Dear friends of IWS, welcome back to our magazine where today we are going to analyze one of the topics that has been so much talked about lately, namely neo-vintage.
We all know how important and decisive the whole world of vintage is within the world of hands as far as collecting is concerned.
No less important part also covers all that is the production of modern watchmaking, i.e., that category with which most likely a neophyte approaches the world of timepieces and which allows, especially younger collectors and enthusiasts, to approach this world with more “confidence.”
In between these two “segments” is also positioned a whole category of watches that have passed into obscurity and deserve a noteworthy place. I am talking about all those watches that were produced from the 1990s until the early 2000s and that, as of today, we can place within the neo-vintage category.
Before delving into this world of watchmaking, which is in some ways still unexplored, I will first try to shed some light on the meaning of the word neo-vintage as, at present, it does not find a common meaning that can be shared by all insiders.
The Neo-vintage
For clarity, the definition of vintage is fairly accepted: an object that is at least 20 years old.
However, this definition is not entirely realistic for a world as long-lived and “slow” as watchmaking. If for fashion 20 years is an infinity, for watchmaking it is a really short time. So, to consider a 2002 watch a vintage piece in an absolute sense is almost a stretch.
For this reason, all those watches with a certain age but that still look too modern and contemporary to be called vintage are placed within the category of neo-vintage watches.
To this category belong all those watches produced between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Examples are early Richard Mille, early De Bethune, and early F.P. Journe. But also “modern” references of better-known brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet.
Turning to more emblazoned maisons such as Rolex, in fact, the very first 6-digit references such as the Rolex Daytona 116520 are beginning to be neo-vintage.
As you can already understand from these first words, the line between vintage and neo-vintage is a thin and blurry one that depends not only on age but also, inevitably, on style and size.
But then, what are they, or rather, what watches fall into this much-discussed category recently?
The Neo-vintage Watches
A short while ago I happened to read an interesting article on the net about the world of neo-vintage, and in this regard I was struck by a statement, “Neo-vintage represents the style of the forward-looking.”
An expression that could not better match perfectly with the world of watchmaking in the period between the 1990s and 2000s.
And it was during this time span that lasted just over 10 years that great watchmakers, following the quartz crisis that hit Swiss watchmaking hard, decided to give birth to wristwatch masterpieces endowed with unique design and mechanics that still represent the style of those who were able to look ahead.
For many years passed in the shadows at major international auctions, neo-vintage watches, as we at IWS understand them, have for the past few years become the new object of desire for major collectors worldwide.
And it is precisely by building on tradition that skilled people such as François-Paul Journe, to name one of the best known, began to produce watches out of the chorus in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Having mentioned Journe, it is good to point out how much the world of independent watchmakers was, in my opinion, the key player in the birth of neo-vintage watches.
However, it must be specified that this era also saw the birth of never-before-seen creations by the world’s most famous maisons including A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe and many others.
F.P. Journe
Among the hottest independent watchmakers of the moment we undoubtedly find François-Paul Journe. The importance of F.P. Journe does not come solely from his most recent creations. Indeed, perhaps it is more due to a legacy slowly built since 1999 with the introduction of all his most iconic timepieces.
Watches that fit perfectly within the category of neo-vintage we are talking about.
A. Lange & Söhne
With reference to A. Lange & Söhne, special attention should be given to the four models with which the Maison was relaunched in 1994, namely the Lange 1, the Tourbillon “Pour le mérite,” the Arkade, and the Saxonia.
These models were born right in the heart of the neo-vintage era and are certainly distinguished by their iconic design as well as state-of-the-art mechanics.
All ingredients that have certainly given the house a way to become a real point of interest in the world of collecting, especially with regard to the neo-vitnage examples that still inspire the house’s most modern models.
Patek Philippe
Introduced by Patek Philippe in 1997, the Aquanaut is one of the sports watches that best represents the neo-vintage watch category.
Now becoming a true icon, this sporty model of the maison has since been updated over the years in its design while remaining faithful to its predecessor.
Daniel Roth
If we have named François-Paul Journe, we cannot omit from our article the genius Daniel Roth, a master watchmaker who has created masterpieces of design and mechanics characterized by the iconic double ellipse shape and beautiful finishes.
The specimen above is the iconic tourbillon. In addition to the unmistakable shape, an additional characteristic feature of these stunning watches is the three-dimensional dial work thanks to the multilayer composition.
Richard Mille
The Richard Mille maison certainly falls under that definition. The visionary entrepreneur was able to make a big name for himself on the watchmaking scene with completely exclusive and unique timepieces characterized by a very high level of technology and exorbitant prices.
Final thoughts
Of neo-vintage watches and of such an era there would surely be much more to say and, more importantly, to discuss.
What is certain is that we at IWS are sure of how important the timepieces born in this era are as they contain within them a great potential that is slowly coming to the surface and will increasingly be appreciated.
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