On the Thursday morning following this year’s edition of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show (OMBAS), my much anticipated daily email from 1st Dibs had me doing a double take. Was I still in Miami?! The curation of Rolex, Tiffany & Co and Cartier timepieces and vintage Cartier jewelry was reminiscent of the world I’d been immersed in for the five fabulous days of OMBAS. Not surprisingly, I saw that the Instagram post that 1st Dibs Social Video Producer, Shani Kravetz, published yesterday featured some of her favorite watch finds from our show floor.

Video courtesy of instagram.com/1stdibs/

Shani was far from only one with glowing reviews of the event. World-renowned Patek Philippe expert, John Reardon of Collectability, made the “historic announcement” that after selling out nearly all of their inventory at OMBAS, the company would now be adding Rolex to their offerings.

Image courtesy of instagram.com/collectabilityllc/

Tony Traina, founder of Unpolished, who led a panel discussion at OMBAS with some of the heaviest hitters in the game, Tania Edwards of Collectability, Morgan Cardet of Matthew Bain, and vintage watch specialist, Mike Nouveau, published a comprehensive photo report of his time in Miami. He noted that OMBAS is “the influencer capital of these United States of TikTok,” so he was not surprised to see some predictable scenes, like label clad 20 somethings capturing content.

Tony is a 5-year veteran of OMBAS, so it was fun to read his take on how the event, and the trends in the market, had changed over the years. He commented that there were more dealers than in years past, and that while prices were high, they were “negotiable.” He also said of his panel, “More than the answers, the questions from the audience are what I find interesting: Questions about how to value authenticity vs. originality, how Rolex’s certified pre-owned program is impacting the market, and more.”

Image courtesy of Unpolished

While she couldn’t be in attendance herself, ever the hard hitting journalist, Victoria Gomelsky was able to craft a story about the event for In the Loupe by Robb Report, that magazine’s weekly newsletter. Entitled “A Record-Breaking Year at the Vintage Watch World’s Biggest Show,” the piece included interviews with several OMBAS exhibitors and attendee and founder of For Future Reference Vintage, Randi Molofsky, who lamented the scarcity of vintage Bulgari Serpenti watches on Tubogas bracelets and laughed about the number of offers she’d received to buy her personal version right off her wrist.

Cardet was quoted as saying “Honestly, it’s been the best year. Really record-breaking.” Adam Golden from Menta Watches felt similarly, saying, “No hyperbole, this was my best year. And it’s not just me saying that. Ask any of my colleagues—we crushed it. It was a record year, in terms of the amount of people who showed up and the amount of sales we did. We probably sold around 60 watches over the course of the week, which is a lot.”

Image courtesy of In the Loupe by Robb Report

And it wasn’t just about the watches. Cameron Steiner, founder of Collectors Gene, may have started in the watch trade, but he’s expanded into other collectables that can help elevate one’s every day. In a panel discussion on which he joined Randi Molofsky, he mentioned a set of antique salt sellers lined in lapis that he and his wife use to keep their wedding rings before bed each night, and he told the story of a friend of his who had discovered at OMBAS an elaborate, sterling silver belt buckle bejeweled in turquoise. The friend is not the “belt buckle type,” he explained, and yet Cameron urged him to purchase the piece, noting it would be a great accent to put on display in his living room in his new Jackson Hole home.

Video courtesy of instagram.com/cameronrosssteiner/

We were thrilled to be joined for the first time by Brinder Dhatt, founder of The Jewel Geek. Upon meeting him in person, I immediately realized his company name was extremely misleading; he was one of the chicest attendees at OMBAS (and that’s saying a LOT!). Brinder did an absolutely marvelous job of capturing content at stands throughout the show, uncovering some of the most noteworthy pieces on display and taking a deeper dive into what makes each of the pieces he showcased so fascinating. 

Video courtsy of instgram.com/thejewelrygeek 

Video courtsy of instgram.com/usantiqueshows