Watches - Is the idea of investing in them crazy?

[IloveJapan]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone on the forum collect watches for investment purposes? If so, what sort of watches have you invested in? What criteria do you use?

Are watches a bit like cars or houses (!) where the value depreciates sharply the first few years and then subsequently continues declining gradually? Or do they decline just initially and then stay around about the same value thereafter?

Do you think watches should be bought just as an object of natural beauty, regardless of money? If so, how much are you prepared to spend buying a watch? What do YOU prioritize when buying a timepiece?

Personally, I tend to think watches are more appropriate as a piece of art to be simply enjoyed; however, recently I also wonder if their resale value should be considered if a lot of money is spent on them…

Of course, there are people out there who like Rolexes as a few of them increase in value, but I simply don’t have that kind of money and I don’t like how they look! Maybe there is a kind of “Louis Vuitton bag phenomenon”, as I could describe it, whereby the design is maybe not so bad but you see so many others using them that they come to feel boring! (Just a personal feeling, no offense to Rolex lovers intended)

So what do you think, everyone? I look forward to hearing from you…

[Tkydon]

Audemares Piquet? Breitling?

Watches are like Art and other collectables. See my reply in the Art thread...

viewtopic.php?p=23808#p23808

If you hold them for a long time, you might expect their value to keep pace with inflation, unless very rare and very sought after......

[RetireJapan]

I like the Xiaomi sport bands. Do most of what an Apple watch does, for just a few thousand yen

Expensive watches don't do anything for me.

[beanhead]

Watches - Is the idea of investing in them crazy?

Yes.
Watches are not investments.

Rolex makes almost 1 million watches per year, by the way. So they are not even rare or unique.
Nice, well-made tool watches that through outstanding marketing have positioned themselves as a desirable item.

If I could justify it, I would prefer a Grand Seiko myself, but as RJ says, cheap digital watches are fine for most people.
Bill Gates wears a perfectly functional Casio that goes for $50-60 at the mall.

[captainspoke]

I sold an old pocket watch to this place a few years ago: https://antique-pastime.com It's out the west end of kichijoji station, walkable from there. Only very high end stuff. He bought one of the two I had, and I still have the other, if you're interested...!

There was another shop I can't remember the name of, I think it was just north out of nakano, along a shopping street. Also I read about, but didn't visit, a place downtown, ginza IIRC, 7th floor of some building, supposed to be hard to find.

[mighty58]

A watch is not an investment. Don't let the marketing hype fool you. It is extremely unlikely your resale value will be more than what you paid, and from what you wrote, I'm guessing you're not in the market for the few pieces that might actually rise in value (a limited-to-five-pieces diamond-encrusted tourbillion anyone?)

So if you want to buy a high-end watch, fine, but buy it because you want to use it, not because you've fooled yourself into thinking there is a logical financial reason for doing so. Because there isn't.

[Tokyo]

Watches are gorgeous. Like cars. There are some incredibly beautiful designs out there. But like cars, they are money traps.

Here’s what the advertising doesn’t tell you. My mother in law’s $10,000 Rolex started keeping time erratically after a half dozen years. The official agent recommended an overhaul which fixed the problem but made us aware of a greater problem. (This standard overhaul is recommended by Rolex every 10 years.) That cost ¥80,000 but that was back in 2010 so it’s probably another ¥10,000~20,000 more by now.

I am too scared to consider what the overhaul costs for those far more complex and expensive Swiss watches would be. Does that sound like a good investment to anyone?

[captainspoke]

Best plan would be to buy a few cheaper seiko quartz, and then get someone like steve jobs to make it famous.

[Tkydon]

Collectors like G-Shock!

[TJKansai]

A watch is not an investment. Don't let the marketing hype fool you. It is extremely unlikely your resale value will be more than what you paid, and from what you wrote, I'm guessing you're not in the market for the few pieces that might actually rise in value (a limited-to-five-pieces diamond-encrusted tourbillion anyone?)

So if you want to buy a high-end watch, fine, but buy it because you want to use it, not because you've fooled yourself into thinking there is a logical financial reason for doing so. Because there isn't.

Sounds right. A buddy of mine is a watch geek and buys and sells quite of few as a side business. He has a few which have gone up in value significantly, but it is still a gamble. He said he is in it for the love, not money.

One telling point is he offered to get me brand new watches at 40% off retail (and he would still make a small profit).