Buying New vs. Vintage Rolex Watches

Written by Robert-Jan Broer

Just to warn everyone up front, this article concerns my personal opinions on buying and collecting Rolex watches. Whether one likes it or not, one cannot deny that Rolex still gets more attention from watch consumers than any other watch brand. I respect Rolex for what it is able to accomplish (producing high-quality watches in large numbers for reasonable prices) and I own and have owned my share of Rolex watches, both vintage and new.

My opinion on this subject changes once in a while, I must admit. Once, I even wrote an article on why I don’t collect vintage Rolex watches, yet now I seem to be “stuck” with only vintage Rolex watches in my modest collection. However, I remain strongly opinionated about vintage Rolex. In this article I will tell you exactly why, and why it might be safer (and perhaps just as much fun) to buy a brand-new model.

Let me start by telling you why I love vintage Rolex watches. Like most other vintage watches (from other brands), a Rolex sports watch from the 1960s or ’70s has an aura of adventure; the wear on the case and bracelet show that the watches had something of a rough life; the things that the watch witnessed might have been awesome. The fun with vintage Rolex watches is that because there are so many of them around, you can usually find the exact “configuration” that suits your personal taste. For example, I don’t like the ones with the old tritium markers that have turned a mustard yellow color; I prefer them slightly off-white. I also don’t like spider-web dials (cracked paint) and prefer them to be all-matte with big, round hour markers. And I would rather have a watch that had decent servicing throughout the decades than a watch that still has its original crown, seals and crystal. But I know that there are dozens of people who prefer just the opposite.

I’ve learned that a lot about buying and collecting vintage Rolex has to do with aesthetics. There is little interest in the mechanical movement; people generally trust it to be good. (It is a Rolex, for crying out loud.) Many collectors tend to be more interested in a nice-looking dial, or matching pair of hands, than to making sure the movement is all nice and fresh. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and these movements are fairly easy to service, but I always make sure that the watch is in perfect technical working order as well.

Rolex GMT-Master, Reference 1675, as some of the vintage-Rolex collectors love to see them: patina on the dial, dark patina on the luminous markers and hands, faded bezel.

Rolex GMT-Master, Reference 6542. Bakelite bezel with colors still intact, clean-looking dial and slightly discolored tritium on the dial and hands (as the author prefers them)

Now, the other side of the story is that there is a lot of fraud going on in the vintage Rolex scene. As with all transactions in which serious money is involved — whether it be classic cars, paintings, real estate, even adopting babies — there are always those who want to cheat and scam other people who wish to own a certain commodity (in this case, a watch). There are dealers who claim to have million-dollar businesses selling vintage Rolexes, who claim to be able to supply whatever model you need or whichever is in demand at that moment. Be very careful of those types of dealers. I’d advise you to seek out a guy who trades vintage Rolexes as a hobby (or a passion), rather than to enter a store that has dozens of vintage Rolex watches that are labeled “exclusive” and carry crazy price tags.

“Exclusivity” is another important issue. Most Rolexes are not exclusive, in terms of numbers, to start with, even vintage Rolexes. Rolex has always been a watch manufacturer with a high production capacity. Collectors have made them “exclusive” because of their needs for certain models with specific signs of aging or specific wording on the dial. In truth, if you have unlimited resources, you can buy just about any vintage Rolex there is (with exceptions, of course, such as prototypes or models that had a specific professional purpose). You want a Paul Newman Daytona? No problem, as long as you can show the money. The only thing that makes a vintage Rolex “exclusive” is its price tag, to be honest. There are watches from other brands out there that are much harder to get, and perhaps also more technically interesting, but let’s face it. The demand for vintage Rolex watches is incomparable.

So, in the end, if you want to buy a vintage Rolex timepiece, make sure you know your budget and know exactly what you want. If you – like me – don’t care too much about the position of the wording on the dial, how yellow the patina will be, or how faded the bezel should be, you are fairly safe. In any case, make sure you “buy the seller,” which means that you should be able to trust the seller in order to make the purchase. It is impossible to know everything about vintage Rolex watches, but you should feel comfortable with the watch that the seller is offering you. If he says it is fine and you did a plausibility check, you should be able to take his word for it. Some sellers offer your cash back if anything appears to be incorrect after the purchase. Make sure to do a check on the good guys out there by using the online vintage Rolex communities. However, always try to think logically when you are looking at a vintage Rolex for sale. Do not lose your head over it. If it doesn’t feel good, then don’t pull the trigger.

