admin This is an edition of the newsletter Box + Papers, Cam Wolf’s weekly deep dive into the world of watches. Sign up here.
When Apple released its watch in 2015, it was supposed to be the stake through the heart of the watch industry. Instead, in the subsequent years, it seems the younger generation has only grown fonder of timepieces. “Who would’ve thought that the younger generation today would be educating the older ones on watchmaking?” Audemars Piguet’s CEO François-Henry Bennahmias told me in a recent interview. (I, for one, am shocked people haven’t fully migrated over to another device meant for reading emails.)
In particular, younger collectors are especially passionate about what’s on their wrists. Cue the hysteria for each of the Swatch collaborations with Omega and Blancpain. But monitoring restocks isn’t the only way to get an affordable timepiece, and it’s certainly not the best way to get a unique one. What I think is often overlooked about watches—typically thought of as out-of-reach luxuries—is how many great pieces are floating around out there just waiting to be found and loved. Today, there are plenty of dealers digging up and hawking retro rarities that don’t cost a fortune. Below are my favorites.
When it comes to the affordable watch game, I’m not sure anyone is doing it better than Long Nguyễn Thanh, a dealer based in Vietnam. Nearly every watch he posts stirs two simultaneous responses in me: I’ve never seen that before and I need it immediately. He sells sporty blood-red Seikos with bezels the size of inner tubes, watch rings, and crazy double-faced pieces. I’m still thinking about this Snoopy mystery dial he shared.
