Price Development for Luxury Watches – Here Are Our Findings!

Omega’s growing prices are due in part to the habilitation of the Daniels’ breakthrough invention: the co-axial escapement, which reduces friction and the need for lubricants by quantum leaps. Rolex in turn, has seen a staggering rise in the prices of their vintage pieces, and despite the multifarious range, the ubiquity of the Oyster case is the common thread that likely spindled the brand to its current monolithism. Rolex is held in such high regard the world over and is often, whether unveracious or not, considered the ‘best watch brand in the world’.

In 1999, Omega acquired the patent for the co-axial escapement and integrated it into a number of their watch movements. The two most famous collections with this evolution of the Swiss lever escapement are the Seamaster, known from “James Bond” movies, and the Speedmaster, well-known as the first watch to go to the Moon. The Speedmaster, a racer’s watch in essence, was targeted towards motorsports fans but later became monumentally famous when it became the official watch of NASA, eventually reaching the Moon whilst on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin.

In view of historically significant specimens in the auction market, the Speedmaster Professional is at the forefront of value increases. The ref. 2915-01 has been very popular at auctions, especially in the last ten years. It was sold through Christie's auction house for $137,000 USD in 2015. The original selling price in 1957 was around $93.75 USD. A very similar Speedmaster, the ref. 2915-02, was sold at Christie's for $137.000 USD, far over its low estimate, which was $41,000 USD. In 2010, a ref. 2915-02 was sold for $63,209 USD and it had a low estimate of $12,000 USD. The value of these vintage Speedmaster watches seems to double every five years and are often sold at far higher prices than originally estimated.

With the wide range of watches that Rolex offers, buyers are sure to find the right fit for themselves. One of the world's most famous collections is their Steel Sports collection. Models such as the Submariner and Milgauss have been sold under this designation since 1953 and 1956 respectively. It is the unique design and masterful craftsmanship that makes these watches from the house of Rolex timeless.

Over the years, the market for vintage Rolex timepieces has grown strongly, and with the search for Rolex watches in pristine condition becoming ever more challenging, the prices have risen as well. The Submariner ref. 1680, for instance, is a model that was produced between 1969 and 1981 and is also called "Big Red", a name given by collectors due to the striking red text on the dial. The average auction price for the ref. 1680 in 2010 was around €12,826. In 2016 buyers were paying around €19.769 for the coveted watch.