Her Hour: Dealing Time with Zoë Abelson

When speaking to watch journalists, it’s fascinating how many of them develop their passions for these machines with heart beats after joining the industry. Similar is the case with dealer Zoë Abelson, who developed her love for watches after she found herself working for an auction house – completely by chance. “Even though my parents were always into watches, I only began noticing it after I got into the industry,” she says, “it started with a temp job at the Antiquorum auction in New York, where I was answering their main line for the day. I was completely fascinated with people spending what they would pay for a car, a house, two houses for these timepieces, and that made me rethink the value of my parents’ watches.”

After that stint, Abelson joined Antiquorum as a summer intern – “for about two months I was digitizing their watch catalogs, which ignited my fascination with the market even further, and I realized I needed to learn more.” She then moved to online auction Auctionata and Crown & Caliber after that before joining Govberg Jewels and moving to Philadelphia. After a year, the job took her to Hong Kong, where she spent three and a half years. Now, Abelson is back in New York, but this time as an entrepreneur with her watch sourcing company Graal. 

It’s always fascinating to learn about dealers’ watch collecting habits. “I began buying watches to reward myself for reaching certain milestones,” Abelson says. The first watch she bought for herself was a stainless steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Valjoux chronograph from the 1950s, “I saw a random dealer post it on Instagram, so I immediately DM’d him, asked how much and sent him the money. I could’ve gotten scammed honestly,” she laughs. The dealer also inherited some vintage watches from her family, like the 1948 Patek Philippe, which was passed down to her from her great grandmother. She also got a yellow gold Octagonal Santos de Cartier from the 80s, which she got from her late grandmother. “When I came to Hong Kong, I brought it to the Cartier store to get the battery changed, but they couldn’t because the watch had an automatic movement, which my grandmother replaced with quartz for convenience, because she didn’t want to set and wind it.” 

As somebody who spends most of her time sourcing watches, Abelson has a unique perspective on the purpose of timepieces. “With technology advancing quite a bit, watches are extremely antiquated – you don't need a watch,” she says, which sounds bizarrely refreshing. She adds, “The people  I find are relying on watches for the time are typically older because they don't want to be checking their phones. I sleep with my phone in my hand, so if I'm checking the time, I'm using my phone. And, of course, you have digital watches, and that has really taken away for the purpose of owning a timepiece. I think a lot of people like the romanticism of going away from technology and having a watch for that purpose, which is a little ironic.”

Equally as refreshing is her take on watches not meant for the wrists. “Obsessed, obsessed, obsessed! I have a watch ring myself” she exclaims, “I recently visited the Audemars Piguet museum in Le Brassus, and they had a whole section on watch pendants, rings and brooches. Back in the day, watches were concealed as jewelry because it was considered impolite for a woman to check the time.” And, while she admits to being rather partial towards watch brooches and rings and even a watch key which she owns, Abelson doesn’t see the point in watch chokers, “I guess you could tell time by looking in the mirror, but then it’ll be backwards,” she says. 

After years spent working in this male dominated industry, Abelson has witnessed firsthand the challenges it imposes on women. “It’s the only industry I know,” she says, “and I’m so used to the often misogynistic air that it doesn’t even occur to me,” adding, “I can notice how some male dealers talk to me versus other male dealers. But it doesn’t faze me as much as most people assume.” Yet she notes that there are more female voices in the space these days, “which didn’t exist until three or four years ago.” The change, admittedly, isn’t happening fast enough, however, since the watch world is still and has always been moving at a slow pace. 

In the watch collecting circles (especially among the younger crowd), Abelson is a revered figure. With her infectious enthusiasm, her unwavering commitment to preserving watchmaking history, and her unique ability to connect with people from all walks of life, she is poised to leave an indelible mark on this world.