Rare Seikos, Reinvention and authenticity, fake Omega

How many collectors has the SKX made: Collectability, fashion, and Seiko

If horology is ruled by the cycles of fashion (cue heated debate at the watch bar on this topic), then Seiko is one of the unlikeliest success stories. This brand has focused on making solid timepieces that present more value than their price, up and down the luxury tier strata, while seemingly remaining aloof to the push and pull of fashion for decades. Arguably, they are aloof no more, with their successful collab with Rowing Blazers, and celebrity comedian watch model Ronnie Chieng to show for it.

But we also know more collectors that got serious about the pursuit, starting with a Seiko. My first steps towards understanding happened when I heard some collector friends talking about their SKXs, and I got my own. Soon I was switching straps, and modding it. Currently this is a Darth Vader of watches: all black custom cerracote on a black and red nato, new hands, upgraded to a NH36 movement for more accuracy, winding and hacking. It is a shell of a stock Seiko SKX. To be clear, I kind of ruined it, but I also know it inside and out. These days it is my watch for fishing or a day outside. And I still love the guy.

My father had a chunky gold Seiko with brown dial and a prism beveled crystal. Frankly one of those creations from the 1970s that wobble between stylish confidence and hideousness. I wish I had that watch.

And Grand Seiko deserves an aside. This top tier brad somewhat audaciously mashes the same name as its 100 USD pieces onto the dials of luxury watches generally accepted to be finished more exquisitely than a Rolex, and at a lower (still luxury) cost. Grand Seiko continues to impress.

Back to the fashion debate though, Seiko of course has slowly moved on this as well. The Seiko 5 line now looks to be its foundation for “any” watch, and they are getting creative. And noticed. The colorful collabs with Rowing Blazers sell out of the coolest color ways in days (see only one of these styles left).

Of course with so much heritage, there are bound to be some unusual limited-runs and quirky collectables in the land of Seiko. See these Rarest Seikos, while raising a cup and nodding respect and an unsung hero of the pack.

Reinvention, authenticity, and vintage watches. What Taylor Swift can keep teaching us

To bridge high and low, we don’t look any farther than WW favorite, Taylor Swift. What connection can be made between Taylor and vintage watch collecting? In this wise post on the Rescapement blog, Tony Traina makes the kind of connection we feel merits re-sharing.

Rare vintage watches are valued based on their scarcity and desirability. The problem, of course, is that unless the watch has been sitting in a safe unworn, watches are mechanical objects that will inevitably wear out, need replacement parts, service, and repair. Many old watches have a beautiful patina on their dials that increase the value. Essentially the wear and decay create a more singular, irreplaceable piece. We love tropical dials. But what about a very rare watch with a dial so damaged, only a mother could love it? This in fact is what happened with a rare Cartier Cintree that was a gift from Fred Astaire to a friend. Traina compared the watch through auction photos over the years demonstrating how deteriorated the orginal hand-painted Radium lumed dial had become. After a long stay back at Cartier itself, the studio re-created the dial before it made it back into auction in 2019 — and sold for 9x its original estimate!

This is high-end reportage, but the Taylor Swift bridge is this: TS has a well-documented rift with her early manager owning the rights to her recordings. What she has been up to for several years has been a careful recreation and re-recording of all of her original material. Along the way the craft and fidelity of the songs have been improved, and some longer expansions of her music and videos have been released. The result is, in essence, a classic recreated by the creator.

The question of how to deal with damaged and very rare collectables affects many pursuits beyond watches. Vintage cars, guitars, comic books, and others have been doing their best to come to terms with ways of staying “authentic” while repairing or even improving the object. We agree: allowing the creator to be the restorer allows a rare collectable to be used and appreciated by a wider audience. And that is the point.

The most expensive vintage Omega ever is a fake

In a watch world version of The Thomas Crown Affair, it was recently revealed that the most expensive Omega to ever sell at an auction is an elaborate fake.

The near-flawless 1957 ref. 2915-1 Omega Speedmaster purported to be a rare early version of the chronograph, predating the iconic “Moonwatch” by over a decade. Omega itself verified the serial number and date of manufacture. It sold for a record USD 3.4 million at Phillips in November 2021.

Recently is was revealed that the watch is a “frankenwatch” created from a number of vintage Omegas, and an inside job from small crew of ex-Omega employees who may have worked together to assemble, legitimate, and market the narrative of the watch. Phillips has not yet revealed the identity of the seller, but may once law enforcement gets involved.

We are a bit taken aback that Omega itself unwittingly got involved in this forgery, but also can’t wait for the film version of this true crime story to hit Netflix any day now. A story like this well-told is bound to be more real and authentically human than the watch itself.