When should you invest your money? 8 basic rules for profitable investment in watches

From 1980 to the present, it has become fashionable all over the world to invest in exclusive limited edition wristwatches from premium global watch brands. These masterpieces of watchmaking have become the subject of profitable investment.

Is buying a watch a good investment? Knight Frank - Luxury Goods Investment Attractiveness Index in the ranking of profitable assets for investors in 2021, identified exclusive limited edition wristwatches as among the leaders in attractiveness for luxury investors. The money invested in these masterpieces of watchmaking and jewelry brought +5% income for the year and +87% income for the decade.

However, as investment experience shows, most watch models from popular world watch brands cannot become the subject of profitable investment!

This is usually due to the fact that the production of these watches by a serial or watch brand has lost its status as a prestigious brand over time.

We present to your attention 8 basic rules for profitable investment in watches.

1 Rule.  Choose the right investment-attractive watch brand. The best watch for investment:

• Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watch manufacturer in business since 1755;
• Patek Philippe watch manufacture has been operating since 1845;
• Cartier is a French watch and jewelry brand in business since 1847;
• Chopard is a Swiss manufacturer of premium watches and jewelry, operating since 1860;
• Breguet is a Swiss brand operating since 1775;
• Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury watch and jewelry company founded in 1896;
• Jaquet Droz is a Swiss watch manufacturer, operating since 1738;
• Bovet is a Swiss manufacturer of collectible watches since 1818.
• Rounding out our list of recommended watches for investment are the world's best-selling Swiss watch brands: Rolex has been in business since 1905;
• OMEGA has been in business since 1848; ZENITH has been in business since 1865

2 Rule.  The watch mechanism must be original Swiss, preferably one of the above listed watch brands.

The engraving of some of its parts and gilding adds value to the branded watch mechanism.

3 Rule.  An investment watch should be a limited edition or, ideally, a one-piece watch.

4 Rule.  It is advisable to invest in jewelry watches made of precious metals gold and silver. Since the price of gold and silver is rising every year.

Watches decorated with diamonds and other precious stones also always have investment value.

5 Rule.  The dial of an investment watch can be:

- decorated with various handmade bas-reliefs made of gold and silver;

- decorated using cloisonné enamel technique;

- covered with hot enamel and hand-painted by the artist.

6 Rule.  The glass on investment watches should be sapphire, as they are more durable in use.

7 Rule.  Limited edition investment watches can come with various complications:

- The tourbillon is often called the most complex and expensive complication in watches. The tourbillon was invented by Louis Breguet in 1795 to reduce the influence of the gravitational force of Planet Earth on the watch mechanism.

- Calendars: lunar and ordinary, simple and eternal.

- Chronograph is a professional device for accurately measuring time periods.

- A repeater is a device that produces a sound after a certain amount of time has passed. Repeaters can be minute, five-minute, half-hour, quarter-hour. When the repeater is turned on, it will “punch” the time, emitting a beautiful melody.

- "Big Date";

- "Power reserve counter";

- Jacquemards are miniature figures on the watch dial that begin to move at a certain time. They are inseparable from the repeater.

- The jumping hour counter is located where the 12 o'clock mark is on a regular watch.

Investment watches can be with any of the above complications or without complications. In any case, when purchasing an investment watch, you need to ensure that it is in good working order and that all complications work properly.

8 Rule.  Investment watches must be purchased with a package of documents, which consists of: Warranty documents, technical passport, quality certificate. This package of documents must be issued by the watch manufacturer or an official dealer of this watch brand. All watches are sold fully assembled, in original packaging and in working condition.