Vintage watches are a great investment. They are stylish and add history to any watch collection. Vintage watches can act as both an accessory and a conversation piece. For avid watch collectors or general watch enthusiasts, vintage watches can be exciting to find and own. One thing many people struggle with is identifying details about their own vintage watches. Check out this guide to learn how to identify your vintage watch.

Investigate its maker

If you aren’t familiar with the maker of the watch, you can research the maker online to determine more about the history of the company and your own watch. If the maker is not listed on the face of your watch, check the underside of the back cover, or the movement of your watch. If a maker is nowhere to be found, you may only be able to learn of the time period, style and materials used to make the watch. Watch makers were quite prevalent in the past and not all of them signed their pieces or made watches for the most well-known retailers.

Check for model numbers

Look closely at your watch for an engraving of a model number. Model numbers can help you to identify the exact make and model of the watch better than any other method. It can also help you determine the age of your watch. You can typically find the engraving on the back of the watch, or on the underside of the back cover. It is also common to find the model number on the movement of the watch. A quick search of the internet for the watch’s model number, along with its maker, should bring up solid evidence of the history for the exact model you have.

Learn about the collections

If you know the maker of your watch, you can learn more by researching the different collections the maker featured. If you know the general time frame of when your watch was made, you can better narrow down which collections it potentially belong to. Typically, once you narrow down your collection options, it is easier to see which collection looks the closest to your watch.

For all of your vintage wrist watch, pocket watch and chain needs browse the grand collection we have at Solvang Antiques. Most of our watches are also accompanied by an 18 month warranty to grant you more confidence in the quality of your watch purchase.