Depreciation proof AP?

[Links181]

Looking to get myself an AP royal oak off shore, maybe a year or two old, leather or rubber strap, in the price range £10-15k.

Does anyone know if these will drop much in price after the first few years of depreciation or if they level out after this hit? Any chance of the prices rising in the future at any point? And of so any particular models to look out for? Looking for something in between a keeper and an investment piece. Any advice appreciated. Thanks guys.

[Mr Aston Martin]

If you want an investment buy a Patek complication.

Money in bank or as good as. It's a narrow market compared with AP which may lengthen a disposal.


If your heart is set on a AP then follow that, life is too short to look at returns on chattels bought with the heart.

[michael gould]

Agree with the above........if your worried about dropping a few quid on a watch then either don't buy it or work a bit harder

[MrJuice]

michael gould said:

Agree with the above........if your worried about dropping a few quid on a watch then either don't buy it or work a bit harder

You agree with whom exactly? Because your sentiments are not those expressed by the second poster

10-15k might be a few quid to you but it isn't for the OP.

[iphonedyou]

MrJuice said:

You agree with whom exactly? Because your sentiments are not those expressed by the second poster

10-15k might be a few quid to you but it isn't for the OP.

It's OK, it's only Michael. He tries desperately hard to maintain the persona of a bitter, sniping little man. Or rather, I hope he's trying hard. The argumentum ab auctoritate is all part of the act.

[Links181]

OK I so I guess that I should just go for it really. Oh and work harder and pretend 10-15k is a few quid.

[Murcielago_Boy]

Links181 said:

OK I so I guess that I should just go for it really. Oh and work harder and pretend 10-15k is a few quid.

Mate - I must say I agree with the original reply - only PP's make any attempt at holding their money (and Rolex).
Ref your AP, just ensure you buy used - used enough to let someone else take the HUGE hits they get when re-sold.

[yeti]

Maximum value retention IHMO will be a steel watch on the steel bracelet, a non-fancy dial (black or white) and with the AP 3120 base movement rather than the previous JLC base. Oddly, and perhaps it reflects on the buyers of this model, there is no price differential between the two and will need to refer to the paperwork to check. The 3120 is regarded as the finest auto movement out there at the moment with a beautiful engraved solid gold rotor - the JLC, although a lovely ebauche, is not in the same league of modernity or quality of finishing. The chrono module remains the same leading to the curious sunken date window. Should it be an integrated chrono movement - probably, but if it was, key design features wouldn't be there and lets face it, the RO range is the only reason AP still exist.

Go for the steel bezel rather than the rubber coated as it can be lightly refinished whereas the rubber is a straight replacement if damaged at many hundreds of pounds. Make sure the rubberised pushers and crown have years of life left in them, they can be torn.

It's an odd watch, one with a terrible reputation for having stereotypical owners (blingy Russians, overweight Riviera playboys etc) but if you don't fit into that band, it's a great design from AP/Genta that has stood the test of time. The 42mm model is no longer the tank it was considered to be 20 years ago and it looks bang on trend (did I just say that??) for what size is popular right now.

And lastly; search hard and buy at the bottom of the market; make sure all boxes and paperwork are there if this is a long-term keeper/investment piece. If you pay 10k, you won't lose any money. If you pay 15k, you will lose 5k.

Your other (better?) option for a Genta watch is a blue-dialed PP Nautilus 'Jumbo' 5711 - you should get one at 15k and far from losing money, you'l make a handsome profit over a few years. And by god, they are beautiful

[michael gould]

MrJuice said:

michael gould said:

Agree with the above........if your worried about dropping a few quid on a watch then either don't buy it or work a bit harder

You agree with whom exactly? Because your sentiments are not those expressed by the second poster

10-15k might be a few quid to you but it isn't for the OP.

agree with Mr Aston directly above my comment.......if your worried about dropping a few quid then invest in a Patek complication......not that you will get one for 15k

[jshell]

The only problem with the Patek option is that you will actually have to look at it, and it shares it's name with a curry paste! So, a girly 1970's television shaped scratch magnet watch with a whiff of cumin....or a manly, good looking AP ROO!


Buy an AP Diver in SS.

[detee]

Yeti, I totally agree with you on the Nautlius front. I was told no discounts, waiting lists etc etc. Now I take these statements with a pinch of salt as I have bought a few watches over the years. However I bought one, rarely wear it and made a tentative attempt at selling it through the usual subjects to avoid the e bay route. The bids I received were laughable.

This is not a complaint, but the days of depreciation free watches are not as free and easy as they were with green subs and Daytonas. I just want the OP to be aware that if he gets it wrong on the way in, it will hurt on the way out.

The Nautilus is the most beautiful watch that I have owned, and the one that gets the least attention, so I agree with your suggestion I just need to be less precious and wear mine more often!

[Carl_Docklands]

Links181 said:

Looking to get myself an AP royal oak off shore, maybe a year or two old, leather or rubber strap, in the price range £10-15k.

