Tay Liam Wee, Co-founder of WatchBox
"Over time, a collector’s thoughts and taste will evolve with the knowledge acquired as well as changes and development in creation and industry manufacturing. There will be watches in the collection that don’t resonate with the collector anymore and these may be the items to trade out of to make space for the new."
"My major overview is that mechanical watches overall have appreciated significantly in value. Significant timepieces that have been around for five decades and have appreciated significantly would probably include just about every Rolex model, most of Patek's past and present catalogue."
"The other inflection point in the industry is the beginning of independent watchmaking in the 1990s and 2000s. The indies that have become incredibly expensive and in demand include Francois Paul Journe, Roger Smith, George Daniels, Philippe Dufour, DeBethune and Rexhep Rexhepi."
"First, ask yourself the reason for starting a collection. Is it for the love of watches or is it for asset diversification purposes? If it is the former, you start by buying what you like and what makes you happy. If it is the latter, one has to be more considered. Studying and researching the watches and buying into quality; condition and originality are important factors that are essential."
"Don’t follow the trend of rising prices and buying into hype!"
Alvin Lye, Owner, Monster Time
"You need to be able to identify the trends. Trends come and go, so don’t overpay! If you are buying a watch for a significantly higher price than the official retail price, then you may be buying into a bubble and all bubbles will eventually burst!"
"A Rolex Daytona 116500 reference was selling close to S$80K in Dec 2021. It is currently retailing in the grey market for $40+K. So, go figure!"
"If possible, always buy preowned and let the previous sucker take a beating on the price! Try to buy a complete set, with original guarantee papers etc as these hold their values the best."
Ali Nael, Founder & CEO, 2ToneVintage Watches
"It’s important to do so for organising, cleaning the collection and maintaining a market view. And also for insurance purposes."
"If you are doing a private deal, bring the watch in for authentication with an independent valuer before payment. Also, there are lots of collectors online who you can reach out to with questions and advice."
"However, there are models that are trading at discounts, so you’d best buy them second hand. Sometimes, you can find one as good as new at a discount."
