ERIC BRAHMS
American businessman / entrepreneur & the President of Mae Capital, LLC
ERIC BRAHMS
Eric Brahms is an American businessman/entrepreneur and the President of Mae Capital, LLC. Mae Capital is a company based in Greenwich, CT that provides funding for equity and commodities trading, real estate development, and the purchase of precious metals, diamonds, and vintage watches.
Born and raised in NY, Eric Brahms started in his late teens promoting events at concerts and nightclubs. Over a span of 10 years, some of the concerts included Shabba Ranks, Run DMC, LL Cool J, 2 Live Crew, Jazzy Jeff, and Fresh Prince, Fat Joe, and many others. After attending Boston University, American University, and NYU, he decided that the nightlife wasn’t the direction he wished to pursue.
After obtaining his series 7 stock brokers license as well as his series 55 and 63 licenses for trading, Eric Brahms entered into the world of commodities on the floor of the NYMEX (NY Mercantile Exchange) trading in Crude Oil, Gold, and Natural Gas futures. After the extreme volatility of the Persian Gulf War, Eric Brahms realized there was profit to be made by taking advantage of the natural (historical) seasonal fluctuations in supply and demand of crude oil and natural gas, so he focused on those sectors.
During the 1990s, Eric Brahms began working as a NASDAQ market maker, making bids and offers for NASDAQ securities, thereby transitioning into what he felt was a reduced stress occupation with greater stability. Until the NASDAQ changed to decimals in 2001, he worked at making markets for a number of major company stocks, such as JDS Uniphase and Cisco. Continuing as a day trader after the niche for market makers dissolved, Eric Brahms spent the next decade trading his own accounts using careful analysis of price-earnings ratios and supporting his trades through the latest scanning and charting programs.
With the funding provided by Mae Capital since 2012, Eric Brahms has taken advantage of the housing market by purchasing residential properties and doing complete structural renovations or tear-downs with full ground-up construction. His relationships with local contractors, architects, and designers allow for quick turnaround times with significant return on investment.
While real estate is a longer-term investment, precious metals, diamonds, and vintage watches provide the short-term profit necessary to keep everything flowing. According to a recent article in Barron’s (2022), an analysis of secondary market performance from the past decade showed that Rolexes regularly did better than more traditional investment options, like stocks, real estate, and gold and Eric Brahms agrees.
On April 30th, 2011 Eric Brahms married Emily Brumfield in NYC. It was an intimate wedding with close friends and family at the Plaza Hotel. The event was catered by Harry Cipriani. They have two beautiful children, Charlie and Logan. They currently live in Greenwich, CT and are active in local charities. They also enjoy participating in multiple philanthropic activities and events.
What started as a passion for collecting vintage watches, Eric Brahms quickly realized that learning the fine details between the top 1% examples and run of the mill watches took a great deal of knowledge. After spending nearly 3 years researching, reading books, studying dial variations and the trials and errors of buying and selling, Eric Brahms became one of the foremost experts on vintage Rolex watches.
Eric Brahms is constantly being contacted by other watch dealers, auction houses, private collectors, and pawn shops around the country to authenticate, evaluate and establish values not only for Rolex watches, but for Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piquet and other rare vintage timepieces. Many of his pieces are listed at auction achieving record prices while others find their way into the hands of some of the world’s biggest collectors.
With over 10 years experience in vintage watches, Eric Brahms has established relationships with some of the finest craftsmen and restoration experts in the world. Some of the craftsmen include: world class watchmakers, laser welders, case refinishers, bracelet restoration experts and rare parts dealers to source those hard to find final pieces to the puzzle. Finding an untouched example is always a treasure, but being able to find a rare watch in poor condition and restore it to its former glory is a unique talent that Eric Brahms possesses.
Why Do Rolex Watches Go Up in Value?
Why do Rolex watches go up in value? There are many factors that affect their value, among them is the price of precious metals. Rolex watches have increased in price as the price of precious metals has risen. The retail price increases help the company offset those...
Modern Rolex Market Prices March 2022
As a watch dealer I have my finger on the pulse of secondary market prices for both vintage and modern pieces. From 2020-2021 the prices for modern Rolex and Patek Phillipe went ballistic. Prices were rising daily. Stainless Steel Daytona’s which retail for $14,000...
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