It's terrible that the OnTheDash Price Guide is 6-1/2 years old, but that is a useful thing right now . . . as we see some interesting "before" and "after" prices on many Heuer chronographs that have doubled or tripled in value, over this period.

I greatly appreciate the posting from James and hope to add a few more comments (and a question or two) sometime soon.

One immediate question: Do you have any more information or hunches about who bought the much-discussed Ref 3646 Autavia, from Antiquorum? In the room / on the phone / any info at all?

Jeff

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

: Thought I'd chime in here as the author of the above mentioned blog
: post at Dream Chrono.

: In response to Jeff's comments disputing my suggestions about the
: vintage Heuer market: He is of course completely right.

: In the past decade, prices on many of our beloved vintage Heuer
: models have indeed come up...in some cases quite significantly.
: My comments were designed to be more of a "broad
: stroke" macro look at the general state of the greater
: vintage timepiece collector market, in which Heuer is just
: recently beginning to get serious traction.

: It is my observation that while vintage market for brands such as
: Rolex, Patek, and Omega have enjoyed general recognition and
: enhanced appreciation/understanding throughout the timepiece
: community, Heuer has still remained a bit of a niche' brand
: within the marketplace, often completely unknown to many buyers
: (seriously, how often do you have to describe what a Heuer is,
: even to a moderately learned consumer??).

: Although prices have indeed come up, I believe it is because of a
: smaller, more greatly educated community of buyers. What I feel
: we are beginning to see is a larger community of timepiece
: enthusiasts beginning to really appreciate Heuer (and
: subsequently spend money on them), and as a result I think we
: are going to see some notable increases on even the most
: "common" of vintage Heuer models.

: I was in the room at Antiqourum's New York in September 2013 when
: this reference 3646 manual-winding Autavia broke world records
: and hammered for $20K ($25K selling price including buyer's
: premium:
: http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/1960s-heuer-autavia-chronograph-sells-for-25000-at-antiquorum-new-york-is-this-a-new-era-of-heuer-pricing
: ). What was particularly exciting about this experience was that
: when the Hammer came down, the sale garnered the only round of
: applause of the day. The entire room was abuzz, a response
: generally reserved for the "big" sales (think $1M
: Pateks). In other words, people that wouldn't otherwise
: care...cared. In short, and even if this was just a fluke, I
: think there is STILL a tremendous upside potential for Heuers
: across the board, and expect the market to come up noticeably as
: more and more timepiece consumers identify them as the
: historically significant timepieces that they are.

: As an enthusiast, industry writer, and dealer of timepieces, I see
: a lot of signs pointing to an epidemic of enthusiasm for vintage
: Heuers. I recognize that this is a relatively subjective and
: speculative analysis of the market, but I am calling it as I see
: it. I also recognize that my line-crossing titles could raise
: some eyebrows as to my motives. I assure you, there are none. As
: vintage Heuers get more expensive, the more they will cost
: dealers as well. On one hand I am sad to see some of the coolest
: affordable chronographs on the market getting out of control
: price-wise, and on the other I am excited and proud that Heuer
: is finally beginning to get the appreciation and value I think
: it deserves.

: I do what I do on the retail end because I love vintage watches -
: certainly not to get rich, lol. If this ever stops being fun,
: I'll stop doing it.

: In any case, if I ruffled any feathers with this my comments in
: this posting, mea culpa! I wasn't attempting to slight the
: impressive gains that vintage Heuer values have made in the past
: decade, just note that I believe there is MUCH more to come.

: James
: @analogshift