With 2021 behind us, I wanted to look at some of my favourite affordable vintage watches, many of which I encountered myself during the past year and some of which I even acquired. For clarity, the watches are not listed in any particular order, affordable in this case means under $2,000 CAD in value, and vintage means at least 25 years old.

Seiko Grand Twin Quartz

Ah, the Seiko Grand Twin Quartz, truly one of my favourite watches ever and my preferred timepiece for everyday wear. While I’m a fan of anything Grand Quartz (or even King Quartz etc.), the Grand Twin Quartz really stands out to me for its ‘Twin’ technology, twin oscillators with one controlling for temperature to provide maximum accuracy. As such, the Seiko Grand Quartz Cal. 9943/9942/9940 provides an incredible accuracy of ±10 seconds per year!

On top of its high accuracy, I also love the design of the Seiko Grand Twin Quartz line, the beautiful sleek cases, signed crown, and Twin emblem on the dial are all visually stunning. Along with the Kanji day/date at 3 o’clock!

The Seiko Grand Twin Quartz was released in 1978, while the Seiko Grand Quartz was released in 1975. These are not especially hard to find, but it gets more difficult when you’re looking for something in good, original condition. And while you may see some reaching high three or four-figure prices, they’re usually to be found in the $400-$600 range.

Grand Seiko ‘56GS’

Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 5646-7030 and Seiko Grand Twin Quartz 9943-8030

Next is the ‘56GS’ or Grand Seiko 56xx series. This was the last Grand Seiko line to be produced, made until the mid-1970s, and was made by Suwa Seikosha. Personally, when I think of Grand Seiko, I think of Suwa – and so prefer to stick to Suwa-made Grand Seiko or even Grand Quartz models. Conversely the ‘true’ King Seiko for me is a Daini. Sorry 56KS…In any event, the aspect of the 56GS I am most attracted to is that it has the ‘trifecta’ of a “GS”-signed crown, gold caseback medallion, and Kanji day/date. The 61GS is close, but only comes with the English date. Moreover, I appreciate that the 56GS was made explicitly to be a watch for everyday or more casual wear (it was produced industrially), has a particularly slim case, and has the quirky frequency of 28,800 bph – still considered ‘hi-beat’ according to the dial, but not exactly 36,000 bph. Comparing it to other vintage Grand Seikos, it feels sturdier, which makes sense given it was made in the 1970s. As a former Seiko Lord Matic owner, I also appreciate that the 56GS was at the top of the 56LM, 56KS hierarchy.

These are fairly easy to find as they were made in high quantities and were always fairly popular. People took care of their Grand Seikos! Depending on the model and condition they can usually be found for $1,000-$1,500. Unlike the 56KS, there were no ‘chronometer’ versions, although the Grand Seiko standard was always known to be above chronometer grade.

Tissot Seastar

This was one of my earlier vintage watches, if you want something that’s truly affordable (i.e. only cost a few hundred dollars maximum), the Tissot Seastar is a great place to start. These were made mostly between the 1960s and 1970s and come in a variety of case shapes, in different metals, and even in different models, like the Tissot Seastar Seven or Seastar Navigator. Most also use in-house automatic movements, which are of pretty good quality when compared to Tissot today. A great thing about the Tissot Seastars is that they are quite easy to find, even in good or original condition, and make a great beater watch if you want something Swiss and vintage that can take the stress of daily wear. I also like the ‘Tissot’ and ‘Seastar’ logos when applied on the dial, a nice detail, the symmetry of which makes the dial look great in my opinion. Again, depending on the model and condition can go from $150 all the way up to a couple thousand for models like the Tissot Seastar Navigator chronograph.

Girard-Perregaux Gyromatic

Another one I have had a couple of in the past, the Girard-Perregaux Gyromatic is probably the best Swiss vintage dress watch you can buy if you’re looking for something under $1,000. While the Gyromatic line is most famous for its High Frequency Chronometer model, powered by the Girard-Perregaux Cal. 32A (known for its 36,000 bph rate and for winning chronometer competitions in the 1960s), there are a whole host of other Gyromatics that are both more affordable and can be equally as precious. The Gyromatic line from Girard-Perregaux goes back to the 1950s and was one of their first automatic wristwatches produced in high quantities, they had in-house movement with 18,000 bph, that again, are of very high quality when compared to the movements of today. In my opinion, the GP Gyromatic is truly one of those hidden gems in the watch market, years after I got my first it is still flying under the radar.

Tudor Prince Oysterdate

While the Tudor Oyster Prince goes back to 1952, The Tudor Prince Oysterdate emerged in the 1960s. These are great alternatives to the vintage Rolex Datejust or a vintage Grand Seiko for daily wear, as they feature many of the most important Rolex hallmarks – the Rolex-signed crown, the Oyster waterproof case, the cyclops date magnifier – but are still distinctly Tudors, with early models featuring the ‘Tudor Rose’ logo.

1960s Tudor Prince Oysterdate ref. 7966/0 / Credit: Analog/Shift

The Tudor Prince Oysterdate is, in my mind, the perfect watch for a young graduate just starting a new job. It doesn’t have the potential negative perception that might come with wearing a Rolex, but is still well-known enough to the layman to get the office manager to like you. They’re also built to last, with Tudor Oyster Princes famously going through a ‘Trial of Destruction’ when they were made². These were originally made to be sports watches!

The downsides? The dials are usually painted and some may consider them to lack detail, and the Tudor’s movement is an ETA, not a Rolex. Nonetheless, Tudor Prince Oysterdates come in a wide variety of dial designs and references, and are relatively easy to find. Generally, a good and original condition Tudor Prince Oysterdate can be found for less than $1,750, particularly the newer models from the 1980s and ‘90s with the ‘Tudor Shield’ logo.

Conclusion

So, while the list largely focuses on dress watches, those are my favourite kinds of watches and the kind I mostly collect. Moreover, I think that when people think ‘affordable vintage’ they often relate back to utility and in my mind the versatility of the watches in this list makes them extremely useful. They’re appropriate for both more formal wear and everyday casual use. Sure, you can’t go diving and shouldn’t go hiking, but you shouldn’t anyways with a vintage timepiece. And, of course, this list does reveal my affinity for vintage Seiko - especially vintage Grand Seiko - which is probably my favourite vintage watch brand. One thing we didn’t look at, however, was ‘collectability’, but I think that all of these watches, except for maybe the Tissot Seastar, are extremely collectible, in that they are constantly becoming more popular.

By: Andres Ibarguen