What Makes a Watch Collectable?
There might not be a secret formula, but here are some fundamentals.
A Collectable
At its most basic, defining a collectable watch isn't that hard - if someone finds a watch valuable or interesting, it's a collectable. It's an incredibly broad and subjective definition, meaning that the person who has spent their life buying obscure 1980s Swatch watches is just as much of a collector as someone who only buys first production runs of 1970s sports watches. While the watches they collect might be polar opposites, they are united by a common passion that serves as a universal language. But if we were to define a collectable watch a little more specifically, we would say that quality, rarity and the indefinable cool factor are all important factors when it comes to defining collectable watches.
Rarity
One of the most common phrases you'll hear in watch-collecting circles is 'grail watch' - a term that is used to represent the (often) hypothetical pinnacle of a collection. A watch that is, almost by definition, unobtainable. For some people, their grail might be a fabulously rare vintage Patek Philippe, of which only a handful were made, or something more contemporary, but still limited in production. The thread that unites many people's grail watches is rarity. They are not easy to come by, and this exclusivity makes them more desirable, which, for many, means more valuable.
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Quality
Alongside rarity, quality is an incredibly important factor in making a watch desirable. After all, quality is king. But what do we mean when we talk about quality? If we're looking at older or vintage watches, it might mean that the watch is in good condition, especially the case and the dial. Or, it might simply be the quality of the watchmaking. If the watch has diamonds or other stones, the size, cut, and colour are significant, and if we're talking about fine watchmaking techniques like enamel dials or guilloché, there's a lot of variation between a more industrial technique and the type of finish that takes a master of their art hours to execute.
This is even more true of the calibres of the watch. There's nothing wrong with an industrially produced watch movement - but generally, movements that involve lots of hand-finishing and assembly are regarded as more prestigious and desirable - especially when it comes to the sort of complications and individuality that comes with high-end or independent watchmakers.
Cool Factor
Finally, we come to the cool factor - what the French might refer to as 'je ne sais quoi', that undefinable quality that makes all the difference. For many, this is the most important factor in determining whether any given watch becomes collectable or not. A great example is the Omega Speedmaster - an important watch, but not particularly rare.
However, if that Speedmaster went to space, its cool factor is suddenly off the charts. In examples like this, the quantification of cool is often referred to as 'provenance', or the ability to prove that someone cool owned the watch, or that it was worn somewhere significant. The other type of cool is less easy to predict - some watch models become cool, achieving a sort of cultural capital critical mass, which is hard to pin down, but you certainly know it when you see it.
At the end of the day, what makes a watch collectable is highly subjective and deeply personal - which is what makes watch collecting so captivating, but if you can find something that is rare, cool and top quality - you're onto something good.
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