Collecting Men's Vintage Watches

Once upon a time vintage watches were solely for collectors, but nowadays they are fast becoming the essential 'must haves'. Men's magazines when portraying the 'smart' look tend to feature expensive modern watches which are usually way beyond the pocket of the average male. Fortunately it is not necessary to spend a fortune - there are many stylish watches ranging from the 1930s to the 1970s that can be bought for between £80 and £800, depending on your budget.

The top tip is to not just concentrate on the very expensive, exclusive Swiss names such as Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, which can set you back as much as £20,000. You should rather consider buying the less expensive Swiss makes, like Omega, Longines or LeCoultre or the American makes of Waltham or Hamilton.

The wrist watch hasn't really been around for very long and didn't really take off until after the First World War. The early watches resembled the pocket watches they were looking to replace. Cases were usually circular with simple white dials. The Art Deco style of the Twenties and Thirties introduced the rectangular watch with simple, geometrically shaped cases. From the late Forties onwards forms became more stylised and served as contemporary jewellery as well as a time piece.

Two major styles were introduced during the 1950s. The first was a return to simplicity with simple circular cases and dials. Numbers were often replaced by minimal lines and very thin hands. Look out for pieces by Longines or LeCoultre which can be found for as little as £150 - £200 while a Rolex from that period would probably cost less than £1,000. If you like the Rolex look but don't fancy paying the price keep your eyes open for a Tudor, a sub-brand of Rolex which can be found for aroun £200-£600.

The 1950s was a period for innovation and many extravagantly shaped cases with oversized lugs were produced and this trend continued into the Sixties when watchmakers got their inspiration from outer space and the future. This theme was taken up by haute couture fashion designers like Andre Courreges and Pierre Cardin. By the end of the decade watch cases were bold and large. Although Swiss makers such as Buler, Vulcain and Lucerne are no well known to many novice collectors their stylish space age style is very popular and they can be had for as little as £80. One of the most iconic 'space age' watch is the Tressa Lux 'Spaceman' by French designer Andre Le Marquand. Its oval stainless case was inspired by the visors fo the austronauts who landed on the moon in 1969. You should be able to find one in good condition for around £150.

The general rule is that the more complex and finer the movement is, the more expensive the watch will be. Therefore, ultra-thin movements and those with added features such as moon phases, chronographs etc can mean that a watch will fetch thousands rather than hundreds of pounds. Most of the vintage watches at the lower end of the market will have manually wound movements although there are some automatic ones.

If you are buying for investment you should consider the material the case is made from, as this will have a bearing on the value. A manually wound Longines with a rectangular solid 14ct gold case would cost around £150-£300. White gold or platinum cases are rare and would therefore be more expensive. Pay attention to these details as they can transform a fairly ordinary watch into something highly collectable.