Watch Dandy

Last week, Montblanc officially opened their seventh Australian boutique, at Chadstone in Melbourne – Australia’s largest high-end shopping precinct. And I must say that Montblanc looked right at home, nestled amidst some of the largest luxury and fashion names in the world. The brand has a strong presence in Australia, with six other dedicated retail spaces dotted across the country, but none of them looks quite like this — as this boutique has been made in line with their new Neo2 design concept, designed by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. It’s intended to be more relaxed, a nice change from the sometimes intimidating boutique experience. The space is open and inviting, almost living room-like, except that no one I know has a living room this stylish or pristine. And while the space itself was relaxing, what I was really excited about was what was inside: walls of writing instruments and timepieces — including a few special higher-end pieces, like the TimeWalker Chronograph Rally Timer — and leather goods. I was particularly keen to see the new (Montblanc M)Red, which is seriously sexy, as well as Montblanc’s new high-end hard cases, the #MY4810 collection, which looks set to go toe-to-toe with Rimowa. Watches, however,…

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I don’t think we’d be telling anyone anything new by saying vintage is sooo hot right now. Price escalation, predominantly driven by the vintage Rolex market at auction, has created incredible demand for vintage timepieces. But it can seem we get the short end of the stick in the land Down Under when it comes to access, quality and quantity of vintage stock. That being said, the Australian pre-owned watch market is abuzz with quality buys at the moment, if you look hard enough. So we took it upon ourselves to explore just some of the timepieces available right now, across our great land. Here are five of the best vintage watches available in the Australian market. 1967 Tudor Oyster Prince ref. 7928 – $11,995 The rapid escalation in vintage Rolex prices is now being reflected in prices for late ’60s and early ’70s divers from Rolex sister brand, Tudor. This example is about as original as you’ll find. The bracelet has been discarded, likely from years of wear, while the original dial and hands have a beautiful patina, which reflects the age. There’s no box or papers – but who needs them? This one is a keeper. View the listing…

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