5 Reasons Why You Should Not Be Focused On A Birth-Year Watch
By Charlie Dunne
If you are reading this article, you have likely been forwarded this from Eric Wind or me. We are sending you this because you deserve to be excited and passionate about your next watch and the supposed production or sale date should not be the most important factor of your purchase.
We get asked about once a day to help someone find a birth-year Rolex, so this is really geared toward Rolex in particular.
What even is a birth-year watch?
Is a birth-year watch a reflection of when the case was made (sometimes reflected on the inside case back for 1972 watches and older)? When was the movement paired with the watch / what year was the watch certified as a chronometer? When was the watch sold? Many times that span was over five years between the production year of the watch case to the watch being sold in the store as noted on the papers. In the past it was not like today where a retailer can sell any of the “hot” Rolex sports models in steel within minutes of receiving it in the store.
Watches are not like cars where the manufacturer assigns a particular year to a car. Collectors use charts not even created by Rolex to get a rough idea of when a watch was made, but it is far from a perfect science and we have seen watches with case production circa 1965 that were not tested as a chronometer until 1968 for instance, meaning the case sat at Rolex for three years before a movement was installed and tested. It might not have even been sold for years after that.
The Rolex dating charts also vary across websites and are guesstimates. Sometimes, dealers might even modify the chart to try to sell a watch to someone looking for a birth-year watch at that time! This is why we use “circa” for any vintage Rolex watch since ultimately don’t know. Patek Philippe and some other manufactures issue Extracts that give the year of production and date of sale, but ironically Patek collectors don’t even care about the year and are focused more on the condition or rarity of a watch. Unfortunately, Rolex does not issue “Extracts from the Archives” confirming any details of the watch and probably never will.
The era of production is more important than year.
There are several details which can be found in watches from a specific date range. Gilt dials, bezel insert colors, case shapes. These details are extremely romantic for collectors, and finding an excellent watch with exceptional attributes can be extremely excitiing. So why would you disregard a watch because it is a few years, months, or weeks off from your date of birth?
It is the oldest trick in the book to selling you a vintage watch.
Many dealers are all too happy to sell you a junky watch that meets the criteria of production date. We have met many collectors that have cited they bought a birth-year watch and later found out the serial was several years from what they were told. Be an educated buyer. You would not go to a car dealership and ask for any car with green paint. Learn which models you are passionate about and wear nice on your wrist. Either Eric Wind or me (Charlie Dunne) are happy to speak with you on the phone if you need guidance.
Condition is more important than date of production.
It’s clear to us that most people who want a birth-year watch are just trying to check a box for their collection and they probably won’t even wear it much. We believe they would be more fulfilled finding the best possible example of a watch they love. There can be an unbelievable difference in value for a watch with service replacement parts such as a dial, hands, and bezel insert versus an all original watch. When a watch has service replacement or incorrect replacement parts, it isn’t even really a “birth-year watch” as it was modified. No one wants to own a “Frankenstein” watch that is a hodgepodge of parts made in different years or even decades - or even centuries!!
You Do Not Need A Birth Year Watch. You Deserve Your Dream Watch!
You deserve a grail or dream watch instead of one that falls into a specific serial range. Most collectors we speak with who reach out for a birth-year watch do not have a strong feeling for which model or reference they want, but are under the impression that they should get one from year 19xx or 20xx. We have sold many thousands of vintage watches and the people who are focused on condition or a specific reference/model are always more satisfied with the watch they are wearing.
Watch Eric’s thoughts on Birth Year Watches in his lecture at the Horological Society of New York starting at around 17 minutes.
https://youtu.be/bUgOUVREkJs?si=YvRFvoy2xNH1jjJM&t=1066