Some tips for buying a valuable watch dedicated to an event (birthday, promotion, mariage, etc)

Intro :

Following the assessment of Jacques Séguéla ” Comment peut-on reprocher à un Président d’avoir une Rolex, une Rolex ! Enfin tout le monde a une Rolex… si à 50 ans on n’a pas une Rolex, on a quand même raté sa vie !ne Rolex, c’est qu’on a raté sa vie/How can we blame a president for having a rolex, a rolex! Finally everyone has a rolex … If at 50 we do not have a rolex, we still missed our life! “*.

Most of people cannot afford such brand. With a little of investigation you will discover by yourself how this assessment is a shortcut missing of sagacity and knowledge of the valuable watch market.

*Since this declaration Mr Séguéla apologized

Know the market

Marketing is a powerful tool widely used by some brands. It can turn your mind upsidedown and introduce false informations and a real obsession in your brain.

Having some knowledge about the Swiss Watch market will open your eyes and give you the opportunty to find The Watch you’re really want without spending an excessive price or the right price or the price you want.

Worth the value :

• The materials : Stainless, Bronze, Copper, Platinium, Titanium etc….The Gold 14K-18K (yellow, rose, white) keeps the value whatever the time and can be reselled more easily. Gems : Diamonds have a resale value if they come with papers and reference. Industrial growing laboratory diamonds have almost no value regarding the market. Each natural diamond come with imperfections specific to the location of extraction. It’s the same for the others gems. Be aware Gold cases are more fragile than titanium or platinium or stainless. The stainless watch is often a great choice as “casual watch”.

• The movment : The mecanism called “caliber” by the specialists is definitevely influencing the final value of the watch. Many brands don’t build their own mecanism. With Technologies like 3Hz or 4Hz or number of complication, number of jewels, reliability, etc. There are tons of different parameters. The most important is the certifications of the mecanism. They are intense collaborative works for including the caliber from one brand into one another brand. The rareness and the authenticity can be determinate by the study of the caliber in the watch. Definitively a point of matter. Remark : Be aware a mecanism with a high rate and lot of complications doesn’t mean it will work better. Some 3 HZ mecanisms are more reliable and robust than last new mecanism.

• Documents and serial number : A watch without paper lost half of his value. It’s the proof of authenticity and origin.

• Watch or/and brand History : Real luxurous watch brand comes with an history. It’s really important to know the brand because some good or bad suprise can pop up and determinate your final choice. Each brands come with his own history. Few of watches have a real historical value.

• Rareness : Very controversial topic if you mix material and rareness. The number of watch build is not related with its price nor with the value on the second authorized hand market (grey market). Unfortunately, it’s not the buyer or the seller (brand) who determinante the value. But if you can find a lot of “rare pieces” on the second hand market. You can consider the price is overated.
• Jewelries : Some brands are not pretenting to sell a watch for giving the time. This is the category of jewel watch or high technological watch (top of art of the technology). Everything depending of your taste but the prices are often rocketing to the sky.

• Type of watch : Dive watch, Aviator watch, Dress watch, Top art of Luxury watch, Casual watch, GMT watch etc… It doesn’t determinate the final value. A dress watch can be more expensive than a chronograph.

• Your value : Emotional/Souvenir/milestone value like a grandpa gift or heritage or birthday events, marriage, etc. The more you link your life experience to this symbolic, the more immaterial is it and the more the value can suddenly “rocket(ing) to the sky”.

• Hand made or industrialized : Modern watches after 1995 are industrialized with parts coming from different countries (mainly Asia). The old one can get more value because of that. Some models with the same reference are not the same because new materials, new parts and a new process. This point is matter if you want to keep the traditional craft spirit. Some brands provide the informations. Hand made watches will get more value because of the tiny imperfections allowing to date and find the history of the item.

The watch experience : “Boire à la source / Drinking at the origin spring”. In most of the case, looking and buying at the flagship of the brand will give you an unique experience. You will have the opportunty to talk with sellers knowing the products, see the last and exclusive version still not sent to the retaillers, explore the watchmaker market with specialists …drink a tea or a coffee. Taking your time but not too much and questionning are important parts of the process.

The brands :

You will find below a list of brands sorted by category.

• Jewelry&watch brands : ( > 10K CHF) PATEK Philippe, Richard Mille, Audemars Piguet
• Luxurious watch brands with high price : ( > 5K CHF) Audemars Piguet, Omega, Grand Seiko, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Roelx, Piaget, Longines
• Luxurious watch brands with an history: ( > 3K ) IWC, Longines, Jaeger-Le-Coultre, Chopard, BlancPain Zenith, Tudor, Seiko, Tissot, Breitling, Hublot
• Luxurious watch general brands : ( > 1500 CHF) Seiko, Longines, Tissot, Hamilton, MontBlanc, Citizen, Frederic Constant Geneve, Alpina, Tag Heuer, Maurice Lacroix
• Quartz high quality watch brands : ( > 500 CHF ) Casio, Citizen Orient, Swatch, Bulova

The second hand market (grey market) :

Buy a watch as short or medium term investment is a bad idea. Only a few models are really keeping their values. Only a very few models are increasing the price with getting older.

On the grey market you will find many watches without papers. Most of them need an expert for a price estimation. Some grey markets are offering Frankenstein watches (mix of different parts) with no insurance or authenticity. By definition older the watch is + very good state + in working condition and more the value is real.

Some models are sold double the price on the grey market : Patience is always a better choice. Also more you find a model on the grey market less is the value.

The Clone :

Some clones are very high quality and the price can be high too. Without paper the clone will not get value or cannot be authentified by the brands or an expert. So it’s a great risk to buy a clone as investment or milestone of your life.