Best Investment Watches: Tips for Building a Luxury Watch Collection
What Makes a Good Investment Watch?
From rare Rolexes to timeless Omegas to quirkier Franck Mullers, an investment watch collection can be as stylish as it is smart, and shopping authenticated pieces expertly curated on TheRealReal is a savvy place to start.
From the watch’s design to its style, factors such as durability, brand recognition, and advanced features will all impact your watch’s final resale value. Whether you’re starting with a single luxury watch or building a watch collection for investment purposes, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for.
Brand and Reputation
Luxury watches from established and reputable brands maintain significantly higher investment values than most other watches. Brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe are renowned for high-quality craftsmanship, making them generally ‘safer’ investments in the resale market.
Availability and Rarity
Many of the highest-valued investment watches are Iconic, historic models from the world’s most well regarded Swiss watch manufacturers, such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Brand partnerships such as Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co or even releases with new dial colors can see Resale values skyrocket as demand far outpaces the limited supply in the primary market.
Watches with the best resale value are often either not in production anymore or are waitlisted in the primary market (sometimes waitlists on highly desirable watches can reach several years) and only available to buyers with a long history of purchases with the brand or retailer selling them. Because of this it can be very difficult or sometimes impossible to source these watches new and the best option for those not willing to wait or looking to get a watch no longer in production is the secondary market.
Identifying limited-edition watches before they increase in price requires you to pay close attention to top brands’ new releases. Even slight variations, such as different diameter sizes or all-steel constructions, can significantly boost the watch’s investment value long-term, which are key factors if you’re looking for watches with the best resale value.
Watch Condition
The condition of your watch plays a crucial role in its resale value—models with minimal signs of wear, complete documentation, and original parts tend to command the highest prices. Many watch investors never even wear their priciest watches, while others reserve them for special occasions to preserve their pristine quality. Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you keep your watch safe in its box or wear it weekly—or even daily—and don’t mind risking a lower resale price later.
Another key aspect of an investment watch’s condition is its originality. Does the watch still have its original finish and parts, or have you had it repaired or repolished since purchasing it? Even if it’s not immediately noticeable, replacing the dial can detract from the watch’s authenticity and investment value.
In addition to the watch’s physical condition, keep track of the watch’s original packaging and documents, such as the receipt, warranty card, and any service history records. This can prove your watch’s authenticity and increase its value, especially if buyers are interested in owning the official box as well.
Luxury Watch Style
The type of luxury watch you have can also contribute to your resale value, especially if your watch is currently “in style.” One important detail to note is whether you have a women’s or men’s investment watch, as the trends in these markets often differ. Men’s watches are traditionally known for their bolder, larger designs and darker, cooler colors. Meanwhile, many luxury women’s watches dazzle with brighter color palettes, noticeable embellishments, and more petite dials.
The top types of investment watch styles include:
– Dress watches: While traditional men’s dress watches were smaller than they are today, dress watches now come in all shapes and sizes, with many newer options adopting a slim design. They’re available in multiple dark colors and intended to be worn under a shirt cuff, perfectly complementing most formal styles.
Classic examples: Rolex Day-Date, Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Watch
– Aviator and pilot watches: These generally larger-sized watches feature more noticeable numbers and dials, so you can easily check the time at a glance. Many traditional pilot watches feature rotating bezels over the glass cover for quick calculations and handy timers.
Classic examples: IWC Big Pilot, Breitling Navitimer
– Dive watches: These durable watches are water resistant and able to withstand depths of 100 meters or more. Many also feature rotating bezels, luminescent markings for easy readability at dark depths, and other elements that make them excellent accessories for diving or formal wear.
Classic examples: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Omega Seamaster 300M, Rolex Sea-Dweller, Rolex Deepsea and Rolex Submariner
– Sport Watches: Luxury sport watches often combine robust functionality with sophisticated design, frequently featuring complications like a chronograph for precise timekeeping during athletic pursuits. These timepieces are built to withstand demanding conditions while still exuding an air of elegance.
Classic examples: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus, Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch and Vacheron Constantin Overseas
– Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) watches: These bulkier, detailed watches allow you to set dials for two time zones simultaneously, providing an unmatched level of timekeeping precision.
Classic examples: Rolex GMT-Master II, Rolex Explorer II
Top Investment Watches
Choosing the right watch brand can boost the value of your investment value simply because of brand reputation. Of course, these watches are more than just buzz. The best watch brands are renowned for their exceptional durability, meticulous craftsmanship, and patented designs distinctive mechanical movements that often take months—if not years—to perfect.
The top investment brands include:
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe watches are among the most recognizable and sought-after watches, thanks to their intricate designs, meticulous craftsmanship and heirloom quality. Many Patek Philippe watches also feature advanced innovations, such as split-second chronographs, minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, and moon-phase complications, for various specialized uses.
Authenticated Patek Philippe watches range in price from $10,000 to $100,000 on the resale market, depending on the model. Top-tier and in-demand models, such as the Nautilus and Aquanaut, often fetch more than $50,000 when resold.
Rolex
Often regarded as a status symbol, Rolex investment watches are renowned for their distinctive designs, prestigious styles, and lustrous finishes. Most use durable materials, such as gold, platinum, and stainless steel, for an investment value you can clearly see.
Rolex’s most famous models include the Daytona, the GMT-Master, the Yacht-Master, and the Submariner, which can safely reach up to 300 meters underwater. Most of these higher-end Rolex watches range from about $5,000 to $15,000 in the resale market, while standard Rolex watches, like the Oyster Perpetual and Datejust, typically go for under $5,000.
Omega
Omega luxury watches have earned their place in the history books, being the first watches on the moon and the most used timekeepers in the Olympics since 1932. That said, many people buy them simply to have the same watch as James Bond, who notably wore an Omega Seamaster diving watch.
Astronauts, divers, Olympic officials, and even James Bond prefer these watches for a good reason: they’re some of the most technologically advanced watches around. Innovative solutions reduce coaxial friction, enhance magnetic resistance, and maintain dial accuracy for years to come. While the iconic Seamaster watches range from around $10,000 to $50,000 in resale, most other Omega watches on the resale market fall between $1,000 and $10,000.
Franck Muller
Franck Muller luxury watches are a bit more eccentric than many other investment watches, with tonneau-shaped cases, intricate complications and expressive dials, often featuring oversized, stylized numerals. Most of these watches resell for $3,000 to $20,000, with the Conquistador, Casablanca Chronograph, Master Banker, and other popular models ranging up to $50,000.
Other Top Investment Watches
While Patek Philippe and Rolex are the kings of investment watches, plenty of other brands are also worth the money, especially if you’re eyeing a particular style. For example, A. Lange & Söhne is among the most respected in haute horology. Their timepieces showcase a dedication to precision and artistry, and the brand itself epitomizes European watchmaking quality, meticulous craftsmanship, innovative mechanical movements, and exquisite finishing.
Top investment watch brands to consider include:
– A. Lange & Söhne
– Blancpain
– Breitling
– F.P. Journe
– Hublot
– International Watch Co. (IWC)
– Jaeger-LeCoultre
– Panerai (Luminor and Radiomir)
– Tag Heuer
– Tudor (Rolex’s sibling brand, with strong value retention)
– Vacheron Constantin
Building a Watch Collection for Investment Purposes
Looking to build an investment watch collection that will hold its value for years? TheRealReal can help. Explore our curated collection of luxury watches, or visit one of our retail stores to find your next investment watch
