A watch is much more than a functional timepiece. It is elegance, refinement, and sophistication personified. A good watch is a strong yet dignified testament to one’s elevated sensibilities.
Luxury and vintage watches, as paragons of magnificent craftsmanship, boast an enviable return on investment. Indeed, they are formidable status symbols, continually blooming in monetary value, exclusivity, and panache. Read on to discover the best watches for investment.
Patek Philippe Calibre 89
Eminent Swiss watch manufacturer Patek Philippe redefined the standards of horology with the Patek Calibre 89. It was launched in 1989 to mark its 150th jubilee anniversary.
Few timepieces are as one-of-a-kind as the Calibre 89, as it has been deemed the “most complicated watch in the world.” Measuring a mere 88.2 millimetres, this astronomical and astrological pocket watch encompasses 1,728 components, including 33 complications with 24 hands.
Only four models were made, each flaunting facades of yellow gold, pink gold, white gold, and platinum, respectively. At present, the yellow gold Calibre 89 is still on the market. The estimated value of the watch is around $6,500,000 to $10,000,000. The previous models sold for roughly $5,120,000.
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Tudor Heritage Black Bay
The Heritage Black Bay draws heavily on Tudor’s age-old watchmaking traditions.
The Black Bay collection is inspired by the Swiss brand’s stellar diver’s watch legacy, with luminescent hour markers, a unidirectional rotating bezel, and facades of stainless steel, bronze, or titanium. Complete with a 70-hour power reserve and an understated wristband, this watch truly exemplifies the vintage glamour Tudor is lauded for.
Among the many Black Bay models, the Black Bay 58 is particularly captivating. It is named after the first ever Tudor diver watch, which was water-resistant to 200 metres. With a slick black-and-gold display and Tudor Manufacture Calibre, the Black Bay 58 is known as “Big Crown” among watch enthusiasts.
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Vacheron Constantin Tour de l’Île
The Tour de l’Île is a complicated wristwatch, embodying Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin's irreplicable mastery. Only seven models were created and released in 2005 to celebrate the company’s 250th anniversary.
The Tour de l’Île represents one of the world’s oldest watch manufacturers. It took over 10,000 hours to conceptualise, featuring 16 complications and 834 individual parts, including the moon phase, moon age, perpetual calendar, sky chart, sunrise, sunset, tourbillon, and minute repeater. The dials are made from 18-carat gold with blue sapphire non-reflective glass. Additionally, it’s armed with a 58-hour power reserve.
Each unit from the Tour de l’Île collection is valued at about $1,250,000 – one of the models has been retained for the Vacheron Constantin museum.
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Rolex Submariner
The Rolex Submariner, launched in 1953, was the brand's first ever waterproof wristwatch.
The 1953 Submariner was a pioneer of water-resilient watches for professional divers, setting the benchmark for the quintessential Rolex diver’s watch. It features the recognisable graduated rotatable bezel, a large luminescent display, and striking hour markers. It is water-resistant to a depth of 1000 feet. The bezel’s chiselled edges offer excellent grip for setting dive time, while the 60-minute graduation enables divers to easily monitor time spent underwater.
Rolex Submariner models can range from $9,900 to $1.2 million, depending on the date of manufacture. The most expensive Rolex Submariner, the 6538 dating to 1956, sold for $1,068,500.
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic
The Royal Oak Automatic collection by Audemars Piguet epitomises the 150-year-old brand’s exquisite artistry.
A paragon of Swiss craftsmanship, the Royal Oak Automatic is equipped with a self-winding calibre 3120 movement, 280 parts, and 40 jewels, besides a 60-hour power reserve. The collection boasts cases of varying aureate hues, from pink gold to white gold, yellow gold, and black ceramic. One of the Royal Oak Automatic’s most defining characteristics is the dial’s “petite tapisserie,” testifying to the ornate, meticulous horology at play.
Royal Oak Automatics sell between $5,000 and $300,000, with the lower end of the price range mainly covering used models.
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The Patek Philippe 5016P
The 5016P is one of Patek Philippe’s signature complicated watches, launched in 1993.
The lissome piece features a minute-repeating, tourbillon movement in addition to a perpetual calendar. The minute repeater is certainly a showstopper, shining through with a dulcet, sonorous ring.
Simplistic silver or black dials are set in cases of yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, or platinum. A transparent caseback displays the watch’s 506 components, all of them painstakingly made by hand.
About 200 Patek Philippe 5016P units have been manufactured to date. The estimated net worth of a 5016P is between $300,000 and $600,000.
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Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M
Conquering the seas since 1993, the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M has captured the fancies of divers as well as watch purists over the decades.
The model is water-resistant to 300 metres, with unidirectional rotating bezels and luminous markers and hands. The dials are intricately etched with waves using cutting-edge laser-engraving technology, celebrating the billowing dance of the seas.
The Seamaster Professional Diver 300M famously clasps the wrist of the world’s most famous detective in reel life, James Bond. Starring in several films, including GoldenEye, Die Another Day, and Spectre, this watch has deservedly earned an ardent fanbase.
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Rolex King Midas
Contrary to the misfortunes in the tale Midas and the Golden Touch, the fable-inspired Rolex King Midas revels in its gilded glamour.
Crafted by Gérald Genta, a legendary watch designer, the Rolex King Midas model was the heaviest and the most expensive watch of its time. An asymmetric case with a grooved band is carved out of a solid block of 18-carat gold. The off-beat silhouette comes with a manual winding feature and a sapphire crystal display.
The King Midas is one of Rolex’s few limited edition models, with production restricted to 1000 pieces. Elvis Presley and John Wayne were proud owners of this timepiece. A truly star-dusted watch, the Rolex King Midas also featured in the James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun.
Exclusive watches, steeped in impressive legacy and bejewelled to boot, are indeed discerning accessories. As utterly unique masterpieces, there’s no better way to command a well-heeled presence. It’s time to step up your collectible kitty with a grand timepiece –it may be worth a king’s ransom, but it truly befits royalty.
