Maybe you’ve recently landed that coveted promotion. Maybe your wife is placating your midlife, existential dread by allowing the purchase of a Rolex. Maybe you just like fancy shit.
Whatever the reason, if you’ve graduated from the $1,000-watch enclave and are ready to venture out into the wilds of multi-thousand dollar watch territory, the world is sort of your Oyster. (See what we did there?) But more than just Rolex should be on your list — because while you can’t yet snag anything from coveted luxury maisons such as Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet, there’s plenty you can buy from the likes of Omega, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Zenith, and more. (Not to mention from countless microbrands.)
When making such a purchase, many people begin thinking about resale value. The truth is, there’s really only one brand whose resale value tends to consistently increase beyond MSRP, and that brand is Rolex. With other luxury brands, resale prices are healthy and moderately stable, model- and condition-depending: You can always flip a Speedmaster, for example, or maybe a Reverso, and make much of your money back. But you ain’t gonna make money. If you’ve come here looking to diversify your investments into a different asset class, you’ve probably come to the wrong place.
Ultimately, you should buy what you like, and what you can comfortably afford. Of course, quality should always be top of mind — and thankfully, in most cases when shelling out several thousand dollars for a timepiece, quality is going to be fairly high. There are exceptions, which is why doing one’s own research is of prime importance. Vintage watches, for example, are an entirely different beast: It’s possible to spend several thousand dollars on a vintage watch that, while from a quality brand and essentially a quality product, is largely a money pit given serving costs on an expensive movement.
Here, we’re only going to cover new watches — for vintage, check out this guide, which brings up different considerations. Ultimately, we’re talking about buying a technologically obsolete luxury product at an often absurdly high margin — if you’re gonna do it, do it because you love the product and will enjoy wearing it. And have fun!
NOMOS Club Campus 38 Night
If you can find a better everyday watch for under $2K, we’ll eat our hat. This Bauhaus-inspired baddie from German brand NOMOS is everything you want in a (slightly dressier) do-it-all timepiece: great looks courtesy of the black “California” dial with mixed Roman and Arabic indices; plenty of lume for night-time legibility; a stainless steel case that can take a beating; and, believe it or not, an in-house, hand-wound movement that results in a watch just 8.5mm tall. Paired to a velour leather anthracite strap and measuring 38.5mm, it’s perfect for both men and women, and its timeless looks should appeal to a wide variety of tastes. What more could one possibly ask for at this price?
- Diameter: 38.5mm
- Movement: NOMOS Alpha hand-wound
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $1,650
Tissot Heritage 1973
Modeled after a chronograph from — you guessed it — 1973, the Heritage 1973 fully embraces its 1970s-inspired looks, which result in a large (43mm) tonneau-shaped case, a maximalist dial full of color and information, and a chunky feel on the wrist. If you can pull off such a big watch, then this is definitely the piece you want to do it with: Powered by an automatic workhorse movement from Valjoux, it boasts a triple-register chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers, a useful date window, and an outer tachymeter scale — plus a lumed baton handset, a case with multiple finishes, and a black leather “rallye”-style racing strap. Throw this thing on and embrace your inner disco!
- Diameter: 43mm
- Movement: Valjoux A05.H31 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $2,275
Longines Flagship Heritage
While there are plenty of dressier timepieces to be had for a few grand, watches that integrate moon phases are much harder to come by. The new Longines Flagship Heritage fills this gap in the market admirably: Available in three colorways — including one with a gorgeous blue dial and a matching blue alligator-pattern leather strap — it features a 38.5mm stainless steel case and a distinctly vintage-inspired look that includes dauphine hands, applied indices, an inner, open minute track, and a combination date wheel and moon phase display above 6 o’clock. At 12.4mm, it may not be the thinnest moonphase-equipped dress watch on the planet, but it’s also, unlike most vintage equivalents, an automatic timepiece.
- Diameter: 38.5mm
- Movement: Longines Calibre L899.5 automatic
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Price: $3,050
Massena Lab Uni-Racer
Some die-hard purists are bothered by the fact that Massena LAB’s Uni-Racer is a modern-day take on a long-discontinued watch by Universal Genève, which effectively no longer exists…but we are not. A 39mm, manually wound, updated riff on a vintage watch so rare that purchasing one is equivalent to throwing down for an entry-level sedan, the Uni-Racer is a beautiful, midcentury-esque chronograph in one of several finishes complete with a dual-register layout, a wickedly cool handset, a base-1,000 tachymeter scale, a hand-wound Swiss movement, and even a subtly stamped acrylic crystal. While two “panda” and “reverse panda” colorways cater to vintage lovers, two other, more modern iterations are perfect for the more aesthetically adventurous.
