In the world of watch collecting, you'll hear many terms of the trade. Beyond the usual watch jargon used to describe a piece's performance, you'll likely see words referring to its age. For example, "antique" and "vintage" gets tossed around pretty often. To buy a luxury Rolex 114300 watch, visit this watch store website.

But what exactly constitutes a vintage watch? Is that Rolex 114300 you've shown off considered an antique? Read on to learn more.

Decoding the Meaning of Antique

There's no more attractive buzzword than antique. That's true in any collecting hobby, but it's a descriptor that will pique the interest of most watch enthusiasts. Why? When you call something "antique," it usually means that the item is more than 100 years old.

Many of the most well-known watch brands first launched around this time. For example, Rolex started in 1905. Other heavy hitters in the industry, like Omega and Patek Philippe, were already long-established, opening in 1848 and 1839, respectively.

Many genuine antique watches could be worth a lot of money. Earlier models are a piece of watchmaking history, and collectors are willing to shell out a lot of money for them!

What Does It Mean to Be Vintage?

Antiques are relatively easy to spot and distinguish. It fits the bill, as long as the original release date was more than 100 years ago. However, the "vintage" descriptor is a little more flexible, and the meaning could vary from one watch-seller to the next.

Generally, it's a term used to indicate that a watch is at least a few decades old. You'd be hard-pressed to find the word used to describe a Rolex 114300 or any other watch made in the last decade. But items released anywhere between 20 and 99 years may have a "vintage" label.

Do Your Due Diligence

While the terms "antique" and "vintage" are helpful at a glance, don't rely on them alone to dictate value! Do your homework and look at the actual release date. You can rest easy knowing that anything considered antique is highly valued if it's in good condition. But the flexibility of the vintage descriptor may require more investigation.

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