Considering my first luxury watch purchase but don't want it to depreciate

Although it is not the brand you mentioned, but I recommend Grand Seiko (quartz model). I think it will be within your budget.

I'm not an expert, but I suspect what you are looking for doesn't exist. Apart from a few models, from a few companies, every watch depreciates. 

Your best bet if resale is your concern, is to buy a used watch that has already had most of it's depreciation occur. 

You'd be even further ahead if you saved up for what you really want, and planned to keep it. Then resale doesn't matter, and you have the watch you actually want. 

I do really like Grand Seiko and respect the craftsmanship, but I'm not really a fan of Quartz watches plus I dont like any of their designs enough to consider spending that. much money on one. Thanks for the comment though :)

I think (I’m not an expert by any means) that from the ones you mentioned, the Speedmaster and a Cartier will hold their value the best. Speedys and Cartiers are both currently rising in pricing but have been very persistent over the years. I don’t think that Tudors will hold their value for very long, as I’d consider them more as  Hype-pieces due to the unavailability of Rolexes. But thats just my estimation.

Edit: The Speedmaster Reduced has gained a lot of value over the lost 12-24 months. They are still much cheaper than the Professional. If you like it, I’d take a look at one.

Best way to lose the lowest amount is to buy it used (assuming it's not a Rolex?). I believe right now Breitling watches have the worst resale value of those watches you mentioned. This means buying a used one would have already lost most of it's value, therefore minimizing the amount you would lose on it.

EDIT:

$3345: https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=831915

$5650: https://www.breitling.com/us-en/watches/avenger/avenger-chronograph-43/A13385101B1/

The pricing and valuation of wristwatches is not so very different from cars...They begin to depreciate the moment you walk out of the boutique where you bought it.

It is only with certain models, from certain brands, (sorry to say, usually the most famous ones) that a watch becomes more valuable over the course of time....If you bought the 1st Ford Mustang, and only drove it on Sundays and kept it pristine with all its paperwork, you would have earned a pretty penny today. If you did the same with the wrong model Volkswagen, you would have lost money.

Even with PP, AP or Rolex, not every watch gains in value over time, some even lose value fast...

The question is if you want to invest (later sell) or keep it and sell only by an emergency. 

If you want to invest and later sell at this very moment the Rolex seems to hold the value even if bought used. If you are lucky you can find some used Rolex which can later gain the value. In this case you have to ad some more money to your budget.

If you want to buy a watch you want to keep, just chose what you like best - you will be wearing the watch😜 And as unseenhero wrote buy something used (e.g. with papers and fresh service) what already depreciated. 

From my experience a used watch (from your list) which hold its value is Omega Speedmaster Moon Watch. Cartier not - I saw some Cartier which people bought for 6'500 and selling for 2'500 but depends on the model. 

I bought the Omega Seamaster Aquaterra (220.10.41.21.03.001) and I am super satisfied. It is an excellent watch.

What's wrong with a casio F-91W? ;) jks

Yeah I'd totally be good with buying a pre owned watch, and obviously not looking to make big money off a watch (since Rolex, AP and Patek are all out of my price range). I do love the BB58 and the fact its kinda slimmed down and more compact but the uncertainty of the value does concern me. Thanks for the comment :)

God Tier

I love the Aqua Terra dials and on the rubber strap I think it is the perfect "do it all" watch. My only concern with Seamasters is that I don't think the styling will look that good in 10 years. Again just my opinion I love Omega as a brand and the product is phenomenal but I do think particularly the 300 Professionals from the 90s look a bit tacky now. Thanks for the comment :)

The Santos for me would be the perfect watch, classy, timeless and the large version fits me perfectly. I have been looking for some that are lower than retail which has proved a bit difficult. The Omega as well would be a great choice, very versatile and the price increase is pretty steady. 

