The 21-Year-Old Driving Strategy at a Vintage Watch Dealer

When Abigail Harris joined luxury pre-owned-watch retailer Wind Vintage in Palm Beach, Florida, as an intern, she didn’t expect one timepiece to shape her future.  Fresh out of Palm Beach Atlantic University with a marketing degree, she received an unpolished Rolex Datejust reference 6824.  

“I immediately fell in love with the watch and recognized how special it was,” she recalls. That single model sparked her fascination with vintage timepieces and led her to her current role of junior specialist and director of marketing and logistics. 

Now 21, Harris manages operations and marketing around each watch at Wind Vintage. A semester abroad in Florence, Italy, deepened her appreciation for history and design — “two important elements in the watch world,” she says. Today, she draws on that experience to handle rare pieces and find ways to bring their stories to life. 

She sees younger collectors, especially women, reshaping the vintage market. “There are more young women becoming passionate about vintage watches,” she reports, whether the timepieces are gifts from family or milestone purchases. “It’s a passion asset and a better investment than many other items women could purchase that quickly erode in value.”  

Social media has also helped make the industry more accessible. “Vintage watch collectors have been welcoming and supportive of me and my desire to learn more,” Harris says.

Her Datejust remains central to that passion. She’s worn it daily since 2023, and its 31-millimeter size suits her perfectly. The caseback engraving — “To Jerry from Iris, 40 years, 2-25-90” — adds “mystery and mystique,” she says. She wonders whether the piece, which dates to around 1983, was pre-owned when Iris acquired it, or whether it sat unsold for years before finding its way to Jerry. 

Harris’s advice for new buyers shopping with Wind Vintage? “Start with a more conservative budget. Don’t just follow trends. Buy something you love and spend time learning about it.” She suggests vintage Rolex models like the Air-King 14000 or 36-millimeter Datejust references 1601, 1603 or 16014 as solid entry points for such customers. 

One standout memory from her career so far is when, as an intern, she saw Wind Vintage founder Eric Wind’s wife Christine wearing a gold Daytona.  

“I had never seen a gold Daytona on a woman,” Harris recalls. “Every woman loves a gold watch.” Inspired, she later picked up a 26-millimeter Rolex Oyster Perpetual in 18-karat gold — “unpolished, of course” — which now alternates with her Datejust for daily wear. 

With her growing depth of industry knowledge, Harris is just getting started. “There’s still so much to learn,” she says. “But I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.”

This interview is part of Rapaport Magazine’s Under 30s series, profiling rising young stars of the jewelry industry. To nominate someone you know email the editor at rachael.taylor@rapaport.com

Main image: Abigail Harris. (Abigail Harris/Wind Vintage)