Let’s now shift the focus to the other side of the spectrum, discussing the merits and pitfalls of new and modern Rolexes.

You might already know that buying vintage Rolex watches can be — how can I put this mildly — scary shit. If you “just” want a good watch and don’t want to get dragged into the quest for that perfect vintage Rolex, you might want to consider buying a new Rolex instead.

A lot of people — mainly watch enthusiasts — will tell you that buying a new Rolex is “boring” and that you can purchase other interesting watches for the same price or less. This may be true, but please bear in mind what’s important to you.  If you want a watch that will last a lifetime (or two) and that does not depreciate too much (usually the opposite will be true, if you are patient enough), then a modern Rolex might be a good choice.

Although the Rolex company is as tightly closed as its own Oyster cases when it comes to providing information, the general assumption is that it produces close to a million watches per year. The lucky few who have been inside the Rolex production facilities have reported on an impressive number of automated processes there that are unlikely to make mistakes that humans would make. All watches are still assembled by hand, of course. And the high quality that Rolex is able to maintain on such a high production number of watches is truly incredible.

It is no secret that a lot of people did complain about the lack of innovation at Rolex up until a few years ago. At the time, Rolex still used the clasp that looked as if it was made from soda-can material, the relatively small (40 mm) case diameters for its sports watches and the same movements it had been using for decades. In the last few years, however, Rolex has introduced more innovations and changes than it did in the previous four decades. Rolex upgraded its bracelets by adding new clasps that have a super-easy system for (micro)adjustment, started using ceramics for its bezels, tweaked its movements with the new Parachrom hairspring, and even made its watches appear bigger. “Appeared?” Yes. For instance, the latest Sea-Dweller 116600 and GMT-Master II 116719BLRO with Pepsi bezel are still 40 mm in diameter, but appear larger because of the dimensions of their lugs.

Another point some watch enthusiasts like to raise is that Rolex watches are outrageously expensive. I beg to differ, actually. Rolex watches were never cheap to start with, so everything is relative, but there are a few things you need to consider.

A new Rolex Submariner has a price tag of just over $8,500. On the pre-owned market you can find this watch for around $7,000, in good condition, approximately 1-2 years old. I will leave the bargaining at an official Rolex retailer up to you. My point is that the depreciation is only small compared to – basically – that of every other brand in this price category. You can have an awesome $8,000 watch from any other brand, even with some interesting complications in there, but will it keep its value? Since you are visiting this website, I’d assume you also know how to find your way to the online watch markets that carry all sorts of watches. Take a look at what is left of the list price on many of these other watches after a couple of years. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that Rolex has an excellent service department. A total overhaul of your Rolex watch is expensive, but when you get it back it will look as it did the day you unwrapped it for the first time.

My personal experience with Rolex’s Geneva service center is that I actually had to double-check to see if they didn’t replace the case of my Sea-Dweller 16600 when I got it back from an overhaul (they didn’t). I could not believe my eyes. It took them about six weeks, which is quite stunning compared to other watch companies. I have watches from other brands whose servicing took much longer, sometimes up to six months even for something as relatively simple as adjusting the movement. It’s been my experience that many watch manufacturers forget about you as soon as you buy something from them and would rather spend their money on celebrity “ambassadors” or expensive marketing campaigns, but it seems that Rolex actually cares a lot about the after-sales service.

Servicing vintage watches, of course, is a totally different issue. Parts might not be available anymore, new spare parts can mess up the value of your highly sought-after vintage watch, price quotes can be as high as those for a modern watch, and so on.

Whatever modern Rolex you will choose, it will be a quality watch. The chance that something will be wrong with it is very small, and the possible resale value (though there are no guarantees) is another incentive. My pick would be between the new Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 mentioned earlier or the Rolex GMT-Master II 116710BLNR.  What would be your pick? 

3 Ways to Safely Store Your Watches

Written by Robert-Jan Broer

If you have more then one watch, you essentially have a watch collection. So what do you do with your other watch (or watches) when you are leaving home or will be out of town for a couple of days (or weeks)? Allow me to offer a few options for safe storage of any watches you’re not currently wearing, to ensure that your precious collection is not subject to burglary, fire, or other loss.

