What Dealers Can't Sell Right Now | Watchlist Pt. 2

More dealers on the watches sitting in stock—simple Langes, early Speedmasters, and why a 'naked' Datejust scares buyers. (Plus, tariffs.)

A few months ago, I ran a piece about what vintage dealers can’t sell right now. It’s one of the more popular newsletters this year, so here’s Part 2.

I asked a few more dealers the simple question: “What are some watches you’ve had listed for a while that no one’s paying attention to?”

Here’s what they said.

Geneva-based dealer Robin Mann said that his focus, vintage Rolex, has been slower, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to go deal hunting.

“It’s the optimal time to buy, but it’s easy to get lured into lower numbers and try to snag a deal,” Robin said. “The reality is that the best examples have largely held their value and still move reasonably quickly.”

Mike Nouveau agreed. He told me that more affordable 1970s Cartier watches tend to move faster than earlier Paris-made Tanks from the 1950s or 60s. People come to him asking for the most accessible Cartier and can be surprised when a pre-70s Tank costs $15k+. Most Tanks kinda look the same, so it can be hard to convey the rarity and handmade quality compared to the Swiss-made watches of the 70s and later. (In 1972, the separate branches of Cartier London, New York, and Paris began to consolidate under a single umbrella, centralizing production in Switzerland and scaling up operations.)

In today’s Watchlist: The Langes, Rolexes, and Speedmasters nobody’s touching (and where to find them right now), no one wants a ‘barn find,’ and a Seiko brand I can actually get behind.

Nobody Wants a Simple Lange

“Lange gets a lot of love for the Lange 1 and its more complicated models, but its entry-level pieces get less attention,” says Evan Jarzynski of Ticking Time Homme. He mentioned the old three-hand 215, 216, and 219 Saxonia series, in production from 2007–2024. “I’ve had two for sale over the past year, and both sat for months despite being priced attractively relative to the market.”