My grandfather traded a Seiko for a Patek Philippe

My grandfather was a true man of character, he was steady, self-reliant, and was always there if you needed help. Born in 1925, he belonged to the old school - disciplined, humble, and hardworking. Over the years, he served in the navy, worked as a deckhand on cargo ships, became a research engineer at KTH, and later dedicated himself to helping children by working with hearing aids. On his wrist, he wore a Patek Philippe 565 produced during the Second World War, a watch that he wore for most of his life.

When Seiko was new in Sweden, he bought his first Seiko wristwatch. A colleague at KTH (the same university where I study) admired it and offered a trade, his older Patek Philippe for the Seiko. My grandfather gladly accepted and thereafter the Patek was on his wrist.

Earlier this year he passed away and left us his watch. A couple of weeks ago, we brought it to an auction house for appraisal and learned it was worth a great deal. Of course I was happy that the watch was worth a lot of money, a part of me wished that it was worth a lot less so that we could've kept it. But it was just too much, considering insurance and buyout cost.

The watch sold for an unbelievable sum at Bukowskis yesterday: 620,000 SEK (~$66,000). The buyer also pays a 25% buyer’s premium, bringing the total to 775,000 SEK (~$82,500), even crazier. I’m told that although the watch was in used condition, the price was driven by its unusual dial, there may be only a couple in the world.

It’s sold now, gone. If you pay that kind of money for a vintage watch, you probably have a huge interest in and appreciation for the historay of watches, a history that is made richer by the people who wore them. And now you know who wore this one.