Does anyone know if these will drop much in price after the first few years of depreciation or if they level out after this hit? Any chance of the prices rising in the future at any point? And of so any particular models to look out for? Looking for something in between a keeper and an investment piece. Any advice appreciated. Thanks guys.

If you go for a SS black dial AP ROO with a steel strap they seem to hold around at £10k even if they are 6-9 years old.

If you go for something like a Safari on leather, then they seem to be harder to move on and will probably drop faster and harder.

If you intend to flip it then I would go for the black dial SS model as it should be easy to move if you are going to stick for a number of years I would go for a Bumble Bee or Safari on leather.

If you are in the London area, check out watchfinder's used watches store in the royal exchange, they always have a decent stock of ROO in the shop and you can also browse online.

[michael gould]

detee said:

Yeti, I totally agree with you on the Nautlius front. I was told no discounts, waiting lists etc etc. Now I take these statements with a pinch of salt as I have bought a few watches over the years. However I bought one, rarely wear it and made a tentative attempt at selling it through the usual subjects to avoid the e bay route. The bids I received were laughable.

This is not a complaint, but the days of depreciation free watches are not as free and easy as they were with green subs and Daytonas. I just want the OP to be aware that if he gets it wrong on the way in, it will hurt on the way out.

The Nautilus is the most beautiful watch that I have owned, and the one that gets the least attention, so I agree with your suggestion I just need to be less precious and wear mine more often!

Your a lucky man.......the Nautilus has to be one horology's greats .....wear it often in the smug knowledge that you have a masterpiece on your wrist

Agree with Yeti.....if the OP is really worried about loosing a few quid then it's all about buying at the right price .......probably best to research the market for a few months until you really are able to spot an underpriced watch .......it's no different from buying cars.

Edited by michael gould on Saturday 12th April 17:39

[HarrySmash]

Yeti, another informative and interesting post - keep up the good work (I'm not being sarcastic)

Edited by HarrySmash on Sunday 13th April 18:56

[Animal]

detee said:

Yeti, I totally agree with you on the Nautlius front. I was told no discounts, waiting lists etc etc. Now I take these statements with a pinch of salt as I have bought a few watches over the years. However I bought one, rarely wear it and made a tentative attempt at selling it through the usual subjects to avoid the e bay route. The bids I received were laughable.

This is not a complaint, but the days of depreciation free watches are not as free and easy as they were with green subs and Daytonas. I just want the OP to be aware that if he gets it wrong on the way in, it will hurt on the way out.

The Nautilus is the most beautiful watch that I have owned, and the one that gets the least attention, so I agree with your suggestion I just need to be less precious and wear mine more often!

I had a tentative conversation with a lady in the Patek place at the Royal Exchange: she told me the steel Nautilus waiting list was 5 years, although I'm sure if I put down a deposit that a watch would become available much quicker! However, even if it did take 5 years I'd be putting a deposit down now and securing that price: who knows what the list price would be in 5 years time - and you may still have to wait. Once I've moved house I'm going to sell my others and get my deposit down!

[Murcielago_Boy]

Animal said:

I had a tentative conversation with a lady in the Patek place at the Royal Exchange: she told me the steel Nautilus waiting list was 5 years, although I'm sure if I put down a deposit that a watch would become available much quicker! However, even if it did take 5 years I'd be putting a deposit down now and securing that price: who knows what the list price would be in 5 years time - and you may still have to wait. Once I've moved house I'm going to sell my others and get my deposit down!

WHICH steel Patek Nautilus? There's quite a few? And the majority are readily available....

[yeti]

Murcielago_Boy said:

WHICH steel Patek Nautilus? There's quite a few? And the majority are readily available....

Boodles?

Nip across the road to WofS and speak to Lynden there, or go to either the Boutique on Bond St or the WofS there. 5 year waiting list, never heard of it.

[Animal]

yeti said:

Boodles?

Nip across the road to WofS and speak to Lynden there, or go to either the Boutique on Bond St or the WofS there. 5 year waiting list, never heard of it.

Last time I went into WoS at the Royal Ex I was pretty underwhelmed - maybe I should just speak to Dom H when the time is right (no pun intended)!

[Murcielago_Boy]

I've done some PP business with Boodles before. There isn't ANY Nautilus that I can think of which has a genuine wait list from them.

The only truly difficult to get PP is the 5131 which really is a mission if you want to pay the circa £45k list OR some of the advanced research ones, mega minute repeater chronos which are around £350,000+.

The Nautilus' are, I maintain, readily available. The 5712A was hot for a while. It's not now.

[Animal]

Murcielago_Boy said:

I've done some PP business with Boodles before. There isn't ANY Nautilus that I can think of which has a genuine wait list from them.

The only truly difficult to get PP is the 5131 which really is a mission if you want to pay the circa £45k list OR some of the advanced research ones, mega minute repeater chronos which are around £350,000+.

The Nautilus' are, I maintain, readily available. The 5712A was hot for a while. It's not now.

I originally wanted an AP Royal Oak Auto, but I've cooled towards them recently since they've been churning out ever more garish versions.