Why I Became Fascinated with Vintage Watches at 15 | The Origin Story of Ante's Owner

I was about 15 years old when I became fascinated by watches.

My grandfather took me to a watch shop.

I had always been interested in wristwatches, but that day was the first time I encountered the world of "vintage watches."

At the time, I was a high school student looking for my first mechanical watch with a budget of about 50,000 yen.

However, what captivated me in that shop wasn't a wristwatch, but a Waltham hunter-case pocket watch.

The shop owner patiently explained the structure of the hunter case, designed to protect the dial, and the historical background in which the watch was created.

For me, who had only ever thought of watches as "tools for telling time," this story was incredibly novel.

What further caught my eye was the delicate hand-engraving covering the entire case.

A three-dimensional quality that cannot be replicated by modern mass production.

An expression created precisely because each piece was finished by hand by a craftsman.

There was a warmth there that machines could never reproduce.

As I gazed at that watch, I naturally began to wonder.

What eras had this watch seen?

What kind of person wore it, and what kind of life did it share?

I felt that a single watch not only held the craftsman's skill but also the time spent by its owner.

At that moment, for me, a watch ceased to be merely an "object."

A watch is an entity that reflects an era, inherits culture, and connects emotions from person to person.

I understood for the first time that for me, a watch was not an industrial product, but "art" and "culture."

This value has not changed even after more than 20 years.

At the time, gold prices were not as high as they are now, and that Waltham pocket watch was displayed for 40,000 yen.

It might be an unimaginable price today.

Nevertheless, for me as a high school student, 40,000 yen was by no means a small amount, and it was one of the biggest purchases of my life.

I had doubts.

However, the desire to "have this watch by my side" was stronger.

If I hadn't encountered that watch on that day, I don't think I would be who I am today.

Looking back, that day was the origin of my life with watches.

Since then, I have collected, studied, and come into contact with watches from all over the world.

My criteria for looking at watches also gradually changed.

Not just the brand name or price, but how it was made, and in what condition it was inherited.

I began to approach a single watch including its background and story.

Currently, Ante mainly features vintage Cartiers.

That's not solely because of their popularity or rarity.

It's because I personally feel that these watches have a design that is loved for a long time, inherited quality, and value that can be used for decades to come.

That's why we carefully assess the condition of each watch, make no compromises on maintenance, and only introduce watches that we are truly satisfied with.

On that day when I was 15, I learned something from a single pocket watch.

A watch is not just a tool for telling time.

It is culture itself, inheriting the craftsman's skill, the atmosphere of the era, and people's feelings, and connecting them to the next generation.

The feeling I had then is still the standard for my watch selection, and the origin of Ante.