1. Bank Deposit Box

Most banks offer a service in which you can rent a deposit box from them. For a small annual fee, you can store your precious watches, jewelery or important documents in a metal box that will go into a safe room. Normally, these deposit boxes are insured for a certain amount of money (ask for this!). This is perhaps the safest way to tuck away your watches when you’re planning to leave for an extended trip. However, if you’re someone who likes to regularly rotate the watches you wear, it might become annoying to go to the bank, go through the whole safe-visit procedure, and swap the contents of the safe deposit box often.

2. Safe At Home

To prevent your watches from getting stolen in the event of a burglary, you might want to consider a safe in your home. You can buy a simple metal safe from the DIY store that you can hide somewhere in your house. With either an electronic lock or a mechanical locking mechanism, these boxes keep your watches secure from theft, as long as you hide them in a safe place. Most smaller safes are easy to pick up by thieves, but many of them offer an option to use a bolt to secure them to a wall. As I’ve been told that a thief needs approximately three minutes on average to do his thing and leave, you will at least stall him a bit. You can also can get a completely tailor-made safe, with the same lacquer finish as your favorite car and with a number of watch winders inside. Stockinger Bespoke Safes is a German company that combines German engineering with an almost un-German sense of style that offers these types of tailor-made safes. They will look amazing in your study or office and will still protect its contents from theft since it meets very strict security standards. These safes are too heavy to be carried away and cracking them will probably take a thief many hours, if he’s successful at all. Some safes are constructed in such way that there will be a delay before the contents go up in flames in case of a fire. Make sure to ask these things when you go out and buy a safe for your home. In case of the bespoke safes from Stockinger (below), I’ve been told that you will receive an intake where you can discuss all the necessary features of the safe.

3. Watch Winder And Storage Boxes

Safely tucking away your watches is not only about theft, fire and robbery, but also about protecting your watches from getting lost somewhere in the home or collecting dust. Not to mention the risk that they might be taken by your young children, one of whom might very innocently decide that your Patek Philippe Grand Complications Perpetual Calendar Chronograph would look good on the wrist of his teddy bear, or that they might become a chew toy for your German Shepherd. This means you should store your watches somewhere where they can’t be reached too easily and also protected from dust. You’ll need to wind them anyway; why not store them in a watch winder? This way your automatic-winding watch will keep running and won’t need to be wound and adjusted when you decide to take it out for wearing. After all, in the case of a time-only watch, winding and setting it manually is easy, but what if you have an automatic-winding watch with a perpetual calendar? Some of these watches are quite complex to set and if you are like me — always in a hurry in the morning — there is no time to do so.

If you are planning to buy a watch winder, pay attention to the following items:

– Does the winder have a program (i.e., number of windings, can you set the direction of winding yourself)?

– Is it easy to program the winder? (especially important when you will use it for different watches with different specifications)?

– How quiet is the winder when it’s in operation (most of the cheaper winders are so loud that you can’t put them in your bedroom because it will keep you from sleeping at night)?

– Does it come with batteries or with a power plug? (if you want to put the winder in a safe, a battery-operated model is handy)?

Although most watches have a protection against overwinding, pay attention to the maximum number of windings that are “allowed” for your watch. Some of the more professional winder manufacturers provide you with a list of movements and watches and their specifications.

You can also get a nice combination, like this Treasury Cabinet from Buben & Zörweg(below). It will cost you an arm and a leg, but you will have a nice piece of furniture that includes HiFi, a mechanical music box able to play Mozart’s Magic Flute, a humidor for your cigars and a bunch of watch winders.

I hope I’ve provided some food for though with this small article on safeguarding your precious watches. Note that safes, watch winders and storage boxes comes in all shapes and colors and also in all kinds of price categories. There is a solution for any kind of watch collection that will make financial sense. If you have any other tips, feel free to share them in the comments below.

The Geneva Seal

I recently purchase a Patek Phillipe Luxury Watch with the Geneva Seal. What is the Geneva Seal?

Known as Poinçon de Genève in French or Genfer Siegel in German , the Geneva Seal is the quality seal of the City and Canton of Geneva. It is a certification exclusively reserved for mechanical wrist watch movements made in the City or Canton of Geneva. It is a mark of extreme excellence, quality, precision, endurance and horological expertise.

When was the Geneva Seal created?

November 6, 1886 an enabling statute was enacted, Loi sur controle facultatif des montres (law on the voluntary inspection of watches (from Geneva)) An office for the voluntary inspection of the watches from Geneva ,at the School of Horology, was established. The function of the office was to examine and mark watch movements. Today it is primarily concerned with the finishing and decoration of the watch movement. Presicion testing is available but optional in the inspection process. The enabling statute is constantly being revised, the most recently in 1993.

