The best luxury watches to invest in
A must-have of the who’s who of the watch world these are Gary’s top picks for the best luxury watches to invest in.
1. Rolex Air-King Ref. 126900
It is not the Daytona, the Submariner, or even, for that matter, the Explorer that Rolex Air-King is not. It is a straightforward, affordable ($7,400), stainless steel sports watch, but it was the same thing as the Patek Philippe Nautilus, which was a sporty watch for decades until it became a cultish outlier, until it was no longer.
Could the Air-King become the next cultish outlier, the dark horse of stainless steel sports watches? The new Ref. 126900 which replaces the 2016 version still has the same 40mm size and has an Oyster bracelet, a black dial, and green lettering. However, ever, it was redesigned with straight sides and lugs rather than being curved.
There is also the fact that the Air King now comes with crown guards, which puts it in the Professional watch category, although it is the only model with polished, non-indexed bezel and crown guards.
A second most noticeable difference is that there is now a 0 before every five minutes on the minute’s scale, so each five-minute interval is marked by two digits, which will make the 126900 stand out from pre-2022 models in a clear manner.
In addition, Rolex has introduced Chromalight, Rolex’s proprietary lume, for the applied numerals, hands, and triangular hour markers. The watch is equipped with Rolex’s caliber 3230, a Superlative Chronometer certified by COSC. So far, on the secondary market, it is going for about $11,000, which is about the same price as it is at retail costing $7,400.
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2. Omega Speedmaster “First Omega in Space”
Since Omega’s founding in 1903, the company has delivered iconic watches that are of the highest quality and design, which are worn by all types of people of different backgrounds and preferences, including members of the military.
It is a classic Omega Speedmaster that has been underrated (for now), but its price has been steadily increasing. There is something about the classic design and the manual wound chronograph that just captivates people.
The Omega Space watch is also known as the “First Omega in Space” and caters to both nostalgics and fans of modernized vintage elements. In 1962, astronaut Walter Schirra wore a similar watch that inspired its creators.
Despite the fact that the Omega Speedmaster isn’t the most expensive watch on the market, it’s still one of the most useful watches that could be considered as a good investment because, according to recent indicators, this watch may become one of the most sought-after ones in the near future.
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3. Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711/1A
When Patek Philippe discontinued the regular stainless steel Nautilus ref. 5711/1A with a blue dial, the next one is a pretty obvious pick. If Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak was a no-brainer, the next one is pretty obvious too.
Interestingly, Patek Philippe released a gorgeous green dial version of the steel Nautilus that will be discontinued after one year of production, which would be early next year. The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A’s price will undoubtedly be affected by the brand discontinuing the second of three iconic Genta watches.
There are currently asking prices for the blue-dial Nautilus on Chrono24 that start at around $120,000 and can easily reach $250,000. The 2021 green edition of the Nautilus is even more difficult to find and starts at well over $400,000.
It is likely that the price of the Nautilus with either a blue or a white dial will skyrocket once the Patek Philippe Nautilus leaves the collection in the next year, just as it did for the model with a green dial.
With the upcoming discontinuation of the product, we expect the price increase to continue, as it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down so far.
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