Is a watch a good investment?

watchI recently saw a video of an American man who wanted to sell his old Rolex with a kind of program between Art and Kitch. You must have seen it – the video has been viewed by more than 20,000. After this video, I am often asked if this often happens. I also heard from many men who bought watches that they saw watches as investments.

But is that really true?

If you see investment as an expense that then generates a lot, you can better spend your money on other things. As always with investment, the same applies to watches: if you really understand it, you can make reasonable educated guesses that will be more valuable later.

But as with almost all other luxury products, more than 95% of watches will ultimately produce less than you pay. Of course there are exceptions. Some watches, such as pre-Vendome Panerais, rare Patek Philippes, Franck Muller, pepsi-Rolex and pre-month Speedmasters) have indeed increased sharply over the years. This is mainly due to scarcity – which ironically often originates precisely from the fact that watches are quite unpopular when introduced.

A good example is Rolex Daytona. Being very popular only ten years after being introduced, made the first model very expensive.

However, chances are you can predict that now is zero. Even the biggest watch lovers and auction houses are constantly arguing about this. You just need to have a good dose of luck with him. But the myth of watches as an investment is not entirely sudden. Just like a car, a watch immediately loses its value when you walk out of the store where you bought it.

But unlike a car, the watch barely shrinks. A watch can last forever if you take good care of it. That’s where the next criteria comes in. If you buy a watch as an investment, make sure you keep it in a very good condition. Regularly serviced and keep the purchase box and all paper. The following applies here: the more documentation, the better.

Just like with a car, paperless used watches are worth much less.

If you keep your watch in good condition long enough, it might be worth a little more at some point, but that is only part of the inflation correction. Other tips for increasing the chances of increasing value: choose a model that is not too popular Scarcity is one of the main reasons why collectors lift their eyes at auction and what sometimes pushes prices to strange heights.

(To encourage that, watch brands often issue limited editions, but sometimes it’s nothing more than a piece of cake; if one model is sold out, they only make a new limited edition with a slightly modified hand color or something.)

So my final suggestion is this: if you buy a watch, buy it especially for yourself. Buy something you like specifically. Paul Newman once did that with Daytona – which at the time was unpopular – and then the watch suddenly walked like a rocket. If you wear a watch that is good with self-esteem, its value is far greater than the possibility (small) possibility of increasing the value of the object.

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