, and complete watches, even if the actual watch portrayed and described in detail does not actually meet this standard in some individual cases. Watches that are especially well-documented and come with some of the original accessories (case, presentation box, replacement bracelet or straps, sales label, guarantee certificate, instructions for use, original invoice, etc.) can yield considerably higher prices. The opposite is also true. Models that are in need of restoration or have visible damage may well fetch a price below the estimate. The prices listed in this book are all based on estimated euro prices.

The dollar prices have been calculated from a theoretical and fluctuating exchange rate of $1.30 to the euro. For greater precision, please consult the daily exchange rate. For the sake of clarity, the models have not been arranged strictly chronologically within a brand, but rather according to function and type. By the same token, the vintage of each model has been highlighted to help establish a chronology. The little symbols found next to the name of each watch are also there to serve as additional identification and for overview purposes. Increase in value may be expected Good investment Probably valued too highly at the moment THE COLLECTORS MARKET FOR CLASSIC WRISTWATCHES WEARABLE SOLUTIONS The iconic designs from the 1960s have captured the headlines in collector circles. Increase in value may be expected Good investment Probably valued too highly at the moment THE COLLECTORS MARKET FOR CLASSIC WRISTWATCHES WEARABLE SOLUTIONS The iconic designs from the 1960s have captured the headlines in collector circles.

But the focus of watch fans has changed somewhat: technical values are making way for more practical style considerations. Naturally, the prices are also expected to go up considerably. Text: Stefan Muser Pictures: Auktionen Dr. Crott T he fashion of strapping time to ones wrist is barely a century old. And at the beginning, no one really knew whether wristwatches were for women and dandies or rather for tough guys, like pilots, soldiers, and athletes. As it turned out, the wristwatch managed to cross the gender gap without any problem, and soon after World War I, it was available to everyone and for every taste.

There is an active scene that is particularly interested in these early wristwatches. Their comprehensive collections contain a broad range of anything from rebuilt pocket watches all the way to delicate rectilinear timepieces with new customized movements inside. As an auctioneer, I am often saddened to no end when I have to interrupt an auction due to lack of interest in the room even for a very rare and well-kept piece with an enamel dial and a platinum casethat may have been extremely expensive in the 1920s. Even the early chronographs are making heavy weather of it in the collectors scene. The chronographs equipped with pocket watch movements are filigree, technical gems that are for the most part made by craftspeople. But the inherent value of these watches, whose retail price often exceeds the annual income of a minor clerk, is in no relation to the prices being paid out today.

Readers so inclined can figure out for themselves what is available from their trusted local watch dealer for $4,000 This early H. Moser & Cie wrist chronograph clearly shows its earlier life as a pocket watch. BUT CAN IT BE WORN? One question is dividing the vintage watch scene in two: Can I wear the watch with a three-piece suit or a polo shirt without people looking at me strangely? For those with a historical or technical interest in watches, wearability or suitability of a collectors item for everyday use is of no interest, because they will probably not carry it on their wrist in the first place, but rather keep it at home. But in the ten years during which we have been publishing this catalog, a new group of collectors has arisen within the wristwatch scene, one that is increasingly guided by visual and emotional criteria for purchasing. They are less interested in the technical features of a watch and more in prominent owners, memorable appearances in films, or portrayals in historic black-and-white photographs. And the new vintage collectors would like to wear, show, and look at their little treasures.