Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I do

A place to discuss vintage watches.
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River Rat
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Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I do

Post by River Rat » Thu Dec 01, 2016 8:24 am

Well when you collect vintage wristwatches and vintage issued watches the more info you have the better it prevents you from getting ripped off and you learn more about what you collect. I have a few in my library some are good some are duds like the complete price guide to watches that comes out every year were if you trusted the price it said your wristwatch was worth you would be ripped off blind have not bought a reissue of that book since 2012 since the prices are all wrong for wristwatches but right on for pocket watches so a useless book. I wish some one would come up with a decent price guide that's right on every year for vintage wristwatches. I just ordered a new book don't normally buy any thing from Hodinkee but been wanting this book they are the only ones that have it all most bought one from a English seller would of been 20 bucks less but waited to long it's sold out. Of course it's on military issued watches there are a few others one of these days I will get these two one on German and British military watches link below about those.
http://www.knirim.de/
Here is the book I ordered not cheap but my Christmas present to my self.
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/l ... y-land-sea
Who else collects books on vintage watches or any watch collecting books and if they are any good or suck.

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toxicavenger
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by toxicavenger » Thu Dec 01, 2016 8:34 am

I don't but my watchmaker has a whole room full of them. But he is donating them to the local NAWCC.

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by logan2z » Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:44 pm

I've got a thing for watch books and have a bunch. The only ones I have that are related to vintage watches are

Heuer Autavia Chronographs 1962-85
Heuer Monaco - Design Classic
DOXA Sub, Forty Years 1967-2007
Moonwatch Only

I also have books on Panerai, AP, IWC, and JLC.

BTW, have you seen the prices of some of the books in the Hodinkee shop? Outrageous. The Heuer Autavia book is double what I paid for it.

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toxicavenger
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by toxicavenger » Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:55 pm

logan2z wrote:BTW, have you seen the prices of some of the books in the Hodinkee shop? Outrageous. The Heuer Autavia book is double what I paid for it.
but your book didn't grace their finger tips :roll:

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Steve O.
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Steve O. » Mon Dec 05, 2016 8:24 am

I've got a bunch of brand specific books (Breitling, Doxa, Omega, Rolex, etc.) and few on vintage watches in general. My favorite is a large coffee table size one titled "The Swiss Watch". Published in 1953, it has a lot of amazing pictures and technical information on what are now vintage pieces. I've also hoarded every issue of WatchTime since the first issue in 1999. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but they're a great source of information and fun to look through.
Last edited by Steve O. on Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Mark020 » Mon Dec 05, 2016 8:49 am

Is the Swiss Watch book this one?
Image

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Steve O.
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Steve O. » Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:27 am

Mark020 wrote:Is the Swiss Watch book this one?
Image
That's the one.
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River Rat
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by River Rat » Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:38 pm

logan2z wrote:I've got a thing for watch books and have a bunch. The only ones I have that are related to vintage watches are

Heuer Autavia Chronographs 1962-85
Heuer Monaco - Design Classic
DOXA Sub, Forty Years 1967-2007
Moonwatch Only

I also have books on Panerai, AP, IWC, and JLC.

BTW, have you seen the prices of some of the books in the Hodinkee shop? Outrageous. The Heuer Autavia book is double what I paid for it.
Your right about Hodinkee book prices but from a few others that had the book I wanted was only 30 bucks more and they were sold out. Hodinkee was the only one who had it I think it's out of print so harder to find I guess I was lucky they had it and did not double the price like you said on other books they had.

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by River Rat » Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:49 pm

Steve is that book worth while I searched the net and used copies are under 20 bucks not a bad price if it's dissent with photo's of cool vintage watches.

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Mark020 » Tue Dec 06, 2016 3:32 am

Funny to look up the second hand prices. Difference between Amazon.com and co.uk and .de is amazing

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Steve O.
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Steve O. » Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:20 am

River Rat wrote:Steve is that book worth while I searched the net and used copies are under 20 bucks not a bad price if it's dissent with photo's of cool vintage watches.
Mike, If you can get one for that price, I'd say yes. Granted a lot of the book covers early watchmaking, but I'd say that about a quarter of it is dedicated to what was then modern pieces. Pics and info on chronographs, high end wristwatches, and a few military watches and timers.
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Joeprez » Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:48 am

logan2z wrote:I've got a thing for watch books and have a bunch. The only ones I have that are related to vintage watches are

Heuer Autavia Chronographs 1962-85
Heuer Monaco - Design Classic
DOXA Sub, Forty Years 1967-2007
Moonwatch Only

I also have books on Panerai, AP, IWC, and JLC.

