Good timing... it’s vital for watches, and especially when you’re investing in them.
No other area of collecting is as exciting and ripe for investment right now as rare collectible watches. This is a young and growing market, and one with huge potential, before the 1980s, nobody collected watches.
Open a Sotheby’s watch catalogue up until the 1990s and it was full of pocket watches and carriage clocks. Watches were an afterthought. This means values for watches have much catching up to do. They are far behind more established sectors such as classic cars or art. That’s huge
scope for growth.
Valuations & Sales
Anthony Love, Head of Portfolio Management
View Current Luxury Watches
A deep and fascinating accessory taking in hundreds of years of history, engineering excellence, and style genius. All executed in miniature.
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The rare luxury watch market is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the collecting industry.
The combination of style, supreme craftsmanship and strong investment potential is attracting buyers at every level, across almost every demographic.
Reports estimate there are currently more than 12 million rare watch collectors around the world. This means the demand for rare luxury watches dramatically outstrips the supply.
Manufacturers such as Rolex or Patek Philippe have decade-long waiting lists for their most exclusive models. These watches take thousands of hours to produce, and their numbers are highly limited.
With new models becoming almost impossible to obtain, the secondary market is growing at a remarkable rate. 95% of all rare watches on the market are no longer in production.
The development of secure online marketplaces
The development of secure online marketplaces has fuelled the growth of this secondary market, and attracted a new demographic of wealthy younger collectors aged 25 – 44, who are more comfortable with high-value online purchases.
This emerging demographic is driving the market, with a recent survey showing that 66% of these new buyers are influenced by the anticipated growth in value. The numbers behind the market suggest they're correct.
A Deloitte report predicts the global luxury watch market sector will grow by 75% between now and 2030. Knight Frank’s annual Wealth Report revealed the value of rare watches rose by 18% in 2022, outperforming double-digit inflation and almost all mainstream investments, including gold and equities. The same report shows that rare watches are up 147% in value over the past 10 years.
Between August 2018 and January 2023, during a period of global economic turmoil, average prices in the secondary market for top models from makers Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet grew at an annual rate of 20%.
Luxury watch prices outperformed the S&P during the recession in 2007–2009 and again during the Covid crisis, further underlining their strength and stability as an investment.
A collection of luxury watches could be a powerful addition to your portfolio. The market has a proven track record of growth in times of economic instability.
It's increasing at a rate faster than almost any other category. And it offers you a truly stylish way to enjoy your money.
