Aaron built Arrows Vintage Watches into a business generating up to $15,000 per month in revenue, with recent months yielding around $10,000 in profit. He did not start with a plan to launch a business.
He began by selling vintage watches from his own collection to fund purchases of new pieces. Early experience identifying flaws came from selling Pokémon cards and sports memorabilia, skills that transferred to spotting condition issues in watches. He studied watch forums and auction results before attempting to resell.
His first inventory came from Seiko Dolces, which he bought in bulk because they were inexpensive and had reliable quartz movements requiring minimal service. Initial listings appeared on Reddit and eBay with basic photography and straightforward descriptions.
Aaron sourced roughly 70 percent of his inventory from online marketplaces and auctions, with the rest coming from his personal network. He evaluates watches by checking dial condition, originality of hands and crowns, correct printing, lume consistency, and case shape before considering liquidity or parts availability.
He resists the term "flipping," saying he buys watches he is personally interested in and rarely sells something he would not wear himself. He does not restore watches, preferring to sell pieces with honest vintage wear and original parts.
Most sales now happen through Instagram, where he posts new watches to his stories first. He built a website about two months before the article, which offers longer descriptions, more photos, and payment plan options. He works with a watchmaker to authenticate and assess watches when needed but does not service them himself.
His best month cleared roughly $10,000 in profit on about $15,000 in sales, partly from a non-running Rolex Bubbleback that needed only a replacement balance wheel.