[Truetone]

The Grumpy Collector: We didn’t start the fire: When is a watch vintage, classic, retro, or antique?

Billy Joel told us time is relentless in his song “Two Thousand Years” (on the much maligned but I think endearing album, River of Dreams). Who am I to disagree with the bard from the B…

watchwatcha.com

 

[AtomicTom]

What a cool article True ! 😎 I think we maybe don’t think about
these terms or how we might use them. And I know vintage to me
just means whatever it is, it’s been around for a while and is a little
older. And perhaps even funkier than watches made in the last couple
or few decades. 😀 While antique watches are just older vintage
watches. With both categories having classics within them.

Come to think of it, even a retro, or modern watch can be classic
if it either has an already classic feel. Or is creating a totally new
or modern classic style. 😉

It’s terrific to see an article about all of it that’s for sure sir. I can’t
thank you enough for both finding as well as posting it up for us !!!

 

[FBPB]

Interesting article!

I would beg to differ in regard to when "modern" watches started... I have a Tag Heuer from 1992 which, according to its size, is "too small" compared to recent trends. And my father's 1985 Rolex is only 36mm, quite small compared to today's offerings!

So, I would say there was a middle period that started around 1998 or whenever it was Sylvester Stalone made the rather large Panerai popular among the Hollywood "glitterati", once that happened the race to make bigger and bigger watches was pursued with abandon, until the last few years when the trend broke and slightly smaller watches became more fashionable... Still, my 1969 Zenith AutoSport looks like a trinket in today's world, but then I have huge wrists...