Watch Friday! Here are three classic (or soon to be) models that can be obtained for roughly the same price.
While something can be said for the understated appearance of the normal Jaeger Le Coultre Master line, it is overall, relatively anonymous compared to the signature JLC Reverso. The moon complication, however, contributes a novel appearance to this watch.
Of these, the IWC has the most robust secondary market, and is likely to hold its value the best over a long time, but is it worth it to have the same watch as every hedge fund manager?
The Blancpain is a sleeper and is likely to be underappreciated. But the finishing and workmanship is beyond reproach. Where it lacks complications, it makes up for with a 100 hour power reserve.
While others including myself have invested in works from certain other brands, the ones here are more elegant pieces for a more civilized age.
Not a fan of that blancpain. That JC is more dressy then that iwc. I would consider bumping a little and getting a Portuguese 7 day, movement is gorgeous.
Yeah, I did not think most people under 40 would go for the dress watch look. I think Hamilton is a good brand, but this particular watch does not seem to have the finishing quality of the IWC. Even from this photo, it is apparent. Still, it is appealing if you want to get 70% of the quality for 35% of the price.
You can probably get one of those IWCs unworn for under $6k. There is some inventory floating around from 2015 or 2014. The other two are produced in smaller volumes and will probably cost between $6k and $7k.
What are your suggestions? I know it’s a matter of taste. I’m not really the sort who wears modern pieces like Hublot or Panerai, and living in NY has made me pretentious enough to find big box brands like Omega to be kind of passe. I already own a couple of “dive” watches; so am looking into an understated look now.
I came very close to buying an IWC Portuguese about a year ago, the white face blue hands one on the bottom right of the pic, but ended up going off the idea of an expensive watch completely. If I get to a point where I can drop $8k without thinking about it that’s what I’d go for though. I didn’t know it was a common choice for hedge fund managers? I don’t see many of them around in the long only buyside, seems like omega and old rolexes are the mainstays.
agree about omega seeming a bit ordinary, i like Tag designs but I know that I’m on my own with that one, I also like Maurice Lacroix.
I don’t like the blancplain but the JLC is nice. Go for the portuguese, I can’t think of any nicer watches.
The problem with the pricepoint and movement is it’s pretty tough to get a nice dress watch, or any quality watch at this level, which is why people end up defaulting to Omega or Rolex.
Admittedly, if the resale value is high, it reduces the cost of making a mistake and discovering that you don’t like it that much, but I would want to love a watch before dropping that kind of money on it.
If it’s just about which one is nice, the moon stuff is good.
Don’t think he can get a moonphase under 10k (new).
Staying within budget, have you considered Nomos?
Also, buying a watch considering resale value isn’t exactly the best way to make a decision, it can help in some other factors like (liquidity crunch and value assessment, but if that’s one of the primary considerations, that would be a flag to me.
The JLC moon phase watch can be obtained for less than $7k from various retailers; even big stores like Jomashop offer them for about this price. Maybe it has to do with exchange rates. The MSRP for this watch is over $9k, and this was the transaction price a few years ago when the watch was first released.
I checked prices on all these models before starting this thread. Part of not living in a socialist dystopia is that we have access to a more liquid and less costly market for most products.
Yes, I agree that resale value is not the primary reason to buy a watch. It is just a benefit. In fact, maintenance cost is probably a more important consideration. Many people buy Rolex because parts and dealers are ubiquitous, and so, Rolex watches can be serviced for considerably lower cost than IWC or competing brands.
I think Nomos is a good brand with some nice watches. However, I don’t think they have the timeless aesthetic or craftmanship quality of these other brands. It’s a function of cost, position in the market, and also individual taste.
