Everyone says to ask for a vintage watch's service history. Most of it can't be verified, and a receipt proves a transaction, not a result. Here's what actually tells you a watch has been serviced, and the better question to ask.

Three names, one Swiss firm, and one watch that isn't what it looks like. What LeCoultre, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and plain Jaeger on a vintage dial really tell you.

How to identify the movement inside any vintage Wittnauer chronograph: Venus 188, Valjoux 7733 and 7734, Landeron 248, and the house numbering system Wittnauer used to mark them.

Every dealer says never get a vintage watch wet. That advice is half-engineering and half-liability theater. Here is what is actually true about vintage water resistance, where water actually gets in, and when a 1965 diver is safer than a 2-year-old modern.