Why was the Geneva Seal created?

In the late 1800's forgeries were flooding the market. The Geneva Seal was created to protect the unsurpassed quality of Genevan timepieces.

Why would a Watch Manufacturer want the Geneva Seal?

The Geneva Seal is a extensively sought after stamp with movements requiring 40% more work than other movements.. The Seal is held in high regard in Haute Horlorerie circles. The Geneva Seal is extremely difficult to obtain, only an exclusive circle of manufacturing watchmakers are admitted to its use provided they fulfill three conditions.



What are the three conditions required for issuance of the Geneva Seal?

1. Exclusively mechanical movements which at the very least must be assembled and adjusted within the borders of the Canton of Geneva.
2. Each caliber is required to meet the Regulators' 12 technical and aesthetic criteria. These criteria define the movement design, and characteristics, production quality and finishing operations.
3. The Luxury Watch Movements must be approved and Certified by the eight sworn members of the Commission of the Office for the optional inspection of Genevan watches of the Canton of Geneva, acting under the authority of the Department of Public Education.

What are the Regulator's 12 technical and aesthetic criteria?

Compliance with the standards outlined by the Office for the Optional Inspection of Genevan Watches must include the quality of all parts and components of the movement including those used in auxiliary mechanisms.

1. All steel parts of the movement must display polished angles, sides parallel file strokes, visible face smoothed and polished. All screw heads must either be polished or circular grained. (This type of finishing reduces friction ensuring no metal filings effect the movement)
2. Movements must be fitted on the going train with ruby jewels in polished holes. On the side of the bridge, the ruby jewels must be semi-mirror-polished. In addition their sinks must be polished. (This ensures that the lubricating oil will spread more evenly increasing the longevity of parts and components.)
3. A sliding stud cap with a round head and neck must secure the balance spring. (This particular condition creates a huge challenge for the watchmaker; however, it does improve the centering of the balance spring and thus improving the adjustment.
4. Fitted or split regulators utilizing a fastening system is required. (This condition prevents the shifting of the index assembly in the event of jarring and thus eradicating any impact on the adjustment of the movement)
5. Geartrain wheels must be beveled on their upper and lower sides and feature polished sinks. If the wheels are 0.15 mm or less in thickness , one-sided (bridge side) bevelling is accepted. (Durableness is increased)
6. Pinion shanks and faces must be polished. (Providing a marked reduction of friction within the movement and protect it against stray filings which may effect the longevity of the movement.)
7. The escape wheel must be lightweight. Larger wheels must be no more than 0.16 mm thick and 0.13 mm for wheels less than 18 mm across. The locking faces must be polished.
8. The ratchet wheel and crown wheel must be finished according to the prescribed models. (Only a select handful of watchmakers today are able to meet this condition.)
9. The use of wire springs are prohibited.
10. It is imperative that the lever's angle of travel must be contained by solid banking, excluding pins or studs.
11. Shock absorbers on movements are acceptable.
12. Regulating systems with a balance wheel with variable radius of rotation is acceptable.

Is the Geneva Seal the same as the Hallmark of Geneva?

The Seal of Geneva is the actual Seal of the Canton of Geneva which is seen punched into the movement of the watch. Hallmark is an official mark proving the quality and fitness of a product. Both names are referring to the same mark of approval.

Which companies have the Geneva Seal?

Only a select few companies submit all their movements to obtain the Geneva Seal. Vacheron Constatin and Pateck Phillipe are two examples. Other watch manufacturers submit a single collection or a single movement like Chopard's L.U.C collection and the much publicized Cartier's Calibre 9453 MC which obtained its first Geneva Seal.


Where is the Geneva Seal located?

The Geneva Seal is punched on the on the main plate and one of the bridges. The site varies according to the caliber.

Can my watch be called a Chronometer?

No! Unless the title Chronometer has been awarded by the C.O.S.C after the movement has undergone rigorous testing by the C.O.S.C.

Do all watches that display the word Geneva on its dial have the Geneva Seal?

Geneva Seals are specifically punched on the watches movement, having the name Geneva on the dial does not mean that the watch has the Geneva Seal. The name Geneva is governed by the "Bureau de controle des Montres de Geneve." The criteria for this are not nearly as demanding as the Geneva Seal. To display Geneva on the dial, a watch must be:
a) Swiss made and
b) Have at least one of the major operations in manufacturing, either in assembly of the movement or placing the movement within the watch case to be performed in the Canton of Geneva resulting in 50% of the total cost of production to be within the Canton of Geneva.

