Welcome to the
VINTAGE WATCHES
Sanctuary
Unique Vintage watches
Featured On
Latest Articles
Milano Watch Buyer's Guide
"When it comes to a storied location in terms of art, design and fashion, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more important city than Milan. We’ve been intending to do this guide for a few years now and our travel schedule finally lined up to give us a few days to explore and document this gem of a city."
MILAN CITY GUIDE
Rolex Ref. 8171 Padellone
"This was, to all intents and purposes, the first and last time Rolex experimented with complication. If you want a Rolex with a calendar, you’re looking at a 6062 which came after this with an Oyster case, a Killy, or this 8171. The 8171 is known as the ‘Padellone’..."
GENEVA WATCH days
Patek Philippe Ref. 2597 ‘Travel Time’ Calatrava
"Developed just after the initial Worldtimers by Louis Cottier, the ref. 2597 is a damn cool ‘Travel Time’ from 1956, the very start of the jet age. The reference can be thought of as a 570 Calatrava with a little je ne sais quoi complication reminding you to go out and explore the world."
The Italian Influence
Rolex ref. 3525 "Monoblocco" chrono
"If you love your Daytona, you should know its grandfather. This is the ref. 3525, not the first Rolex chronograph, but likely the first Oyster-cased Rolex chronograph. It goes by ‘Monoblocco’, ‘Barilotto’, and ‘Prisoner of War’ all as nicknames"
Rolex Ref. 6605 Serpico Y laino
"Before Paul Newmans got everyone hot and bothered and way before anyone cared about the Nautilus, early Ovettone Datejust were what collectors thought should be all the rage. When there was no social media and you weren’t yet qualified to..."
