by Mustafa Cint
Let’s be honest: Preserving the value of watches is a great side aspect of our hobby – after all, we all work hard for our money. It is well known that the watches with the greatest value retention and appreciation come from Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet. The problem is that most of these watches are impossible to acquire for many collectors. Popular models from Rolex are priced at over $10,000, and Patek and Audemars prices are even higher. For this reason, I will show you three watches under $10,000 that are stable in value, popular, and not from Rolex, Patek Philippe, or Audemars Piguet.
1. Cartier Santos: A Long Underrated Icon
It’s a mystery to me how this model has gone undervalued for so long, as it’s not any less iconic than the Rolex Submariner or Omega Speedmaster – on the contrary. And watch collectors have nothing to complain about when it comes to value retention. I am, of course, talking about the Cartier Santos. This unconventionally designed watch has a long and exciting history. That history goes back to 1904 – long before the bestsellers from Rolex or Omega had even seen the light of day. Because the aviator and inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont found it extremely difficult to read the pocket watches commonly used at the time during his flights, he and his friend Luis-Francois Cartier developed a wristwatch suitable for aviation. The idea was to make it possible to read the time and still have both hands free to operate the aircraft. Cartier then completed the “Santos” and named it after its commissioner. It was the world’s first pilot’s watch and accompanied Dumont on all his future flying adventures. It was not until 1911 that the Cartier Santos went into series production and was freely available for sale. As befits a watch of this caliber, it has hardly changed in appearance to this day. The iconic design of the Cartier Santos is unique and has been perfectly adapted to the present day. The current generation’s rectangular case with rounded corners and dial with distinctive Roman numerals come very close to the original watch. Together with its unique metal bracelet, the watch is highly recognizable. But while its appearance remains traditional, its technology is state-of-the-art. A 42-hour power reserve may be rather small, but the watch is anti-magnetic up to 1,200 gauss. Sapphire crystal and 100 meters of water resistance make the Cartier Santos a perfect watch for everyday wear.
The “Quickswitch” system allows you to change the bracelet quickly and easily, and the “Smartlink” system even allows you to adjust the length of the metal bracelet. And all without tools – that’s brilliant. I particularly like the character of the Cartier Santos: The watch is extremely elegant and delicate – at the same time, it also exudes something industrial and angular. In any case, the design has been well received. Both the small and large models with a date are growing in popularity and performing well on the market. Whether classic with a white dial or ultra-modern with a DLC coating, all models have risen in price by several hundred to a thousand dollars since the beginning of 2019. According to our data, the public favorite seems to be the Cartier Santos Carrée 2961 with a white dial and a steel and gold case.
2. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso: The Watch for Polo Players
When Antoine LeCoultre founded his first watch atelier in his family’s small barn in 1833, he probably had no idea what role his newly founded brand would play in the future. The brand owes its current name to a collaboration between Edmond Jaeger and Jacques David LeCoultre, the grandson of founder Antoine LeCoultre. At the beginning of the 20th century, Edmond Jaeger built chronometers for the French Navy and was looking for a Swiss watchmaker to develop the right movement for his flat design. When LeCoultre took on this task, the two formed a close partnership and took on the new brand name “Jaeger-LeCoultre” in 1937.
No less spectacular than the story of the brand’s founding is the birth of its most famous model: the Jaeger Le-Coultre Reverso. The aim was to develop a watch that could withstand the tough conditions of a polo match. Players can expect shocks and the odd knock that could hit and possibly damage the housing of their watch. The solution was as simple as it was ingenious: Jaeger-LeCoultre developed a case that could be turned over. This meant that the dial was no longer in the line of fire for the duration of the game and could be turned to show the time if necessary. Needless to say, today the Reverso is much more than just an accessory on the wrist of a polo player. The continuous development of the model makes the watch a contemporary, elegant, and stylish companion. And this is also reflected in its price performance. Long underestimated, the Reverso is experiencing something of a renaissance and has become increasingly popular in recent years. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Large Small Second in particular, with its silver dial and steel case, has almost doubled in price over the last 5 years.
3. Omega Speedmaster: One Small Step for Man, but a Giant Leap for OMEGA
When Buzz Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon with the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch in 1969, he immortalized both himself and the watch. Neil Armstrong decided to leave his watch in the landing capsule, which is why Aldrin in particular has iconic status in the watch community today. However, the Speedmaster did not begin as an astronaut’s watch, and its history started years before the moon landing. In 1957, Omega launched the first chronograph in the Speedmaster series, also known as the “Speedmaster Broad Arrow” because of its characteristic hour hand. Journeys into space didn’t start until the second Speedmaster generation, which is the generation that eventually landed on the moon and made the series go down in history forever.
Even though the Moonwatch has risen significantly in price over the last few years, its little brother, the Speedmaster Reduced, is outstripping it in terms of price performance.
Introduced in 1988, the Omega Speedmaster Reduced was a smaller and above all more affordable version of the original model. Even though the models look very similar, there are some fundamental differences: While the “Original” is powered by a hand-wound movement, the Speedmaster Reduced has an automatic movement, which is why it is also known as “The Automatic Speedmaster”. There are also striking differences on the dial.
The aim was to bring a more affordable version of the Moonwatch onto the market in order to tap into another target group – basically the same core idea as today’s MoonSwatch. In 2009, however, Omega suddenly decided to discontinue the entire Reduced range. Due also to the increasingly expensive Moonwatch models, the Reduced version enjoys great popularity today. Even though the price has risen by 75% in the last 5 years, you can still get them for around $3,000 today.
