According to this Marketwatch article wristwatches are still a popular buy. In this article they divide them into 7 categories by style and 3 for use. People like watches and watch makers are always changing the style and features of watches to make them appeal to more people.
Antique and vintage collectors know a different part of the watch market. Those that specialize in vintage watches, to me, are amazing people. Many have encyclopedic knowledge of movements, styles and differences among brands by year. They know why Breitling is popular with aviators. How Rolex was able to craft the first truly water resistant wristwatch.
Anyone can say "vintage" your task is how vintage. The easiest way in some cases is the product numbers. Some make it tricky, Elgin stopped using serial numbers on their movements in 1956. Timex, before 1962, used to stamp the date inside the back making finding the age easy. Then they moved to using the date year at the end of serial numbers.
Aptly named watchsleuth helps you find the age of your Seiko watches and is a great all around resource.
Then you have novelty watches. Only available for a limited time or for companies no longer in business. Like this find:
A mid 1990s Ford Mercury watch.
How can we tell it was mid 1990's? In this case, it is my watch so I know when I bought it. The clue here is the logo style is different then the latter one used until Ford ceased offering Mercury in 2011. Small things like that are what makes the world of watches so much fun. Finding the small differences and being able to describe them when needed.
I'd love to hear about some of your finds or favorite watch brands/styles. Please feel free to comment.
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