Budget, brand, condition, seller — the four decisions that matter, in the order they matter, for anyone buying their first mechanical vintage watch.

Anyone can write ‘serviced’ in a listing. Here is what a real movement service involves, and the questions to ask any seller who claims it.

Tropical dials, faded bezels, creamy lume. Why age done well makes a watch more desirable, not less — and where honest patina ends and damage begins.