Meet the Specialist

What do you do at Bonhams?

I am a Client Liaison Manager for the Watches department based in New York, where we host several auctions per year. If you're interested in selling your watch, we are currently consigning for our next auction on 3 June in New York.

Where are you from and what inspired you to go into the watch world? 

I am half German, half American so my early childhood was spent in Hamburg, Germany but I grew up mainly in New York City. As soon as I had any money saved I started buying watches. They were not always high end, but I would buy them, sell them, and trade them. The search and anticipation for the perfect watch excited me then as it does now.

What was your first job? 

When I was fourteen, I catalogued an Impressionist and Modern Art collection in Germany. My first job out of college was as a production coordinator for a History Channel Documentary on UFO sightings. I swear.

What has changed in the business since you first started?

People care about and dedicate time to collecting watches in a way that they never have before. There is more information available now online than there ever has been. The concept of buying watches as investments is new. And while I think it’s wonderful that watches can appreciate in value, I try to steer collectors away from buying watches if they are only in it for financial gains. Watches are meant to be worn.

What is your strength as a specialist?

There are so many intricacies in getting to know watches. The most minute things can make a world of difference to collectors. I love the research required. I spend hours studying watches and thoroughly enjoy the fact that it is such a diverse industry that there is always something new to learn.

Watch collectors all share a passion for the time pieces. This communal love for horology means that incredible bonds are created in the process of consigning and purchasing. These relationships are the lifeblood of the job and I take pride in maintaining and nurturing them.

What should one know about selling watches at auction?

Firstly, auctions work on consignment, and as such, the middle-man is removed. When you’re selling directly to a dealer, they are purchasing your watch at a price that allows them to make the largest margin of profit when they re-sell it.

In addition, there is no ceiling to the sale price at auction. A watch, especially a rare or highly sought-after piece, can sell well above the auction estimate.

Last but certainly not least, auction houses like Bonhams have global reach. With offices and sales all over the world, our client base is truly international. As such, when you consign with us, we will reach out to potential all over the world in order to ensure that we get as many interested bidders as possible.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I’m quite good at drawing. It doesn’t come in handy with work, but I find it a very calming pastime.

Name one of your triumphs.

The best part of working at an auction house is that there are no shortages of triumphs. The job lends itself to finding wonderful, rare timepieces and each time one sells well, and both the consigner and buyer are pleased, the elation is incomparable.

Which watch has changed your life?

I am not sure that I can attribute a life changing experience to any one object, but my first watch was a Tag Heuer 2000. It’s a quartz movement, it’s nothing impressive, but with it began my passion for watches.

Max Traber is a Client Liaison for the Watches department in New York. He can be reached at max.traber@bonhams.com or follow along @maxswatches