Watch Empire offers vintage watches in Dublin
Vintage Watches in Dublin
Since at least the 1980s, vintage wristwatches from the first half of the twentieth century have attracted the zealous interest of collectors. We have been finding them, servicing them and selling them from Dublin 2 ever since.
If you are searching for vintage watches in Dublin, this is the page that should rank — not the homepage. The shop is on the second floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 William Street South, Dublin 2, D02 HV00. The trays change; the rule does not: every vintage piece we sell has been opened, timed and described by the same bench that will service it after you buy it.
London and grey-market listings will always be cheaper on a screen. What they will not do is let you sit in William Street South with a Seamaster on your wrist while a watchmaker tells you whether the crown is original. That is the Dublin difference, and it is why collectors still climb the Powerscourt stairs instead of clicking “buy now”.
The beauty of fine wristwatches
Why collectors keep coming back
These watches cover a wide array of wristwatches, and today collectors actively seek all of them:
Men's watches
Ladies watches
Unisex watches worn by either
In earlier decades, skilled watchmakers often worked elements of jewellery design into wristwatches, and some movements are genuinely complex. Whether a vintage watch includes precious metals — gold, silver, platinum or palladium — the piece may hold real value for a collector.
A rich vintage watch history
Not every old watch rises in value
The history of watchmaking has inspired considerable interest in recent years. Although expensive watches have long attracted collectors, the market for vintage watches dating from the early 1900s has created real excitement since at least the 1980s. Not every older watch will rise in value — but collectors have paid significant sums for particularly in-demand pieces.
The intricate, elegant mechanisms of high quality wristwatches frequently involve considerable complexity; they are fine works of precision engineering. Many watchmakers of the past also sought to create an aura of luxury through exceptionally well-crafted design. That combination of utility and beauty is what makes so many vintage wristwatches attractive to value-conscious buyers today.
In Dublin the practical test is simpler than the auction catalogue. Can you wear it to work on Dawson Street? Will Tibor service the calibre in this building? Is the dial original enough that we are happy to put our name on the ticket? If the answer to those three is yes, the watch is vintage stock. If you are buying it as capital, use the seven tests below. Mixing a daily wearer with an investment story is how people overpay.
Before you treat a vintage watch as money
Seven tests we use on the bench
Irish buyers still ask whether a Rolex or a TAG is a good investment. Usually the honest answer is no, not at the price a stranger is asking on a phone. These are the tests we would want you to weigh before you spend serious money in Dublin 2.
The brand name is important
Find out what the reputation of a brand or manufacturer actually is. Rather than only asking dealers, ask collectors who are skilled in the field, and ask on the forums. Find out who owns the brand you are considering, whether it has a future, or whether it is possible that in the near future it disappears.
Resale value is important if you understand it correctly
Many buyers have lost a lot of money buying the wrong watch, because their decision was based on a misunderstanding of high resale value. A watch can be a good investment, but not for everyone. Remember that watches, just like cars, normally lose value over time. They are only a good investment if you genuinely know the market for the specific watch you intend to buy.
The type of dealer matters
Where you buy vintage watches in Dublin is important. Find out whether you are buying from a dealer authorised for that brand, and buy from authorised dealers wherever you can. For a vintage movement, an independent Dublin bench that will open the watch in front of you often matters more than a boutique that only sells this year's steel.
Know what you are buying
This matters more than buying what you already know. Brands like Rolex or TAG Heuer are premium names, best known to the public largely because of marketing and reputation. That does not automatically make them the best vintage watches to hold.
The history of the brand
Many brands present themselves with a rich history of more than 100 years. You should check whether that is actually true, and whether the vintage watch you are buying has anything to do with that history.
How the watch works is important
Quartz movements are essentially unsuitable as an investment, because a computer chip cannot show the art of watchmaking. An in-house calibre is made by the manufacturer itself and is far more appreciated, because developing and producing your own movement requires large investment and complex technical know-how that only skilled watchmakers have. The number and complexity of complications in the movement plays an important role too.
Price is not the first test
Price is only a measure of the value you receive. If you buy a bargain at a low price and your seller cannot help you when the watch fails, the manufacturer may reject a claim because you bought from an unauthorised dealer. So choose a vintage watch not by price, but by all the relevant factors. Or come and ask us in the shop.
Vintage brands we sell
You can find some excellent bargains here
The watches we carry include older wristwatches manufactured by:
The ongoing popularity of wristwatches from the 1900s says something about the solid values underlying these highly sophisticated watches.
Our vintage inventory
Currently available
Breitling Avenger
€2,650.00
Breitling Colt
€1,050.00
Cartier Ballon Bleu
€3,950.00
Cartier Panthere small
€4,150.00
Cartier Pasha watch
€2,350.00
Cartier Roadster
€3,450.00
Cartier Santos 100
Price on request
Cartier Santos Ronde Watch
€2,650.00
The selection changes constantly, so it is worth looking again. Whether you simply admire older watches or you are assembling a serious collection, the variety and the prices should please you.
Why buy vintage watches from us
A few reasons to deal with us instead
- A versatile, rapidly changing inventory of vintage watches.
- Customer service we would be happy to receive ourselves.
- We talk through the condition of the pieces we sell.
- A simple, secure enquiry system — and a phone that a watchmaker answers.
Contact us about vintage watches
To buy from experienced vintage watch specialists, call01 679 9107or send us a message. If a watch you already own has stopped, we can replace a battery or a strap.
Vintage watches
Questions about buying vintage
A guide. The vintage watches you can try on and buy are on the vintage shop page. This page is the longer piece on why vintage is still worth wearing in Dublin.
Yes. Come to the second floor of Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 William Street South, Dublin 2. Monday to Saturday, 11:00 to 18:00. Call 01 679 9107 if you want a specific piece waiting.
Yes. Each piece is opened before it goes on the tray: movement, case, dial and serials. You get that in writing for 12 months.
Yes. Battery replacement and strap replacement, on this floor.
Sometimes, if you already know the market for that exact watch. Most watches lose value, the way cars do. A bargain that nobody will service is not a bargain. The seven tests on this page are what we weigh before we treat a piece as money.