The Breitling Watch Source Forums

How well do Breitlings hold their value? What percentage of sale price would you get if you sold your watch a few years down the line? THe question is specifically about the lines which are still in production, as I assume that the discontinued products would tend to rise in value according to demand and rarity...

As so many people have advised not to buy directly from individuals due to the risk of being cheated, the other option would be to go to an AD and ask them to sell it for you? That would imply getting a lower price than the market because I assume the AD would also like to make some money off the sale?

Not sure why so many people are telling you not to buy from individuals, it's the best way to get a good deal, and no real risk if you deal with trusted people - just look at the number of deals that happen in the Buy / Sell / Trade section here every day.

A 'few years' old watch is going to be worth 25 - 35% or so I supose, depending on how many years and service history. Discontinued watches aren't going to increase in value - the percentage of original list may increase, but that has more to do with inflation than inherent value.

Do you mean you have been advised not to sell it to individuals? You say "buying from," but everything else about your question indicates you're talking about selling.

Those people have been ill-advised. Yes, caution and common sense are required, but direct transactions between buyers and sellers usually works to the advantage of both parties. Any time a middle man is involved, he's going to take his cut.

Yeah, my question was a bit convoluted. The point was that if many people are wary of buying from individuals, sellers may have to go through a middle man.

So, 25% to 35% is the left over value of a Breitling...

Is this par for the course, or are there other brands that retain higher value?

Rolex, JLC, IWC and Patek Philippe are some of the brands that retain better value then Breitling.


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Is it really only 25-35% of original value?.. That doesn't seem right. So, if you buy a new Nav 01 for around $9k retail and wear it for a few years, it's only gonna be worth around $2700 in the open market?..not likely.

As an example, I bought a new Navitimer in 2006 when I think the retail price was around $5700 (got it at a discount for $3800 out the door in reality). Sold it last month to an individual buyer for $3800, so I lost nothing and had the watch for 6 yrs.

In my experience, Rolex, Cartier, and Patek holds their value better than most other brands, but I must stress that this is not a good reason to buy a watch. After owning all three of the above mentioned watches that hold their value well, the one I like to wear the most is a Breitling. You don't buy a watch as an investment cause they rarely are good investments. You buy it to wear them, so get the one you want to wear the most. JMHO.

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18k Rolex Datejust / Breitling Crosswind Special / Patek SS Nautilus / Bvlgari Diagono Chrono / Bvlgari Scuba / Omega Speedmaster Professional / 60s Omega Constellation

This rampant problem will never disappear. Buying ANYTHING & expecting/
hoping it will appreciate is delusional. Purchases should be made rationally
& logically, after having been carefully researched. Buying watches for
professional reasons (yachtspersons, racers, etc.), is great, but getting
an expensive chrono to impress & hopefully resell @ a profit is fools' gold
mentality. Get your watch(es) to enjoy, & use, not to become unwanted alba-
trosses later on that are difficult or impossible to sell/trade for any amount(s).

I agree that technology items are not bought as investments, but to be enjoyed and proudly used. I just wondered if there was icing on the cake in terms of holding value as well.

I'm not sure there is a general rule on Breitling re-sale valuation, because there are so many variables and exceptions; but if there is, it would seem to be that a watch will sell for roughly 50% of current retail. Considering a person usually buys a new watch at a discount, and may hold on to the watch past several price increases, that means the seller will yield quite a bit more than 50% of what he paid. DLNYC's example shows this: current retail on an ETA-based Navi on bracelet is $7,170, so he managed to sell his for slightly over half of retail, yet because of his original discount, and numerous price increases over the six years he had the watch, he broke even on the sale.

This presupposes no middle man, of course. And on that note, one does need to be careful, it's true, but not to the point where you don't sell at all to an individual. I sold my CSO to an individual buyer, and it went fine.