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Sellita SW510
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Price: $3,495
The 11 Best New Watches of July
Including limited edition timepieces, tool watches and more
Tudor Black Bay Pro
Though the number of “flyer” GMT watches — those with independently adjustable local 12-hour hands à la the Rolex GMT-Master series — has been steadily increasing of late, Tudor (and Rolex) still make some of the best. To wit: the Tudor Black Bay Pro is a most excellent, vintage-inspired traveler’s watch with a 39mm stainless steel case, a lovely “rivet”-style bracelet, and a handsome dial featuring the brand’s signature “snowflake” handset, an orange-tipped 24-hour hand, and a fixed 24-hour bezel. Powered by an in-house, chronometer-certified movement with 70 hours of power reserve and boasting 200m of water resistance, the BB Pro is a true modern explorer’s watch.
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Tudor Calibre MT5652 automatic
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Price: $4,150
Cartier Santos-Dumont Watch Small
You probably thought we were going to recommend a Tank, right? Well, we do — but we also recommend you look to one of Cartier’s other beloved collections, that of the Santos-Dumont. Named after the famed Brazilian aviator who wore the initial version in the early 20th century, the Santos-Dumont looks stunning in its smallest iteration in two-tone steel and 18K rose gold. Flanked by a blue cabochon crown and sporting a gorgeous dial with large Arabic indices and an outer railroad minute track, it’s a reserved, classic look that exudes elegance and style…and one that your significant other can “borrow” from time to time…which certainly helps to better justify the price.
- Diameter: 27.5mmmm
- Movement: Cartier high-autonomy quartz
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Price: $5,600
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36
The, ahem, entry-level Rolex — it hurts to write that, given pricing — the Oyster Perpetual line is the distillation of everything that makes a Rolex a Rolex: With its highly water-resistant case, chronometer-certified, automatic movement, highly legible dial, super comfortable Oyster bracelet, and good looks, it’s emblematic of the Crown’s design principles and represents a century-plus of top-shelf watchmaking. While these watches used to be easy to buy by simply walking into a boutique, these days, they’re much more difficult to track down. However, with their array of colorful dials available, they make an excellent foray into the world of luxury timepieces.
- Diameter: 36mm
- Movement: Rolex Calibre 3230 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $6,100
Omega Speedmaster “Hesalite”
If you’re wondering whether slight redesigns over the previous-gen Speedy were worth the not-insignificant price hike, the answer is an unequivocal “yes.” A fresh dial inspired by vintage versions; a new(ish) movement in the form of the Calibre 3861; an incredible new bracelet…all of these make for a watch that elevates the tool-ish Speedmaster into luxury status. Two versions are available: one with a Hesalite (acrylic) crystal, like the Speedies of yore, and one with a modern sapphire crystal. The price difference between these two is an eye-watering thousand bucks, though for our money, the Hesalite adds just enough vintage vibes without compromising structural integrity that we’re bound to recommend it over its brother.
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Omega Calibre 3861 hand-wound
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Price: $7,000
Breitling Top Time B01 Shelby Cobra
The Navitimer may be the iconic Breitling chronograph, but the Top Time seems to be receiving a heck of a lot more attention these days. The subject of innumerable partnerships between Breitling and companies all over the world, it’s smaller, more legible, and cleaner looking than its aviation-inspired bigger brother. This particular version celebrates Carol Shelby’s eponymous high-performance automobile company with a handsome blue and white dial featuring “squircle” chronograph totalizers, an outer tachymeter scale, and the Shelby logo front and center above 6 o’clock. Powered by Breitling’s in-house B01 automatic chronograph movement and paired to a brown leather “rallye”-style strap, this handsome racing watch is an excellent everyday option.
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Breitling B01 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $8,000
Zenith Defy Skyline
A newer entry in the Defy collection, the Skyline is an integrated-bracelet, luxury sports watch in the mold of the Gérald Genta-designed Royal Oak or Nautilus. Featuring a handsome sunburst-pattern dial formed by repeating four-pointed stars, it’s powered by the brand’s in-house El Primero Calibre 3620 high-frequency movement — an impressive piece of engineering that descends from the maison’s work making automatic chronographs in the late 1960s. (Look closely at the sub-seconds display at 9 o’clock, and you’ll realize that it’s calibrated down to 1/10ths of a second.) Featuring a color-matched date wheel and shipping with a rubber strap, it’s the perfect summer sports watch.
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Zenith El Primero Calibre 3620 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $9,000
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