BTW, have you seen the prices of some of the books in the Hodinkee shop? Outrageous. The Heuer Autavia book is double what I paid for it.
I would love to get the Moonwatch Only book, but the prices are insane.

I currently have these two related to vintage watches:

Omega Sport Watches by John Goldberger
Vintage Rolex Sport Models by Martin Skeet
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Omega / Tudor / Rolex / Sinn / Doxa / Seiko

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by River Rat » Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:25 am

Here is the moon watch only book on amazon for 187.00 about a 150 bucks cheaper than Hodinkee hey Andrew what did you pay for yours ?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing ... pression=1

But amazon does sell one at the same price as Hodinkee weird how amazon prices are all over the place.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/2940506035/re ... g=UTF8&me=
Last edited by River Rat on Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

River Rat
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by River Rat » Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:32 am

Only other place I could of got it finely has it in stock now that did not when I bought mine from Hodinkee only would of saved me 10 bucks so the price was not really bad.
https://www.abebooks.com/9788890288210/ ... 288213/plp

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logan2z
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by logan2z » Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:33 am

River Rat wrote:Here is the moon watch only book on amazon for 187.00 about a 150 bucks cheaper than Hodinkee hey Andrew what did you pay for yours ?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing ... pression=1
I got mine as a birthday gift so I'm not sure what it cost. But that Amazon price looks good compared to the other prices I've seen.

River Rat
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by River Rat » Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:43 am

The book should be here today it's on the FedEx truck will do a review of it. To say if it worth while or it sucks. The three best military watch books I got was Military Timepieces by Whitney of mainly US issued stuff, Zero Hour by William Scorr a mode over at the MWR forum who just stopped posting a shame since he had so much knowledge, and another book that used the Military Timepieces name by a British writer Wesolowski who has a lot in common with some of our members being a police officer when the book was wrote but the prices in it has been out of date for years.
Last edited by River Rat on Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Joeprez
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Joeprez » Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:49 am

River Rat wrote:Here is the moon watch only book on amazon for 187.00 about a 150 bucks cheaper than Hodinkee hey Andrew what did you pay for yours ?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing ... pression=1

But amazon does sell one at the same price as Hodinkee weird how amazon prices are all over the place.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/2940506035/re ... g=UTF8&me=
$187 is not bad at all.

I just saw how much the Omega Sport Watches book is selling on Amazon... damn I think I'm going to sell it, get the Moonwatch Only book and pocket the rest.

https://www.amazon.com/Omega-Sports-Wat ... rt+watches
Image

Omega / Tudor / Rolex / Sinn / Doxa / Seiko

River Rat
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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by River Rat » Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:57 am

Here is one I have great price but black and white photo's and price are out of date but great information.
https://www.amazon.com/Concise-Guide-Mi ... Timepieces

And if you don't mind used even a greater price
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing ... 546&sr=1-1

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I

Post by Mark020 » Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:45 am

Moonwatch only is worth every penny.

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I do

Post by DON » Tue Mar 07, 2017 8:30 pm

I usually bought the occasional auction catalog. Got a number of free ones from Gisbert Joseph. He sent me some older catalogs when I got him some sales when I mentioned his name on a forum I used to belong to..

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morningtundra
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Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I do

Post by morningtundra » Fri Jun 09, 2017 4:06 am

Hi

New to this forum and know this thread is ageing (like me) but wanted to give a thumbs up on this one no pictures but excellent data and specs on older and obscure pieces. Sadly out of print now and nothing about the author online

Image

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I do

Post by newoldstock » Wed Jul 19, 2017 12:26 pm

I don't buy many watch books, but I like to collect old brochures, advertisements, or pamphlets of some vintage watches I collect.

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Re: Does any one collect vintage watch books for info like I do

Post by DON » Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:25 pm

I don't buy any books. I stick to what I know to avoid problems

Price guides are more skewed towards the dealers rather than the sellers and all are pretty much out of date by the time they're edited, printed and delivered to retailers etc.

DON

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