Tips and advice! What you should know.
This article is about watches as an investment. We want to show you where there are good alternatives for investing your money, alongside the usual methods of investing.
Saving money in a bank account is safe, but it does not increase your wealth. Find out where your money is better placed and can generate good returns.
Finding the right investment
Our blog generally deals with watches of all kinds –
wall clocks,
grandfather clocks,
wristwatches. Not with finance, money, and investments. Even so, we want to show you where there are opportunities to invest your money sensibly with a little effort and research. Alongside popular investment formats such as real estate, stocks, ETFs, or funds, there are many other ways to invest.
Tangible assets such as works of art or watches are rarely used as investments. However, as a watch fan, you should keep in mind the potential in this area. The luxury watch segment has become increasingly popular in recent years. Whether young or old, more and more watch enthusiasts are buying a beautiful watch as an investment. These watch brands are especially popular and have delivered strong returns in recent years.
- Rolex
- Patek Phillippe
- Omega
- Audemars Piquet
- Lange & Söhne
The Rolex Lady-Datejust saw a value increase of around 50–70 percent in 2021. The Patek Phillippe Nautilus performed even better. The value of this Swiss watch rose by a full 85% within one year. The list price of the Nautilus at launch was €29,000, and by the end of 2020 it was already around €60,000. At present, the Patek Philippe Nautilus is trading for more than €135,000.
Which watches are worth considering
It makes sense to consider watches from the brands mentioned above. Of course, there are many other luxury watch brands, but these manufacturers have proven to be the most reliable in recent years. It is important to watch the market! Often, a little online research is enough to see which watches are in demand. Before deciding to buy a watch as an investment, you should set your budget. As a rule, for luxury watches you should budget at least
5000 – 10000€ in order to get a watch with value growth potential. Unfortunately, most luxury watch models are only available with long waiting times. In addition, it should be clear that watches can only serve as investments if they are not worn. If the watch shows signs of wear, this can lead to a massive loss in value.
Which watches should you buy:
This question is difficult to answer. It is like with stocks: no one can really say how the price will develop. However, there are a few trends to look out for. The most important factor is the production quantity. Watches that are limited or no longer produced are, of course, highly sought after.
It has also been shown that Swiss timepieces have consistently achieved very good value growth. The Swiss watch industry is world-famous and very popular. So you are in good hands with Swiss brands such as Audemars Piquet, Breitling, or Omega.
As with stocks, some watches involve higher risk than others. However, with models like the Rolex Submariner, you are on the safe side and have a particularly good chance of value growth. The Rolex Submariner is currently offered from around €15,000 on platforms such as Chrono24 or Chronext. In 2010, the market value for this watch was around €5,700. This model has therefore achieved solid growth over the past few years, and the trend is still upward!
Even with such performance, you need to think carefully about whether you want to invest several thousand euros. It is not absolutely necessary to buy watches in this price range as an investment. Brands like
Citizen,
Seiko, Tissot or even
Casio regularly release special models that are affordable, yet still increase in value over a certain period of time!
At the beginning of this year, Seiko released the second edition of the
Brian May Red Special Limited Edition to the market. This model is limited to 12,500 pieces worldwide. The first edition of this watch was launched in January 2020 with a list price of €560. It is now trading for just under €900–1000.
As you can see, strong value growth is also possible with watches in this price range. There are always special editions for certain occasions that, because of their uniqueness, are very popular with collectors and enthusiasts.
Our conclusion
Investment is an exciting topic that everyone should deal with, whether it involves watches or not. In recent years, the trend has increasingly shifted toward tangible assets. In particular, investments in watches and art have become increasingly popular in recent years. We recommend that you look into the topic carefully and consider whether an investment in a watch could be a sensible option. If you are actually seriously considering it, it is also advisable to speak with an expert or jeweler. They can best assess the market situation and give valuable tips on which investment is promising.
