I grew into the world of vintage watches whilst learning the jewellery trade within the family business. My grandad, started learning watch making in 1942 and began repairing watches above a dentist in the city of Exeter in England. In the 1960’s he was well established and opened two shops selling jewellery and undertaking repairs with the company still thriving today.

All vintage watch dealers have a moment where it ignites the fire and at the time I didn’t own a vintage watch or sell any in the shop. However I remember my grandad showing me two gold watches he had kept back in the safe for many years. One champagne dial Rolex Day-Date ref. 18038 and the one that immediately stood out was the Rolex Day-Date ref. 19018 with a burl wood dial. This was the first time being in such awe of a watch and looking at the grain of wood and how the bulky and unusual the yellow gold case design looked compared to the other.

I started Doble vintage watches instagram in 2016 but went full-time in July 2023 at the age of 31 to solely pursue my passion. At DVW we are creating a collection of vintage watches that generate emotional connections for customers in the form of a future heirloom to hand down, unmissable old gold, beautiful craftsmanship, one off design & individuality which cannot be replicated by any other watch.

Roo Doble