WHO TO FOLLOW: Get your vintage vibes from @thefemalewatchcollector
Ricardo SimeThere is a reason why the collective love for vintage continues to grow in the watch community. The styles and designs of the past heavily influence what we see today. So for many, the allure of the original becomes much stronger than that of a modern reinterpretation. Beyond these elements, other factors can also be at play, such as the impact of the collectors around you as your likes and dislikes are being formed. All these things and more come together to define the collector, @thefemalewatchcollector; our next choice for Who To Follow.
Marie, the lovely lady behind @thefemalewatchcollector started posting wrist shots and vintage pieces back in July 2020. Though this is fairly recent, her love for watches (especially those with a bit of character) goes back much further as I found out when chatting to her for this article.
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“My interest for watches started quite early and I remember my grandfather giving me my very first watch, and several pieces following that,” she explains. “I was probably about four or five years old when I got my first Edox – a vintage ladies’ watch. In my teens, I went through the classic fashion watch stage. Later, at 25 years old, I bought my first Tudor in Hamburg. This was a brand new piece and had nothing to do with my vintage passion, but my love for beautiful wristwatches in general.”
Marie’s relationship with her grandfather also contributed to her interest in watches.
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“My grandfather was a self-taught watchmaker and repaired all kinds of timepieces as a hobby after he retired,” she says. “Unfortunately, in many ways, my interest for vintage watches didn’t take off until he passed away and I inherited most of the pieces I own today. I really wish he could have shared some of the stories behind how he acquired them as I know he wasn’t an ordinary collector of wristwatches. He bought them mainly to repair and resell as pocket watches and clocks. That was his real passion.”
Marie’s passion for vintage doesn’t mean she’s remotely opposed to modern pieces either. “It’s funny how some people are shocked that I also wear more modern pieces,” she says. “But I appreciate them in all shapes, sizes and ages although there’s something truly unique about vintage pieces. I don’t know how else to describe it other than it feels like they have a soul and to me that makes them extra special.”
From her Instagram, it appears as if Marie has dozens of vintage timepieces in her collection. But what’s even better is that these watches aren’t locked away. Whether it’s a Certina or a Timex, an Eterna or an Omega, she wears vintage watches on a regular basis to provide a blast from the past to all of her followers and deliver a visual dose of horological history. The sheer variety of her collection, coupled with the fact that you never know what Marie will post up next, makes her a “must follow” for those of us who are all about those vintage vibes.