Paying full list price for a new watch and still expecting to make a buck is difficult these days, even with a stainless-steel sports Rolex. So, it is also a matter of buying watches at the right moment for the right price. What I’ve experienced is that those that are closest to the initial model at the time it was introduced, and those pieces that are as ‘clean’ as possible, are most likely to keep their value or even increase in value. However, not even all examples of these watch models will keep, or increase, their value over time. Such watch models include popular classics like (for example) the Rolex Submariner, Rolex Daytona, Patek Philippe Calatrava, Omega Speedmaster, Breitling Navitimer, Panerai Luminor Marina, TAG Heuer Carrera, Patek Philippe Nautilus, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and so on - what a watch enthusiasts would call the usual suspects.

We would have to look more closely into which specific models from such brands are most in demand. This doesn’t mean that every watch these brands produce will automatically increase in value. It was offered in both yellow gold fill (YGF) and white gold fill (WGF), with a choice dials with either luminous Radium numbers, or applied gold numbers (AGN).Aside from Rolex and Patek Philippe, luxury watch brands with a high demand (in the United States) include Breitling, Omega, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC (in no particular order). Most Hamilton wristwatches of this era were available in different colored cases with different dial variations, and the Putnam was no exception. It measures 27mm wide by 34mm long, with 17.5mm lugs. The case features dramatic, slightly curved triple stepped sides with a super clean look. Introduced in the 1932 catalog, the Putnam was described as a watch “with a flair for the modern”. No single watch embodies the elements of Art Deco and Machine Age design like the Hamilton Putnam. That said, I did keep a small core of these gems, and today I’ll discuss a trio of vintage Hamiltons from the mid 1930’s: The Putnam, the Drake, and the Nelson. I found that as my tastes changed as I grew as a collector, I slowly stopped wearing them and eventually sold most of them off.

However, as much as I love the look and style of these, they are quite small and they are far more fragile than watches from the 1950’s on.

Old hamilton watches value