Some Watch Manufacturers like Vacheron Constantin display an additional Geneva Seal on its dial.

10 Modern Re-Editions of Vintage Watches

Written by Alexander Linz

The vintage look is having a moment in the watch world right now, with many brands releasing modern takes on old classics. Here, in this article from my blog, Watch-Insider.com, are my personal choices for 10 of the best of these re-editions that have debuted within the past few years. Many will have you asking yourself if they are old or new.

Alpina Heritage Pilot Chronograph Automatic: Inspired by an Alpina aviation chronograph from the 1930s.

Alpina Heritage Pilot Chronograph Automatic

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier: This modern timepiece is directly inspired by the first Tank watch, launched in 1922, which was created as a gift for General John Pershing.

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier

Glashütte Original Sixties: Inspired by the legendary “Spezimatic” watches of the 1960s.

Glashütte Original Sixties

TAG Heuer Monaco: This version looks nearly identical to the original Heuer Monaco, launched in 1975, right down to the old Heuer logo.

Heuer Monaco

Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Vintage 1931: As on the original, the only logo you see on the dial is the “Reverso” signature.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Vintage 1931

Longines Twenty-Four Hours: A new version of the brand’s historical pilots’ watch, with a 24-hour-dial produced for SwissAir pilots during the years 1953-1956.

Longines Twenty-Four Hours

Panerai Radiomir California 3 Days: This new Panerai watch, the PAM 448, brought this historic Radiomir from 1945 back to today’s wrists.

Panerai Radiomir California 3 Days

Rado DiaStar: The DiaStar was presented in 1962, just five years after Rado was founded. This is its modern equivalent.

Rado Diastar

Tissot Heritage Navigator: The design of this re-edition, released for 160^thanniversary of the brand, revives a design from 1945.

Tissot Heritage Navigator

Vulcain Cricket Nautical: The limited re-edition of this divers’ wristwatch with an alarm resembles the original Vulcain from 1969.

Vulcain Cricket Nautical

Watch Insider’s Top Best-Value Chronographs

Written by Alexander Linz

As we approach another Baselworld watch fair, let’s revisit last year’s Top 10 Best-Value Watches lists, which I assembled for my blog. We’ve covered my favorite chronograph watches and men’s dress watches already; now I put the spotlight on chronograph watches offering the best value for money.

To be clear, I do not endeavor in this list to name the “cheapest” chronographs, but to recognize those that offer the most at their price point. I am sure that some brands might offer chronograph watches similar to these for less money; to me, that doesn’t necessarily make that other watch more attractive. The price differences in many of these cases are usually very small, in any case. To reiterate from my previous lists: this is an alphabetical listing and not a ranking. As always, the watches listed here are my own personal favorites. No jury has voted, no one has whispered anything into my ear, and — most importantly — no brand has paid me to be listed here. If you would like more information about one of the watches on the list, please use the search function on my blog. I have reported on all of them during the year, and you are likely to find many more pictures and additional technical information on them. Many of the watches have also been covered separately here on WatchTime.com.

Finally, I am interested in your own feedback. Which chronographs do you find represent the best bang for the buck? Please use the comments section to let us all know what you think.

Alpina Genève Alpiner4 Chronograph

I find the design of this chronograph to be fabulous. The 44-mm case houses a modified Sellita SW500 caliber with only two chronograph counters. I also love the watch’s ergonomics: I wore the Alpina Alpiner 4 Chronograph several times this year and found nothing to complain about. Price: starting at $3,495.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Chronograph

This 43-mm Baume & Mercier is not the cheapest chronograph powered by an ETA 7750, but it is one of the most attractive. I like its sporty-elegant look and top-quality build. You might pay a bit more for a Baume & Mercier, but in my opinion the watch you get will absolutely not be overpriced. Compare this Baume & Mercier to its competitors the next time you are at your retailer and you will understand what I mean. Price: starting at $3,900.

Certina DS Action Diver

This is a top-notch divers’ chronograph for a minimal cost, waterproof to 200 meters and ISO 6425-certified. (The criteria for dive watches are regulated by the ISO 6425 international standard.) It is difficult to beat that price! The 45.2-mm case houses an ETA 7753 caliber, and the watch is also sold with a rubber strap for a slightly lower price. Price: 1,770 euros.