It's pretty selective with cars tbh cause there are some cult classics that have shown to have renewed value, anything that was prominent in Fast and Furious comes to mind Supra, RX7 etc. Coming back to watches it is frustrating, even with Tudor cause one or two boutiques told me to get lost for even asking about it. I love all the watches I mentioned and would be pretty satisfied with any one of them, what I'm really trying to find is something that will stay popular and not just crash once the hype has died, which as some people have said is plausible. Thanks for the comment though enjoyed reading it :)

I'm hopeful for Breitling as they seemed to do quite well last year but for now I am inclined to agree a retail Breitling is just money down the pan. I love the heritage (particularly the Navitimer) and know people who own Breitlings, but upwards of 4k for ETA movements I dont think is a ton of value. I have considered some neo vintage Rolex (90s-00s) and have found some reasonable deals, my worry would be the demand as some that I have found seem too good to be true. I will take it into account thanks for the advice :)

I'll go one better, go back to the 60s and get a Paul Newman Daytona and sell it on Chrono24 😂

I know you didnt mention the brand but have you considered an IWC?

I actually completely forgot about IWC and JLC for that matter when writing that post 😂They are good and I am a big fan of the Pilot Chronographs so maybe yeah good point if I find one for a reasonable price.

A secondhand JLC... I have a feeling that they will become more desirable with time. Master Control, it is a lot of watch for the money 

From all of my reading and research in the last year, your best bet in the 3-4K price range is the BB58 original black dial. You may think I am a bit bias based on my profile picture but this is by far your best choice for a beautiful, historic, superbly crafted watch with its own movement that won’t depreciate. It might not raise to the heights of any Rolex but I can say without much doubt that  it’s not going to lose any value over the long run. The only problem is you may have to wait to get one (kinda proves my point hopefully).

You are going to find it very difficult to find a special automatic watch from GS, IWC, JlC, Cartier etc in your price range but i can suggest you look at the Longines Heritage Collection, Oris divers or big crowns, even Tudor style or BB36 or 41. These are all great brands with history and amazing choices. Anyway…good hunting, hope this helps.

I have actually put my name down for a BB58 and am currently on a wait list. And yeah I kinda am struggling to find something from JLC, Cartier etc. that is in budget. A big motivator for me buying one other than really wanting a class watch is buying one before they become too expensive. 

As @silverminion mentioned, short a brand that manufactures rarity (like Rolex), most watches will depreciate. Watches are luxury items, and part of that luxury is having the latest and greatest. This can flip over time, with rarer, classic models, but that usually takes decades. 

I would like to point out, however, that right now, used luxury watch values are artificially high. Even a Bond Seamaster costs more than it did new, even adjusted for inflation. This is because during these strange times, people are trying to park their money in any valuable commodity, particularly to curb inflation. So I would look at the current market through that lens... these inflated values won't last forever.

The only advice I would honestly give you is buy something you like the look of and will enjoy wearing. Try it on, get the feel of it, it’s going to be on your wrist. There is no right or wrong answer.

I agree that a used Omega is a good way to maintain value.  It seems like the ideal time to buy is just after a particular model gets replaced by a new one, the used market tanks for a bit, and then starts to recover later.

Otherwise, I'd say the Tudor BB58 black/gilt or blue is one of the few watches in that sub $4k range that holds it's value in the short run.  Longer term, I suspect we will see their prices drop significantly, as they are one of the most common luxury watches seen on used watch sites.  There are like 3 a day posted to Reddit.

Plug in specific reference numbers/watch models here -> searchluxxee.com

That way you can see how much they're going for in the secondary market (across different pre-owned/grey market sellers) and compare it with current retail prices. It'll help you see gauge approximate market value 😀

I've mainly been using Chrono24 but it can be very inconsistent from what I've experienced. 

If you are afraid of depreciation, do not buy a luxury watch

Get something simple and classy (  https://www.sinn.de/fr/Modell/556_I_B.htm ) that will not cost you a ton of money and will give you time to think about your real interest in the watch hobby

I've actually be considering a Hamilton Ventura Elvis80 (which could be considered controversial) but I tried it on and it fits perfectly and I've found new ones for about 2/3s the retail price. Sinn is pretty nice, I like the U10 or U50 dive watch or whatever it's called. I just think it's a little overpriced

Man, if you think Sinn is overpriced for the quality, stay away from Rolex 😉

Yeah but you can at least profit off it