Generally, when a big auction house is selling a litany of old timepieces, the lots that tend to get the most attention skew towards the ultra-rare timepieces bound to garner tens of thousands of dollars. That’s fine and all, and timepiece’s like Paul Newman’s actual Rolex Daytona are certainly a boon to an auction house’s reputation, but this trend does seem to create a disconnect between the auctioneers and a vast majority of potential vintage watch buyers just looking for something interesting, vetted and reasonably priced. Fortunately, there are auctions out there that seem to focus on the (relatively) more attainable.
Take for example Bonham’s upcoming Knightsbridge Auction. While there are a few watches bound to go for a hefty sum (looking at you, “Ed White” Speedmaster), a significant focus seems to be on watches estimated to go for less than two grand. There are a few three-hand options from IWC, Rolex and Jaeger-LeCoultre all estimated to go for under $1,000. Meanwhile there are some great calendar watch options from Universal Genéve and Record Watch Company and some budget chronographs like this Omega Chronostop and Nivada Aviator Sea Diver. Keep in mind, these are only estimates, but they’re comprable to listings for the same watches you’d find at places like eBay or Chrono24.
The auction will take place at 1 pm BST (8 am EST) on September 12th in London, but you don’t have to get a plane ticket to partake — you can register to bid online.
