The short answer
You don't need to know everything about watches to choose a vintage watch for someone who does.
In fact, you probably already know the most useful things.
You know the person.
Their taste, what they wear, whether they prefer something understated or unusual, perhaps a brand they talk about or a decade they seem particularly drawn to.
We can help with the watch bit.
From the bench
Buying a vintage watch as a gift can feel rather more daunting than buying a new one.
There isn't usually a cabinet full of identical examples to choose from. Every vintage watch has lived a different life. Dials age differently, cases acquire their own marks and even two watches carrying the same reference number can have quite different characters fifty years later.
That's part of what makes a vintage watch such a lovely gift.
Start with what you already know.
If they own watches, what do they actually wear? Are they generally small and elegant, larger and sportier, steel or gold? Do they wear leather straps or bracelets? Are there names such as Omega, Longines, Seiko or King Seiko that seem to crop up suspiciously often in conversation?
You may even have heard them mention a particular decade, movement or reference number without having the faintest idea what they were talking about.
That's useful too.
And don't worry if watch terminology means very little to you. You don't need to understand the difference between a calibre and a reference number before you're allowed to buy somebody a watch.
There is also no need to reject the right watch because it's fitted to the wrong strap.
Straps are enormously personal and easily changed. A different strap can completely alter the character of a watch, and its new owner may enjoy choosing one themselves.
Concentrate on the watch.
What we recommend
Begin with the person rather than trying to become a watch expert overnight.
If you've found something at Past2Present that you think might be right, ask us.
Tell us whatever you know. It can be as simple as:
“It's for my husband. He wears an old Omega, likes 1970s watches and keeps talking about King Seiko. I haven't got a clue what that means.”
That's plenty for us to work with.
We can't promise to know somebody else's taste, and we certainly wouldn't try to talk you into a watch simply because we have one to sell.
What we can do is explain what you're looking at, point out the things that may matter and help you decide whether a particular watch sounds like a sensible choice for the person you know.
Because buying somebody a vintage watch shouldn't require becoming a collector yourself.
You know the person you're buying for. We know the watches.