The Breitling Watch Source Forums

New to the forum so hey! Currently in the process of sourcing my first watch which I'm pretty sure will be a Chronomat 41 with blue face but still not 100% as I keep changing my mind. Whilst I've been looking at both new and pre owned I thought I'd ask the question.

In terms of investment which is the best watch for appreciating in value. Now I know this will obviously differ depending on market forces etc but just curious as to what people think?

Thanks
Adam

Welcome to Breitlingsource.

The short answer is that no Breitling is likely to appreciate over time, and the same is true of 99.9% of all other watches out there as well. Depreciation is infinitely more likely than appreciation I'm afraid! Watches are similar to cars in that as soon as you drive a car off the forecourt you've lost 30-40% of the value.

The only watches that tend to appreciate are very limited edition pieces by some of the seriously high-end (and thus very VERY expensive) brands, or the more "cult" brands like Panerai. For example the Panerai 127 now sells for double what its list price was back in 2002. However, no-one had a clue that would happen at the time (and if we did, we'd all have bought several of them!), so as I say there are absolutely no guarantees of appreciating value. Incidentally, Breitling is not in the same "cult following" league as Panerai so don't expect Breitling LE's to appreciate in the same way.

Your best bet is to just forget about future value and simply buy a watch because you like it and want to wear it.

Buying pre-owned instead of new will protect you from the worst of the depreciation, but if you're new to watches then I'd suggest going very careful as some of the fakes out there are exceptionally good these days. If you find a pre-owned one you like, post up some pictures of it in the Replica sub-forum here before you buy it, and we'll tell you if it's real or not.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Thanks for the quick response. I wasn't looking to buy for investment terms as I've wanted a Breitling to add to the collection for some time anyway.

I've found a reputable dealer who can get me genuine pre owned at some good prices so thats good. Not interested in buying from the likes of ebay etc...

Excellent advice! I know it's difficult because we spend A LOT of $$ on these things and we want to protect our "investment" as best we can. My advice - buy used or find and build a relationship with an AD and get a great discount so if you flip, you won't lose much. As far as Chronomats go, I have experience with both and I think the ones with the "Buck Rogers" bezel will stand the test of time less, IMHO. Good luck.

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ROLEX Sea-Dweller (116600)
ROLEX Submariner (116610LV)
HAMILTON Stanley c. 1932 (19 jewels/grade 401 movement)

You want a watch that may appreciate in value over time, buy a steel rolex Daytona

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Rolex Daytona Panda Dial 116509 40mm
Breitling Chronomat GMT Limited AB0412 47mm
Tag Heuer Link Chrono Auto CJF2110 42mm

Or buy vintage rather than just secondhand, vintage Breitling prices have been climbing nicely for some time.

Thanks for the heads up


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You want to make money buy property. You want to have something nice that you can wear everyday but a watch

Like most watches, Breitlings are bad investment, but I believe that LE models are the most sought after. My watch guy will take one on a trade in a heartbeat at a very decent price. Buy pre owned and you are very well protected.

LE?

Limited edition, although it very much depends on which LE and in percentage terms they aren't much better (if any).

Ah ok thanks.


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Only Rolex and Patek appreciate, and really only Rolex.

Not really true I'm afraid. Rolex's just sell well on the second-hand market, but it's only a very few unique and rare models that ever appreciate : the vast majority do not. Patek is certainly no better.

The rule of thumb is that no watch is guaranteed to appreciate. As I say above, those that do are generally impossible to predict, although rarity, expense and some kind of "cult-following" (e.g. Panerai 127, the original bronzo, etc) is something of an indicator.....but in no way guaranteed.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Buy gold low and sell it high. Just joking but you need to realize that most of these watches, of any brand, are simply things we want and we do not buy with the idea that they will be a good investment. Seriously, there are far better things to invest in that will give you good odds to make you money. Luxury watches are not one of them.
Just my .02, Frank.