Apart from being by a quality manufacturer , the next point of interest for the wristwatch collector is whether the watch casing is made of gold , platinum , silver or merely steel . Gold and platinum are preferable and an indication of top quality , though many military watches had steel cases , but are still very collectable .
A vital feature which helps determine the value of a wristwatch is its range of functions . While some merely tell the time , others – often designed for aviation or maritime use - will have a range of associated features , including stop-watch , chronograph , tachometer , even a circular slide rule .
Generally , the second-hand prices of old wrist watches of decent quality will start at perhaps £ 200 or so , but the better examples quickly move up to £ 400- £ 600 , and some of the top makes that I mentioned earlier can start running to several thousand pounds quite quickly if they are rarer models .
There is also increasing collecting demand for some of the more funky-design wristwatches from the 1960s-1980s period , when quartz movements began to dominate . And more contemporary designer wristwatches from famous fashion brands such as Gucci , or car companies such as Ferrari are also sought-after .
A link to a famous person helps too – not long ago a first-worldwar pilot ’ s wristwatch bought for £ 20 on a junk stall in a Welsh market was authenticated as once belonging to a Mr . T . E . Shaw , who was rather better known as Lawrence of Arabia . Value of the watch is now well over £ 10,000 !
Condition of older watches is very important , for while slight signs of wear are acceptable , deep scratches , dents and stained or chipped faces seriously reduce value .
So much for the wristwatch – but what about its fore-runner , the pocket-watch ?
Well , early and rare examples ( usually from the late 17th and early 18th centuries ) can fetch tens of thousands of pounds , but the vast majority around the antiques trade tend to be from the 19th century , and are normally worth relatively modest sums . Collecting demand is less and mass-manufacture means many examples are quite common , which also restricts value . Though high-quality or unusual types can fetch good sums , a typical routine silver example from the late Victorian era can fetch as little as £ 50- £ 100 , gold examples just £ 200- £ 300 .
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