By always wanting to make watches a communication tool capable of telling others who we are, we forget the hedonistic pleasure of choosing them for what they convey as an image for ourselves. Luckily, vintage watches set the record straight...
Most watch brands have long understood the importance of capitalizing on their past to position themselves on the global watchmaking scene. Apart from a few free electrons who can afford to capitalize on their youth, most watch brands watches distil a subliminal message annually through the presentation of at least one model inspired by a reference that is part of their museum. All the bosses admit it: the assortment of products presented annually must have something to satisfy everyone and pieces inspired by historical models sell well because their past gives them an extra soul and their graphic longevity ensures that they remain a good investment for the long term.
In watchmaking, this is not a minor detail because a buyer always has in the back of their mind the idea of one day reselling their watch with a substantial capital gain or at least at the closest price to the purchase price. Choosing timelessness is a guarantee of stability over time; a bit like a financial investment made by a "good father".
One might say that the products falling into this family therefore never have too much "sex appeal". In reality, and undoubtedly because some of them are iterations of timepieces that appeared in the "seventies", most are graphically impactful, as are the Zenith Defy Revival A3648This is a reissue of a diving model launched in 1969, the year of the launch of the El Primero, the first high-performance automatic chronograph caliber (36 vibrations per hour). In the same spirit, lovers of the Peace and Love era will appreciate the latest models Royal Oak ofAudemars Piguet, still relevant since 1972, the year it was launched as the most expensive luxury steel watch. The epicurean with the means will know how to seduce his partner by offering her one of the most sought-after watches of the moment: the Nautilus for women from the factory Patek Philippe.
Finally, it will always be possible to select the part Andy Warhol de Piaget which, one hundred percent "revival" is simply unisex and therefore likely to be offered to a man who loves pop art or to a tall woman. The beauty is an evolution of the iconic model also released in 1972 from the workshops of Côte-aux-fées (Swiss Jura).
More surprising in this polite environment: the arrival in this time period of Rolex with the very surprising Oyster Perpetual Land Dweller which is largely inspired by a Datejust Oysterquartz model dating from the "seventies", as the Swiss say. Less distant from us in time, the Gerald Charles Maestro 25e Anniversaire still goes in the same direction and maintains a graphic identity very much in the spirit of what Gérald Genta, the master of watch design of the "seventies" and founder of this brand, was able to produce.
Incidentally, the 1980s and 1990s, which were nevertheless complicated for the watch market, seem to have their aficionados. The proof: TAG Heuer relaunches Formula 1, an affordable, iconic piece from this transitional period. Here, it retains its inimitable look while being updated with a solar-powered quartz caliber. Similarly, Chopard's St-Moritz, launched in 1980 by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, then 22, has since been reincarnated as the Alpine Eagle, which was one of the beautiful watches at Watches and Wonders 2025.
Now, as everyone needs something, brands are reissuing many models inherited from the golden age of the wristwatch. In other words, they are reinventing models that appeared between the 1950s and 1970s. It's impossible not to fall under the spell of the essential chronograph. Speedmaster 57 d'Omega which everyone knows was the only official timepiece to have accompanied the Astronauts to the Moon.
While we're on the subject of adventurer tools, it's hard to resist the temptation of the Tudor Black Bay 58, an iteration of the brand's model launched in this year of the 26th century. Another favorite inspired by the "fifties": the LIP Annapurna version with the RXNUMX manufacture movement. And because we're in the world of mountains, let's talk about Alpina's Heritage Automatic which brings to today's taste a watch whose lines are inspired by a piece that was offered in the brand's catalog during the 1920s.
Finally, and as proof that there is no deadline for vintage watches, the Breguet house has chosen to launch for its 250e Anniversary of the Classic Subscription 2025, a reference that is both sober and delicate, inspired by pocket watches launched by the master from 1795 with great advertising, a first in the industry.
Vincent Daveau
