What makes Watches so Valuable?

Have you ever noticed the cost of a vintage or branded watch can be extremely expensive? The most expensive watch in the world is the Graff Diamonds Hallucination, which is worth a humungous $55million thanks to the 110 carats of diamonds and platinum that embody it. Whether they’re covered in diamonds or created from the most precious of metals, watches are valuable for a reason.

Though all watches do the same thing, from Casio to Rolex, the more valuable watches have so much more going on under the surface.

Heritage & History

Expensive watches tend to have a rich tradition and heritage within the world of time. Many watch brands have been around for centuries, producing timepieces made from the finest of components. When compared to modern watchmakers who don’t use the same quality of materials, the difference in costs becomes relatively clear.

Many luxury watches are made in Switzerland, which whilst this doesn’t mean it will definitely be a watchmaker, it’s hard to ignore that it is the home of many luxurious brands. Other watches simply cannot compete with heritage when compared to Swiss watchmakers.

Manufacturing

Luxury watches are made from master craftsmen during a lengthy process with quality materials. A low end watch is likely to be made quickly and cheaply with little care. The amount of time, attention and detail that goes into making a luxury watch certainly ups the cost, though they’re also likely to last longer, too.

Components

The movement of a timepiece is one of the biggest contributing factors to the cost. Leading watchmakers tend to develop their own movements in-house, which takes a lot of time, investment and skill to create. Cheaper watches tend to have a more generic quartz movement. Though this works absolutely fine, when compared alongside an in-house movement, it is obvious why the cost is higher.

Materials used in high end watches are also additional little touches to the design and manufacture that makes them more expensive. For example a Rolex watch may be created from platinum, gold or luxury leather, whereas cheaper brands are likely to be made of plastic or metal.

Many people see luxury watches as a once in a lifetime investment that can be passed on to future generations. Those who buy cheaper brands of watches are likely to replace them within a couple of years, whereas a luxury watch should, in theory, last through generations. 

Here at Cuttings, we know the value of luxury watches which is why we offer loans secured on a range of brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Omega and more.

For more information, get in touch with the team by visiting our contact page or by giving us a call on 01843 584550.