About Time by Esquire:  The man who sells vintage Rolex adverts

In 2019 Nick Federowicz quit his day job in fashion retail to focus on his “side hustle” – selling vintage watch advertisements by Rolex, Patek Philippe and more, and then sells them via his website, Ad Patina. To mark five years in a profession no one knew existed until he created it, we spoke to Nick about his unusual job, and also asked him to pick out his own personal favourite watch ads.

Hodinkee - Our Favorite Horological Print Ads From The '90s

When it comes to horological print ads, there's one man who has made a business of studying, preserving, and offering them for sale. His name is Nick Federowicz and he's the man behind Ad Patina, a niche business selling framed vintage ads of collectable watches. When it came time to look at ads from the '90s, (something I'm into) I knew Nick was the right man to call.

Collector's Guide: The Rolex GMT-Master Reference 1675 In Steel

Contributed photography, unique insights, and historical information to add context to compreshensive vintage GMT Master Ref. 1675 resource article.

The New York Times - 4 Moments That Changed the Watch World

Nicholas Federowicz, owner of Ad Patina, a Chicago-based vintage watch ad reseller, referred to his 1966 magazine ad for the Explorer Ref. 1016 that he said was among his best sellers.

Hodinkee - The Best Watch Instagram Accounts To Follow Right Now

Get your Don Draper (or Cole Pennington) on while perusing vintage watch ads with @adpatina.

Hodinkee - Chanel Watches Matter, And Here's Why

Photography of Ad Patina's vintage ads are featured throughout the article.

TAG Heuer - The Edge Magazine - The Essence of an Era: The 1960s

Today, Ad Patina, the expert of all things vintage watch ads, is taking us on a swinging journey back to the 60s, a decade which in several ways marked the dawn of a new era for Heuer.

Tag Heuer - The Edge Magazine - The Vintage ‘70s Ads That Made Heuer Tick

Rewind time with us and Ad Patina, a world-leading authority in vintage watch advertisements, as we reflect on previous decades of Heuer and TAG Heuer history, as immortalised in unforgettable campaigns.

Financial Times - Interest Ticks Up In Watch Ephemera

Interest in vintage watch advertisements is also growing. Nick Federowicz, who founded Chicago-based specialist marketplace Ad Patina in 2017, exceeded his total customer count for 2021 in the first nine months of this year.

Gear Patrol - This Man Makes a Living Selling Vintage Ads, and Business Is a-Boomin'

What he does do is source the best midcentury watch advertisements from vintage magazines, frame them, and then sell those.

Watchonista - A Century Of Wristwatch Advertising: 10 Vintage Ads Worth Revisiting

Federowicz singled out the Geneva brand’s iconic “If You Were” campaign, which ran from 1967 to early 1970, as an especially powerful example of watch marketing.

A Collected Man - The Rise of Vintage Watch Advertisements

According to Nick Federowicz of Ad Patina, who has been studying and sourcing vintage advertisements for several decades, this wistful direction helped to refocus collectors.