Top Things To Look For In A High End Luxury Watch

BY ARIEL ADAMS

For $20,000 and up watches:

A large population of the high-end luxury watch buyers know precisely what they are getting into with each new acquisition. Years of being a watch lover has allowed them to appreciate "must-have" novelties, as well as the desirability of traditional items. Years of study are required before fully understanding what goes into the value of a high-end luxury purchases ($20,000, and up, and way way up). This helps create an understanding of those watches which are worth their high cost in terms of value, and those that, while expensive, are a mere emotional purchase with less than stellar post-purchase value. Watches near the apogee of the luxury world that you should want to have, tend to share various desirable traits. Taken together, you should consider these factors in your ultra high-end watch purchase decision making process. In this third and final segment of the "top things to look for in a luxury watch," you should take these items together with those in the past two articles as much as is logically possible. When spending "mucho dinero" on a watch, consider the following:

1. Precious Metal Construction

It should go without saying that a high-end expensive watch should be constructed from quality materials. This means the best possible metals and so forth, but it is also a good idea to ensure that the metals involved are inherently valuable. Take, for instance, a luxury watch that is 18k gold versus titanium. Which one is going to have more value in the abstract? Not only that, but it is a good idea to investigate how much precious metals are used. Parts of the case? All of the case? Are the hands and hour markers gold? When talking about watches at $20,000 and up, you should expect to see a fair amount of precious metal used in the construction and execution of the watch. The most common metals are of course the various colors of gold (yellow, rose, pink, red, white, etc...) as well as platinum. Silver is rarely used for cases, and a bit more commonly used for traditional looking watch dials. It also goes without saying that precious stones also are a desirable component, given the style and variety of the watch.

2. Natural, Quality Jewels

As I just mentioned, if you are purchasing a watch with precious jewels you want to take a close look at them. The first thing to look at is the origin of the stones. The two major options are natural or manufactured. Natural stones are obtained in the traditional manner - via often controversial mining methods. There is an inherent romance to the concept that a stone was derived from the earth, discovered, cut and polished, and then used on your luxury item. Aside from "recycled stones" (taken from older or unsold items), the alternative to natural stones are manufactured stones. These are not synthetic stones, but real stones that have been grown in a lab. So real stones, not naturally made. Probably, the most popular synthetic stones in watches are sapphires (that come in many colors now and of course make up your luxury watch crystal), diamonds to a degree, and many other types of stones (or other non-stone materials such as mother-of-pearl that is grown mostly and not harvested anymore). Of course, the most valuable stones are natural ones.

You, then, want to look at the quality and amount of the stones. A few very clear stones with good color are going to be worth more than a large array of cheaper stones. Take a good look at the color of the stones and the size of each. Ask for the total carat amount and where the stones came from. Generally, those watch companies with well-established jewelry making arms are going to have the best types of stones utilized in their high-end luxury timepieces. You don't need precious jewels to make a high-end luxury watch, but if you want them, do your homework.

3. Manufacture-Made Movement

Most watch companies in the world do not make their own movements. They source movements from various movement suppliers. The most well-known European watch movement maker is ETA, and is part of the large Swatch Group. Some companies purchase movements and use them as is, and other times, they modify or add to movements (modules) making them more unique and complex. This also involves various types of decoration that a watch maker might include on a movement. The best watch makers design and construct their own movements in-house - even if they don't make other components of the watches. You'll find that the top houses such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Sohne, among others each make their own movements.

Having an exclusive movement made by the watch brand almost always ensures a high level of decoration in a beautifully made, and sometimes very complex watch movement. You'll know that few timepieces have the same movement, and you can be part of the exclusive club of people who have timepieces with "in-house manufacture made movements" (bragging + snob rights).

4. Seal Of Geneva

This seal is a certification of quality and origin. The seal is applied directly on the movements of specific watches that satisfy the stringent rules as applied by Swiss law. The Seal of Geneva is placed on certain watches that have movements which are mostly created and assembled within the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. The movements must also have various technical and decoration requirements in addition to their place of origin. Only a handful of watch makers have movements with the Seal, and it is very hard to get. Just because a watch does not have the Seal does not make it bad, but those that do boast the Seal of Geneva are most always impressive high luxury timepieces.

