Jeff

Good questions, but its not just the car guys who pay the big money. We are also seeing the big watch collectors (many of whom are predominantly Rolex) now coming into the Heuer arena, i would put them in a simlar bracket to the car collectors, if the condition is the best then they will pay strong money or trade with some strength.

Rich
www.heuermonaco.co.uk

: Arno [and others, of course]:

: Great discussion, so far.

: Here is my question: The collectors in our community are generally
: very knowledgeable, and we also tend to be careful / tight with
: our funds. We analyze the $3,000 Carrera 2447 or the $8,000
: McQueen Monaco, and deals are done or not done, for the sake of
: a few dollars. Perhaps some of this is explained by the fact
: that we buy watches so regularly, that we cannot afford to throw
: away an extra few hundred dollars on ecah one.

: I have been to several high-end car auctions, but have never been
: to a live watch auction. I hope that Arno and others can speak
: to the mood / atmosphere in which we see the guys with the
: $500,000 cars (or the $2 million cars) easily drop $10,000 or
: $12,000 for a watch that we might see as an $8,000 watch. In my
: own limited experience of selling a few vintage watches, the car
: guys are the best customers . . . they are happy to pay up for
: the good watches. This is a nice little accessory to go with the
: restored Porsche Carrera or Chevrolet Camaro.

: Perhaps you can tell us more about how a company like Bonhams
: brings the car guys into the watch world, with their pockets
: bulging with cash? If the live watch auctions are like the live
: car auctions, there is also a good amount of testosterone in the
: room, and the thrill of winning.

: I have probably raised these questions previously; they seem
: particularly relevant as we stand on the verge of seeing your
: amazing collection going into the live auction market. What is
: the mood of the room, in which 80 to 100 NOS and mint watches
: will change hands [literally]?

: Jeff

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