William Massena - Managing Director of Timezone.com
May 2, 2016

The lecture at the May 2nd meeting of the HSNY was given by William Massena, Managing Director of Timezone.com.

Showing several examples of watches which have appreciated in value as well those that have declined over time in his statistical study, Mr. Massena concluded that investing in watches is more profitable than stocks or banks. However, he advised buyers to study the market carefully, particularly auction prices, where comparisons of similar models can be made. In recent years there has been a greater volume of watch sales with more auction houses specializing in this field.

Although important timepieces usually go up in value, some types are over produced and manufacturers tend to mislead collectors, by claiming they are limited editions. This is one of the several "buyer beware" points mentioned. Also designer names can influence value, as well as condition, which is subjective. Seeing the actual watch is better than a picture in a sales catalogue. The best advise is to buy what you like and to enjoy collecting!

There is much interest in this topic, judging by the many questions asked. We thank Mr. Massena for extending his talk and patiently answering all of them. We learned something about an aspect of horology with which most of us were not familiar.

Submitted by Walter Pangretitsch, Recording Secretary, HSNY