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Vintage Luxury Watches by Unekual
Mateo Rossi, founder of vintage luxury watch platform Unekual, shares his thoughts on the appeal of classic timepieces – and why they make unparalleled investments.
The vintage luxury watch market has always occupied a distinctive and rarified niche. But it’s experiencing frenzied levels of interest across the globe thanks in no small part to a new generation of aficionados like actors Timothée Chalamet and Henry Golding and NBA legend LeBron James, who are frequently seen sporting, respectively, their treasured Cartier Tank, Omega Seamaster De Ville and Patek Philippe 6102R. The explosion of interest couldn’t be more synchronistic for Switzerland-based Mateo Rossi, founder of vintage luxury watch platform Unekual.
Mateo may have launched Unekual in 2020 but his fascination with, and passion for, elegant perennial timepieces has had a lengthy gestation. “I’ve always had a knack for collecting,” he says. “The stories these older watches carry give them an incomparable aura that clinical modern pieces simply lack for me.”
His first watch might have been a Rip Curl model that he bought at a factory outlet in Queensland, but it’s high-end timepieces by the likes of Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet that fuel Mateo’s ardour. “At Unekual, I primarily sell Patek Philippe. The company and the design ethos is the one I resonate with the most and the watches are timeless, gorgeous and made to the highest standard.”
For Mateo, also the founder of the invitation-only Le Paris Watch Club, there’s simply no comparison between vintage and modern timepieces. “Vintage watches – from the finishing of the bracelet to the rich colour of the dials – just feel better made. They are much rarer, too, so for those of us who love a little singularity, the probability of bumping into someone with the same watch on their wrist is pretty slim.”
With vintage timepieces creating records at auction (two Paul Newman Rolex Daytonas sold for $US1.1 million each last year), their value as investments is unparalleled, he says. “Watches are an incredibly compact and practical way of storing wealth. Assets like art or vintage cars require either maintenance or special storage conditions or are simply illiquid. On the other hand, you can grab any important vintage watch, fly anywhere in the world and sell it to a dealer or auction house.”
“Vintage watches – from the finishing of the bracelet to the rich colour of the dials – just feel better made.”
For those new to the world of vintage luxury watches, Mateo advises to focus on quality. “Always aim to get the best condition possible for your money’s worth. Looking at the 1990s is a great place to start. There are lots of cool pieces made in that period by Patek Philippe and Rolex but also brands like Cartier and Omega.”
If your budget has few limitations, you might consider one of his most highly regarded vintage pieces – the Patek Philippe ref. 3700 in yellow gold. “The first Nautilus is thin, comfortable, exceptionally made and drop-dead gorgeous on the wrist.” (It’s also worth six figures.) And on Mateo’s new Paris-based site Rose Auctions, you can find anything from a vintage Cartier Tank to a Grand Complication Patek Philippe at one of the weekly auctions.
