Collecting wrist watches: where to start?

A fairly young, popular and, moreover, fascinating occupation is the collection of wristwatches. Hours in the world a lot, you can not embrace the immensity, so it is very important from the outset to determine the era, period, theme, type, manufacturer. In addition, the collection of watches is different from other types of lack of uniform pricing principles.

The most accessible for collectibles are the USSR period watches, beginning collectors can start with inexpensive Soviet vintage, or diving Japanese models, pseudo-military clocks and gradually move on to more valuable options.

Popular collections:
- wristwatches, the so-called "golden era of watchmaking" (1950-1970). In these years, mechanical watches were collected by craftsmen manually, the price corresponded to quality, active competition of producers was conducted;
- The hours of the so-called pre-Quartz period (1960-1970), when the tuning fork and electromechanical watches were manufactured, there are few such models and it is very difficult to get them into your collection;
- Seiko: interesting and prices are available;
- military hours, military chronographs;
- watches of American manufacturers (Elgin, Hampden, Illinois).

If you are a beginner watch collector, then remember the important rule: all details, even the most minor ones, must be authentic. Even the smallest non-original part can reduce the cost of the watch by 80%. An equally important factor in the evaluation of hours is a good working condition.

Buran Polar (1971-1983)

Kirovskie (1920-1970)

Lych (1971-1983)

Patek Philippe (until 1920)

Pavel Bure Swiss (until 1920)

Rocket Polar (1980)