The savvy, smart, experienced collectors I know don’t always go for the big lots on the watch auction circuit , but instead identify some really interesting pieces they’re passionate about that also seem like they’ll go up in value. Some of these collectors have flipped these low-key sleepers years later for serious money, which adds up to fund that newsworthy big lot at a later date. In one case I know of, a very chill purchase turned into a second home—and a rather nice one at that.
If, like me, you are curious to know what this insider-scene of the watch circuit is like, you may be interested in following the Hong Kong Watch Auction that Phillips is putting on this weekend , which happens to be full of interesting watches with entirely down-to-earth estimates. Let’s call them sleepers. The key at this year’s Hong Kong Watch Auction is, in my estimation, to look at what is often called “neo-vintage.
” This is a relatively new and hot category—one which I cynically believe pre-owned dealers created to jack up prices on out-of-style, aging stock. Despite the crass impulse behind the genre’s creation, the result has been an increased awareness of what watch collectors often call “sweet spot” or “sleeper” pricing: Watches that are neither old enough to be vintage nor new enough to be hot pre-owned models. As a soft rule, neo-vintage watches are roughly 20 to 40 years old.
A few things to note about this selection below, however: First, neo-vintage wat.
