Watches:What are you wearing?

[J0e Musashi]

I've been mulling over an Omega Speedmaster Professional Snoopy limited edition today. It'll be the second most expensive watch I'll have purchased if I do go for it, and that's with a ?2k trade-in.

[Brad]

?280 to service my watch. Gonna have to wait til March :-(
I'm sure it was about ?150 last time.

[dataDave]

OK, I'm addicted to investing in 1oz gold bullion each month, but I'm looking at investing in something with a little more practicality this year perhaps.

J0e, or anyone else knowledgeable, what do you reckon is a good investment right now if I were to buy new? Looking at something within a ?3000-4000 range as I'm going to save up over 2-3 months. I don't want any quartz trash. Something which can go up in value and be used as a strong trade-in against something even more luxurious in a few years would be nice.

[SuperDanX]

OK, I'm addicted to investing in 1oz gold bullion each month, but I'm looking at investing in something with a little more practicality this year perhaps.

J0e, or anyone else knowledgeable, what do you reckon is a good investment right now if I were to buy new? Looking at something within a ?3000-4000 range as I'm going to save up over 2-3 months. I don't want any quartz trash. Something which can go up in value and be used as a strong trade-in against something even more luxurious in a few years would be nice.

Thats a risky investment Dave. The best you could hope for if your buying new, would be the watch retains most of its value. Watches like anything else depreciate in value to varying degrees. Your best bet would be mint condition pre owned, let someone else take the hit. That said you'd be looking at a very,very long term (maybe 10 years plus) investment without any guaranteed return. In that price range The higher end Rolex models hold there value very well, mines value is up maybe ?500 over the last four or five years due to Rolex policy of annual price rises, even that modest profit will be lost when it goes in for a service this year (@ ?480) I'd look at a nice vintage piece if I were you. That said its a minefield if you don't know what your doing. I would never buy a watch as an investment, I would not recommend that at all. You'd be better off buying gold.

[J0e Musashi]

Indeed, a pre-owned mint example would be your best bet. However on a ?4k piece you aren't gonna get an amazing return on it for a very long time, plus it'll have to be in mint condition otherwise the depreciation will be massive, which basically means that you're hardly ever going to be able to wear it, and where is the fun in that.

My "everyday" Breitling cost me just under ?4k in 2001, in 2011 I was offered ?700 for it. Fully boxed, all papers etc. It was a limited edition one too. If I had never worn it, I'd have made about ?3K on it, but that would be totally pointless. ?3k in 10 years is nothing.

I always go for automatic movements personally, but this comes at a much higher servicing cost. Quartz is more practical, as it's just a case of changing the battery as opposed to regulating the whole thing, and can generally be done there and then. I've been without a piece for three weeks before, as they have to send it back to Switzerland.

Watches on the whole are not good investments, unless you are spending ?20k plus and are buying it purely to store away for 10 years. Even then it's not a guarantee as there may be a whole bunch of other people doing the same thing, or it becomes an unpopular model.

[dataDave]

Hey, thanks a lot for all the advice, it's greatly appreciated.

I figured collecting watches was like the property ladder in that you can jump on and off whilst making upgrades along the way. I'll do as you say and keep on buying my treasure coins, and ask the Mrs. for a reasonable Seiko or something for my birthday.

I also have no intention of keeping something nice boxed up, yet on the other hand I do get paranoid at blemishes, so I don't think this is a hobby I'd be suited with.

[KIT786]

Saw this over at amazon, and I instantly fell in love with it. They didn't have any in stock, but after a bit of searching finally got my hands on one

[QualityChimp]

I really like these Phospor E-Ink Watches:

[Dazzyman]

I saved up for about a year and bought this when I learnt to shuffle with sticks 2yrs ago. Comes out on special occasions

http://www.watcheo.co.uk/mens-watches/6097-emporio-armani-meccanico-skeleton-gents-rectangular-case-amber-dial-brown-leather-strap-watch.html

[Super Grover]

Took advantage of a 2 day code which knocked ?15 off the price (Amazon).

I do like my G's ...

[Taka]

That is a handsome G-Shock. My white one is looking tatty now, picking up all sorts of stains, especially from a brand new pair of blue jeans...

[charlesr]

I still regularly destruction test my g-shock that I bought in 1999. It really is amazing. Beating it against a brick wall and it doesn't even notice.

[J0e Musashi]

This morning I got this bad boy. Well bad girl really. I prefer a women's Rolex. They sit nicer on my dainty wrist. It has an RRP of ?7100, but I paid significantly less. I'm probably going to wear it for the summer and then out it. I'll easily make a ?2000 profit.

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[noobish hat]

Maybe I'm a watch philistine, but I really don't understand these watches that cost several thousand pounds. What makes them so much better than a watch that costs a few hundred pounds?

[Colin]

That Yacht-Master looks like an '04, so to make ?2k on it you'd have to have picked it up for about ?1200-1300, nice work if you did! (But bad if you've started mugging women J0e, that's naughty)