Is it profitable to collect watches?

In recent years, collecting Swiss watches has become fashionable and sought after occupation. However, it requires a certain theoretical preparation, knowledge, patience and great resources. Is it really profitable to collect watches? Let's figure it out. Any collector, without hesitation, will say that the market leaders in vintage watches are Patek Philippe and, more recently, Rolex. Rolex in the secondary market rapidly went up due to the fact that two years ago at the Antiquorum auction Guido Mondani sold his huge collection (we will tell you about it a little later). At the same time, he showed how to collect Rolex, which models are valued and which mechanisms should be paid special attention to. Patek Philippe positions its watch as an investment in the future. A well-thought-out advertising campaign, a sales strategy (new sophisticated models are sold only to trusted customers) and an auction policy where Patek Philippe representatives bargain hard for their watches, raising prices, work on this image. So if you are lucky enough to become the owner of Patek Philippe in an authentic state, you can be absolutely calm: the price for them will rise over time. The same can be said about watches Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC (especially recently). In Europe and the USA, collecting watches is a whole culture, if not to say a whole world. In addition to a huge number of stores specializing in reselling watches, there are specialized sites, catalogs, and forums. In addition, entire dealerships are commissioned to search for their customers the copies they need. There is even a saying among watch collectors: "First you buy the right dealer, and only then - the right watch." Also, in addition to long-term collecting, the practice of short-term ownership is also popular. A person chooses a model in good condition in the secondary market, buys it, wears it for a while, then resells it without much loss, even with a small profit, and acquires a new watch. Of course, this is not “collecting." However, this creates the basis for a deeper acquaintance with the watch and spurs interest in it.