Meet Eric Wind | Founder and Owner of Wind Vintage

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Wind and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I love vintage watches and my journey into the world of watches began with writing for a small blog about watches called HODINKEE. Before I knew it, the site was taking off and my column about vintage watches available for sale was growing a significant following while it was still a hobby for me and I had other full-time work. I was recruited to join Christie’s in 2015 as Vice President, Senior Specialist of Watches for the New York team. After working very hard for a few years at Christie’s, I looked out on the landscape of vintage watches and realized I wanted to be my own boss. I felt there was an opportunity for me as a dealer and advisor, so I started Wind Vintage in 2017 in Florida and it has been a wonderful journey since then!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We bring a collector mentality to offering our vintage watches, while also being efficient for the volume of sales that we do. I have helped create a website of curated inventory the likes of which I would want to purchase: many honest, unpolished vintage watches from a variety of brands I like with photography that is raw and unedited so buyers can best assess condition. Too many watch dealers have very sterile photographs and it is hard to assess the condition of the watch. There are always challenges, but we work hard constantly to serve our clients and do our best to always find great watches to sell.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Palm Beach is a wonderful place to visit and to raise a family. A few of our favorite restaurants are Le Bilboquet on Worth Avenue, Sant Ambroeus in the Royal Poinciana Plaza, HMF at The Breakers, and Honor Bar in Royal Poinciana Plaza. I love to play golf and belong to a couple private clubs, but there are amazing public options with the Palm Beach Par 3 and The Park in West Palm Beach. Overall, Palm Beach is just a great vibe and there continue to be new great places opening all the time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many people that I can thank for helping me get where I am today. First, my wife Christine, who is so supportive and loving. Our business would not be where it is without her involvement, wisdom, and help. Second, my parents, especially my mom, helped me grow up with the collector spirit. My mom gave me my grandfather’s Hamilton Neil watch, which had been a gift from my grandmother to my grandfather for their wedding in 1947, and that started me on my journey into vintage watches. Third, Ben Clymer started HODINKEE and invited me to write about watches for HODINKEE back in 2010. Without Ben and the site, I would never be doing what I am doing now. Millions owe their interest in vintage watches to Ben. Fourth, Jeff Stein, who started OnTheDash, helped me in one of my first vintage watch purchases and has helped thousands of collectors over the years without any thought of repayment. Fifth, John Reardon gave me the job offer to join Christie’s and taught me so much, so I can also say I would not be where I am today without John! And there are countless others who deserve shoutouts including my current Wind Vintage colleagues, Charlie Dunne and Abbie Harris, who help keep Wind Vintage growing massively and our clients, who are so smart, supportive, and loving.

Website: https://windvintage.com

Instagram: @ericmwind

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-wind/

Twitter: https://x.com/ericwind

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericwind/

Image Credits
Wind Vintage