The 2 Watches I Would Invest In (2021)

Christian talks about watches he sees as a great investment for 2021.

March 10, 2021

Today, Christian dives into some watches he views as a great investment at the moment, as well as the one time he lost out on a major return!

First, we go into a bit of history of some major watches that have shot up in value in the last five or so years. Chief among these watches is the steel Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, specifically the blue dial, a watch that retailed between $20-30k and now sells for around $90k. Another example might be the Cartier Tortue Monopusher Chronograph, a stunning watch from one of our favorite brands. It retailed in the $12k range, but now, if you can find one, goes into the realm of $40k or up.

So what are we thinking about these days that might see a similar result in the future. How about the original Rolex Turn-O-Graph reference 6202? A precursor to the Submariner, the original Turn-O-Graph is one Hell of a watch that can now be had for $35-50k for a good quality example, and can easily see $100k or more within the next few years if it continues on the trend it’s been on. From the Crown to Cartier, we have literally any vintage options from the brand, whether that’s the Tank Louis (which is a bit more common) or the Cintree, which is a bit less so, or any of the oddly shaped gold dress watches that colored the era for Cartier. There were stretches in the 20th century when the brand was producing dozens (not hundreds or thousands) of watches per year, which makes some of these vintage models incredibly collectible and, no doubt, due for their day in the sun.

Finally, we have vintage watches under $10k as the major category worth exploring. Seriously, whether that’s a Universal Geneve Polerouter, or a vintage Omega Seamaster, or a 1601 Rolex Datejust, the options are endless in this price range for watches that are almost guaranteed to double in value in a relatively short window of time. There are serious options here for chances at rarity or exclusivity that modern watches don’t offer, and that vintage watches offer with such scarcity and infrequency that it’s frankly hard to beat. Learn the market, and don’t be shortsighted about it. If you’re upset you could’ve gotten a vintage Omega at $1,800 a year ago that’s $2,400 now, picture instead what it might be in a year from now, and consider that maybe, just maybe, you didn’t miss the boat like you thought you did.