5. Exotic Materials

Do you ever get bored of all the mainstream metal luxury watches? Apparently some watch makers do. The last few years have seen an impressive number of luxury timepieces being released that make use of interesting materials in the case construction as well as the movement. These materials range from unique alloys exclusive to particular watch makers, to exotic compounds you've never heard of, as well as innovative ways of using materials that were not previously used for watches. In an ongoing effort to differentiate themselves, watch makers have gone to great lengths to use exotic materials for watch making - sometimes even improving a watch in doing so.

For example, something called silicium is being used in some watch movements by companies such as Patek Philippe and Ulysse Nardin. The exotic material does not require lubrication and thus helps the longevity and accuracy of a watch movement. On the outside, you have ceramics used that are very hard and much tougher than metal to scratch. Exotic materials used on the outside of a high-end luxury watch can vary widely. It is, of course, common to see steel, gold, titanium, and various styles of leather. These days you also have materials such as rubber, forged carbon, carbon fiber, composite resin (basically, fancy plastic), natural stones, complexly shaped sapphire crystals, ceramic compounds, and many more. The bottom line is that with a world of interesting materials, you can appreciate unique applications of some of them inside or outside a timepiece when your focus is on the very high-end of timepieces.

6. Many Hours Of Hand Construction And Assembly

A question you should always present to a watch retailer is, "how long does it takes to make this watch?" They should know the answer, and be proud of it - even though it is a number of months. High-end watches are handmade and assembled by master watch makers. Sometimes a team of people will be involved in making the watch, other times a single watch maker toils for as long as a year or more on a single watch. As each part needs to be fabricated, decorated, assembled, and tested, you can image that the process takes a long time. The longer it takes to make a watch, the more refinement and decoration will be found in an on it. There is no specific amount of time that you should look for as it depends on the company. Rolex, for example, uses complex robotics and departments to make watches - even though their most expensive watches have jewelers who hand set gems. Rolex can take just a few days to make a watch, while a less industrialized brand can take several months.

7. Complications

High-end watches don't just have beautiful mechanical movements, they have complex movements. A watch costing in excess of $20,000 should often do more than just tell the time, or it should tell the time in a special way. Other complications effect how accurate a watch is or how interesting the movement is to look at while in operation (for example, various types of tourbillon escapements). Other common complications in high end watches are perpetual calendars, rattrapante chronographs, sonneries, fusee and chains, moon phases, and multiple time zones along with world timers. Be cognizant of what complications the watch you are looking at has. When looking at higher-end watches you might want to ensure that the complications you are interested in aren't available at lower prices to help secure the value of your purchase decision.

8. Highly Refined Designer Looks

A high-end watch should be beautiful. It should have a large amount of time and effort invested in the design, meaning that the beauty of the watch should not wear off like the novelty and relevance of a new computer. The best watch makers are skilled in making unique designs, but also ones that are "instant classics." You have to have a good eye to spot the best, but there are things you can do to test this out aside from recognizing that a watch has a famous designer. First, look at the watch again after you saw and loved it the first time. Do you still feel good about it the second time? Also, look at a series of other nice watches. Is the watch you like still your favorite when you return to it after seeing other nice watches? Last - and trust me on this one - if you have the watch in front of you, then wear it, and also have someone else wear it. Seeing it on your own wrist is not nearly as good an indicator as seeing it on someone else's wrist. The best designs will look good on anyone. Lastly, when looking at a designer look, you want to make sure it has enough unique qualities to justify the "exclusive" item you are thinking about buying.

9. Limited Production

The best luxury things in life comes in small quantities and are made in limited productions by dedicated people. Besides, having too much of anything cuts the value and the intrigue. So look for limited edition or highly limited production watches. Ask how many of a particular model have been made and whether or not there are 1000 or 100,000 of them out there. The more limited a watch is, the more exclusive it is, which is a major component of true luxury goods.

10. Investment Grade Acquisition

The lucky high-end luxury watch buyer will be able to afford a timepiece that has the potential to increase in value. On the one hand, there are certain brands that commonly have their most exclusive models increase in value (such as Patek Phillipe and Rolex), but certain other watch models or brands may have this same quality. It is very difficult to gauge whether a watch will increase in value (unless it is a rare Patek Philippe watch that is going to be difficult to get in the first place), but do your best to follow the above guidelines and you might find yourself with an investment grade timepiece. In the end, you aren't buying a watch for value alone (fashion and function are at issue), but it would be at least nice to know your acquisition retains value.