How vintage watch sourcing works

Step 1 — What makes a good brief?

The more precisely you describe the watch, the less time we waste and the better the price we can negotiate. A useful brief answers five things.

If you only know "a 1960s Japanese diver, around JPY 600,000" that is fine too. The market read in step 2 exists to turn a vague wish into a workable brief.

Step 2 — What is the free market read?

Before you pay anything, a specialist tells you the truth about your brief:

• How often the watch has surfaced in the Japanese market recently.
• The realistic price band in Japan, which is frequently different from eBay and Chrono24 asking prices.
• Which of your requirements is the expensive one — usually "unpolished", "original bracelet", or "with box and papers".
• Whether you should wait. Some references cluster around auction seasons; buying in the wrong month costs real money.

If your budget cannot meet the market, we say so and suggest either a different reference or a revised number. We would rather lose a brief than take a retainer for a search that cannot succeed.

Step 3 — Where do you actually look?

Japan's second-hand watch trade is fragmented, and much of it never reaches the open internet. A search typically covers:

• Specialist dealers in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya — including stock held back for regulars and pieces still awaiting service.
• Domestic auction houses and trade-only auctions, where catalogues are Japanese-language and bidding requires a local account.
• Collector networks — the fastest route to a specific dial variant, because someone always knows who owns one.
• Antique fairs and regional shops, where pocket watches and pre-war pieces still turn up unrecognised.
• Japanese marketplaces that will not ship abroad or accept foreign payment.

We do not simply forward you links. Anything we present has been seen, handled and photographed by us.

Step 4 — What does a condition report contain?

One report per candidate, in English, in a consistent format so you can compare two watches on the same terms. Every report states what is wrong with the watch first.

• Case reference, calibre, serial number and the production month and year derived from it.
• 20–40 photographs including macro shots of dial printing, lume, hand edges, lug chamfers, case-back engraving and the open movement.
• Originality verdict on dial, hands, crown, bezel insert, crystal and bracelet — with the evidence behind each call.
• Rate and amplitude on a timing machine where the movement runs.
• Water resistance status: we assume none until gaskets are replaced, and say so.
• Asking price, our target price, and the total you would pay including commission and shipping.

See authentication and condition grading for the full method, including how we identify redials and service dials.

Step 5 — When am I committed?

At exactly one moment: when you reply in writing approving a named watch at a named total. Before that, you owe only the retainer. After that, the watch is purchased in Japan on your behalf and the balance is invoiced.

Declining candidates costs nothing and does not shorten the search. Some clients approve the first watch we send; others look at six. Both are normal.

Step 6 — How is the watch shipped?

Once purchased — and serviced, if you asked for it — the watch is packed in a padded case inside an outer carton, insured for the full declared value, and shipped by courier with tracking. We include an itemised commercial invoice that matches what you actually paid, because under-declaring value is both illegal and uninsurable.

All shipments are DAP: import duty, VAT or GST and any brokerage fee are billed to you by the carrier on arrival. Details, timings and antique treatment are on shipping and import.