Mostra Mag

Discover Mostra Magazine, a place for enthusiasts of pre-owned, vintage and collectible watches. Explore the stories behind iconic models and watchmaking houses, alongside watches on screen and on the wrists of well-known personalities. You will also find buying guides, insights into appraisal, valuation and the watch market, and practical advice from our workshop. Clear guidance to help you choose a watch, understand its value and care for it.

Appraisal, Valuation & Market
What Is My Watch Really Worth? The Twelve Criteria That Determine Its Value on the Pre-Owned Market A pre-owned watch does not have one single value. Retail price, listing, trade-in, insurance, purchase invoice, taxation, consignment or auction: Mostra explains the twelve criteria that truly determine its value.

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Watch Stories
French Military Watches: The Mostra Collector’s Atlas From Type 20 chronographs and Marine Nationale dive watches to the Jacques Bianchi JB200, Commando Hubert RALF TECH watches and CNES space watches, Mostra traces the history, references and authentication criteria of French military watches.

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Appraisal, Valuation & Market
Pre-owned watch Health Record: the 12 essential checks A pre-owned watch can be authentic without being mechanically healthy, accurate without being water-resistant, and highly polished without being well preserved. Mostra introduces a 12-point health assessment to better inform buyers and highlight watches that have been properly maintained.

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Buying Guides
Which Pre-Owned Watch Should You Give for Starting University or Business School? Which watch should you give for starting University or business school? Four elegant, useful and relatively discreet pre-owned models designed for campus life, first internships, interviews and the years that open the door to professional life.

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Buying Guides
Rolex Explorer, Sea-Dweller, Omega Speedmaster or Seamaster: Which One Should You Choose? Which watch will truly stay with you for years to come? Mostra compares four of the greatest icons of modern watchmaking—the Rolex Explorer 14270, Sea-Dweller 16600, Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 and Omega Seamaster Professional 300M—to help you choose the one that best matches your lifesty

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Buying Guides
Which One Truly Reflects You? Chanel Boy·Friend, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso or Hermès Cape Cod Chanel Boy·Friend, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso or Hermès Cape Cod: three rectangular watches, three styles and three ways of expressing elegance. Our hands-on comparison helps you choose the one that truly reflects you.

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Buying Guides
Ralf Tech review: how good are the French brand’s watches? Build quality, reliability, movements, comfort, prices and the pre-owned market: here is our detailed review of Ralf Tech watches, including their genuine strengths and the limitations to know before buying.

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Watch Stories
Ralf Tech Commando Hubert: how to identify military and civilian series WRX-A Hybrid, MIL 2 Type 1 or Type 2, professional watch or civilian series: not all Ralf Tech watches associated with Commando Hubert have the same status. Discover their history, the main references and how to identify a coherent example.

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Appraisal, Valuation & Market
How much does a Ralf Tech watch cost? New, pre-owned and rare models The price of a Ralf Tech watch varies considerably according to the collection, movement, condition, rarity and history of the reference. WRB, WRV, WRX, Académie, CNES, French Navy or Commando Hubert models: here is how to understand the price differences before buying.

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Buying Guides
Which Ralf Tech Should You Choose? WRX, WRV, WRB and Académie Compared WRX, WRV, WRB or Académie: each Ralf Tech collection has its own personality. Professional tool watch, vintage-inspired diver, compact model or more classic timepiece: discover how to choose the Ralf Tech best suited to your wrist, intended use and style.

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Appraisal, Valuation & Market
Mostra Observatory 2026: What 100 Pre-Owned Watches Inspected by Our Workshop Really Revealed The Mostra Workshop inspected 100 pre-owned watches to assess their true condition: accuracy, water resistance, authenticity, polishing, bracelets, and servicing requirements. The Mostra Observatory 2026 reveals what photographs and marketing descriptions do not always show.

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Watch Stories
Jacques Bianchi: The history of French military dive watches Born in Marseille and adopted by the French Navy, the Jacques Bianchi JB200 embodies a distinctly French vision of the military dive watch. Blending watchmaking expertise, operational use and rarity, its story deserves to be rediscovered.

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