We like to think that this hobby is “timeless” but it is simply a fact that watch collecting follows trends. This month’s NAWCC newsletter had an interview with “old guard” collector Jon Hanson who recounted the excitement of finding certain rare pocket watches with the excitement that today’s collector might describe finding a Cartier Crash in a pawnshop. Rolex Bubbleback mania changed to Paneristi enthusiasm turned into Heuer passion turned into modern Rolex stainless steel sports fever, turned into Cartier lust and now into…Geezer takeover? Read on for my hot takes.
The term we are hearing over and over again in every year end video and state of the market summary is “it was a slow year.” After a few years of pandemic fueled frenzy, everything came, if not to a screeching halt then to a massive traffic jam on the highway to riches in the watch market. I think there was also a dramatic and organic growth in the overall interest in watches as they went from a niche item to mainstream, especially in the women’s market. I’ve noticed a common “push present” for a new mom to buy for herself over the past year or two is a nice Rolex or a Cartier. I think the dropoff is mostly due to an economic downturn in China and the disappearance in speculators who bought to wear for a bit and resell for the same as they paid or more. Not to say that you can’t sell a watch in today’s market, but you may have more trouble finding a buyer and may need to take a loss if you want to move it along.
I think the two biggest trends competing for attention now are vintage Rolex versus Geezer watches. In one corner, Eric Wind, the doyen of vintage watches with his young apprentice Charlie Dunne. They struck harder than a Tomahawk missile fired from nuclear submarine by a…Submariner (haha) in 2024. Knowing that the first authorized Rolex book was coming out, with the Crown focusing on the Submariner story as told by Nicholas Foulkes, Charlie hit with his 5512 guide, followed and reinforced by Tony Traina, at that time with Hodinkee, with his 5513 guide. Their podcast, website, and weekly email blasts have been filled with stellar examples of lust-worthy vintage Rolexes.
In the other corner, Mike Nouveau and Phil Toledano (@misterenthusiast), using new tools of communication such as short form video as seen on TikTok and now everywhere, have been coming in hard with the Geezer watch trend. Mike is a master of personality driven video content and I sense in his videos a transition from “watches are for nerds” to “watches are cool hip and trendy” that Hodinkee has struggled to achieve. Phil is the telegenic star of his videos, a charismatic British born artist turned dedicated Manhattanite and now founder of one of the hottest microbrands, Toledano and Chan. And who can forget Chen, the put upon purveyor of vintage watches at wholesale prices down in NYC Chinatown?
The term Geezer watch has been protean. In the hands of others, it has taken on a life of its own but no one seems able to define it. Big dealers like Analog Shift have jumped into the Geezer trend with both feet. I think there is a bit of a definitional and linguistic mismatch between Phil Toldano’s use of the term and Mike Toledano’s. According to my googling, geezer is used in the UK like the American term “dude” whereas here in the US we consider geezer to be a vaguely British and archaic term for an old man. I guess over there a geezer is Ali G and over here a geezer is Abraham Simpson’s “old man yelling at cloud” gif.
I think the Geezer trend is divisive in that it has a vibe of youthful unseriousness. It has a certain irony to it that a Gen Z medium such as short form video is embracing an American term for an old man. Looking at some interviews with Phil, it seems like he uses the term to refer to specificially 1970’s models, especially the Rolex King Midas and various Patek Ellipse and Beta 21 models. However, I feel like the term is used a lot more broadly to refer to precious metal, smaller case diameter integrated bracelet and stone dial models, especially in reference to Piaget, and stretching well into the 1980’s. It’s sort of a continuation of the Cartier trend outside of the Cartier brand. The term has given a name to this trend of watches that are currently satiating our constant craving for the next big thing.
The Lost Spring Bar 