For anyone who has been involved in a highly specialised field for any significant length of time, largely mixing with other people engrossed to a similar extent, it is very easy to forget that the rest of the population at large do not automatically have the same depth of knowledge.

While experienced collectors will be aware of the distinctive character and history of each of the various major Swiss watch houses, to the man in the street they will probably be known only as famous names that he has seen on the displays in the jewellers’ windows and the wide selection of antique watches for sale on a site like this one can be bewildering.

>This situation can be especially difficult for anyone intent upon buying a vintage watch as a gift for a loved one or family member. As someone outside the collecting fraternity themselves, they may have little or no knowledge of the subject, but are expected to part with a not insignificant amount of money, having almost blind faith in the supplying dealer. One of the key objectives of this website, and the decade of online auctions from which it was developed, is, and always will be, the demystification of the vintage watch world.

A lot of the antique and jewellery trade prospers simply because buyers are not highly informed and don’t have any experience in the area in which they’re purchasing. We’ve felt for a long time that this particularly applies to items that are one-off purchases, where customers are unlikely to be eager to do a lot of background research before making a selection.

How many buyers of diamond engagement rings actually take the trouble to work out the trade value of the stones in the rings they are being shown, or have a clear understanding of the concepts of cut, clarity or carat before they hand over their money ? The answer is very few and, if one was in cynical mood, it could be said that this is probably exactly how the retail jewellery industry wants things to stay. The strategy when creating the content for this website has been just the opposite. There is an awful lot of information here, and the buyer with a few hours to spare will be able to make a very educated decision as to what he is buying, even if he has had no exposure whatsoever to antique wristwatches in the past.

With furtherance of this objective in mind, it seemed worthwhile to produce overviews of the major brands that are represented on this site. These short narratives are not intended to be the all encompassing definitive biographies of each concern, far from it, but with a bit of luck, they should serve to cast a little bit of light into what can appear to be something of a black art to the newcomer collector or one-off gift buyer.

It goes without saying that should more information be needed to hone down a selection of possible choices, we are always more than happy to provide this, either by email or telephone, and offer an honest, straightforward opinion as to which piece is likely to be the most suited for a particular purpose, be this investment, regular use or whatever. Similarly, if potential buyers find it difficult to choose an item online, they are always most welcome to come along in person to East Yorkshire and examine any watches they are interested in before making a purchase.