OGGUSTO: Eric Wind Quoted on Watch Trends of 2025

Eric Wind was recently featured in OGGUSTO on watch trends.

The biggest trend I am seeing in watches is the pendulum of interest moving away from the so-called "hype watches" (such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak) toward vintage watches. People have realized that modern watches are relatively common, while special vintage watches can express someone's individuality and taste in a way that a modern watch cannot. Of course, I am biased, but if you look at what watches are being worn on red carpets and by celebrities, it is far more impactful for the celebrity to be wearing a vintage watch than a modern watch put on their wrist by a stylist as part of a paid sponsorship by the brand.

Within vintage watches, condition is paramount and, in many cases, condition trumps rarity. The word “unpolished” was rarely used a decade ago, but is now one of the first questions a potential buyer asks when considering purchasing any vintage or pre-owned watch.

There are plenty of what I would describe as “microtrends” within watches, many created by opportunistic dealers and influencers trying to make money. One of those is the category of “geezer watches,” which are vintage watches in a precious metal, typically yellow gold and more occasionally white gold, with integrated bracelets. These have often been sold at scrap gold weight and dealers would buy them and mark them up considerably! Another “microtrend” is men wearing extremely small vintage watches, also often with integrated bracelets. It can be an interesting look, but is far from mainstream and is generally a look not understood outside of the friendly confines of New York City.

Collectors looking at purchasing vintage watches should not only “buy what they love” and “buy the seller”, but they should also “buy what they know.” It’s important to figure out what a person enjoys wearing and looking at – sometimes watches can be wildly different on the wrist than in photos. A classic example of that is the Patek Philippe reference 3448 and 3450 “Padellone” perpetual calendar. These watches have short stubby lugs and wear awful on the wrist as a result, but look like a beautiful piece of horological sculpture when not on the wrist.

I can only exhort all those considering the world of watches to consider vintage watches – to study them and in the process to learn to love them.