Another fabulous post Tony. It’s funny, sometimes I get to thinking about the “value” of my watches and what would happen if Rolex truly fell out of fashion.
Simple, I’d lose some $$ on paper, but the value of my collection would remain constant as I simply love wearing them. I really feel for those with the kind of psyche that need their watches to be monetarily valuable in order to enjoy them.
If someone buys a Journe today and it’s worth 50% less in two years, will they still be just as happy wearing it? If the answer is “no,” they probably should think twice before making that purchase…oh wait, does any still wear their Journe now that their prices have exploded?
First, I am proud to be an actual Boomer and second I am proud to own all of my Boomer watches. I will find no happieness in the day that will certainly come, when all of m newly minted collector friends who have bought their Patek 96s and little Cartiers at the recently inflated price find that they are buried in them...and I am pretty sure they will find themselves buried sooner than I will be even though I am probably twice most of their ages. A lot of these new collectors will probably feel burned that their investments have proven to be bad and leave the watch world and that is not a good thing. I guess the big lesson the long time collector learns is that the market is cyclical. What is cool today may be crap tomorrow and what is crap today may be cool again tomorrow. The best investment is always the best examples of what you like and think you will continue to like despite the whims of the market. The second best lesson is that anyone who tells you that holding on to vintage watches is always a great investment hasn't lived long enough to know. This is another good article Tony. Thanks for the excuse to have an old man rant.
Loved your reply here. Watches were never meant to be investments. They ARE a form of wearable art, but to these folks who are buying them as investments? I feel badly for them. When the worm turns, as it invariably will, they will be left with things they may no longer enjoy simply because they bought them for the wrong reason. Buy what you love and you’ll love what you bought!
I’ve read across the horological journal sphere the last few days a few stories of Rolex AD’s selling upon request, which I only highlight because it’s the antithesis of the usual “waitlist” fare. Movement manufacture is about to experience a supply chain stall due to the ongoing conflict between Iran / US as noted by one independent manufacturer (Nodus), who sent an email detailing this issue - which feels very COVID. It’s fascinating how the suppliers “throttle” inventory across brands. My humble opinion (who fuxking cares)…Vintage Rolex will shift in value, drastically, between models, as you pronounce, and seems to be the safe(est) place to park your dough. When 1 in 5 are fake, and the fake output only seems to be getting better…
I’ve bought a Dato 45, a Camaro, and a pre-moon Speedy this year, all in good condition from good dealers, and they were cheap! I hope the boomer watch stays unfashionable long enough for me to fill my watch box.
Another fabulous post Tony. It’s funny, sometimes I get to thinking about the “value” of my watches and what would happen if Rolex truly fell out of fashion.
Simple, I’d lose some $$ on paper, but the value of my collection would remain constant as I simply love wearing them. I really feel for those with the kind of psyche that need their watches to be monetarily valuable in order to enjoy them.
If someone buys a Journe today and it’s worth 50% less in two years, will they still be just as happy wearing it? If the answer is “no,” they probably should think twice before making that purchase…oh wait, does any still wear their Journe now that their prices have exploded?
First, I am proud to be an actual Boomer and second I am proud to own all of my Boomer watches. I will find no happieness in the day that will certainly come, when all of m newly minted collector friends who have bought their Patek 96s and little Cartiers at the recently inflated price find that they are buried in them...and I am pretty sure they will find themselves buried sooner than I will be even though I am probably twice most of their ages. A lot of these new collectors will probably feel burned that their investments have proven to be bad and leave the watch world and that is not a good thing. I guess the big lesson the long time collector learns is that the market is cyclical. What is cool today may be crap tomorrow and what is crap today may be cool again tomorrow. The best investment is always the best examples of what you like and think you will continue to like despite the whims of the market. The second best lesson is that anyone who tells you that holding on to vintage watches is always a great investment hasn't lived long enough to know. This is another good article Tony. Thanks for the excuse to have an old man rant.
Loved your reply here. Watches were never meant to be investments. They ARE a form of wearable art, but to these folks who are buying them as investments? I feel badly for them. When the worm turns, as it invariably will, they will be left with things they may no longer enjoy simply because they bought them for the wrong reason. Buy what you love and you’ll love what you bought!
I’ve read across the horological journal sphere the last few days a few stories of Rolex AD’s selling upon request, which I only highlight because it’s the antithesis of the usual “waitlist” fare. Movement manufacture is about to experience a supply chain stall due to the ongoing conflict between Iran / US as noted by one independent manufacturer (Nodus), who sent an email detailing this issue - which feels very COVID. It’s fascinating how the suppliers “throttle” inventory across brands. My humble opinion (who fuxking cares)…Vintage Rolex will shift in value, drastically, between models, as you pronounce, and seems to be the safe(est) place to park your dough. When 1 in 5 are fake, and the fake output only seems to be getting better…
I’ve bought a Dato 45, a Camaro, and a pre-moon Speedy this year, all in good condition from good dealers, and they were cheap! I hope the boomer watch stays unfashionable long enough for me to fill my watch box.
great write up! and so true! go for boomers :)