Top five watches to invest in today

One of the world’s most respected watch brokers, David Duggan has specialised in buying and selling high-quality pre-owned timepieces for more than 40 years. Based in London’s prestigious Burlington Arcade since 2002, his passions since the beginning have been Rolex, Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Cartier.

As well as being an approved Rolex Service Centre, the business is also a member of the British Horological Institute and an associate membership of Sotheby’s. Since 2016, David Duggan has also been the UK’s only pre-owned specialist to be an authorised dealer for Tudor.

In the August issue of WatchPro magazine, the Big Interview looks at some of Duggan’s most memorable moments but, in the meantime, here are his tips for watches that he feels are currently undervalued.

1. “I love rectangular Patek Philippes but right now they are not selling well and there are some great bargains to be had. Shaped watches have never traditionally been as popular as round ones but that is starting to change thanks to the Royal Oak and Nautilus, and all the fabulous vintage and reissue Cartiers that are creating great interest and selling out.”

   

2. “I believe there is a lot of mileage in vintage time-only Vacherons – especially the ones with interesting lugs like the Corne de Vache (cow horns). Many of them are a really good size for today, too.”

   

3. “The same goes for time-only Audemars Piguets from the 1950s and 1960s. Everyone wants a Royal Oak, but the model didn’t exist until 1972 and AP has been making incredibly beautiful watches since 1875, right now they can be picked up at great prices.”

   

4. “I’ve always been a fan of vintage Longines chronographs. People forget that at the early watch auctions, among the highest priced lots were Longines 30CH chronos from the 1950s. People are cottoning on to how good these are and they are becoming harder to find at good prices.”

   

5. “I have always loved alarm watches – particularly the Vulcan Cricket. With many modern alarm complications, you need the ears of an owl to hear them, whereas a Cricket will have you up and out of bed in a flash. It may not make you a fortune but it’s a beautiful and useful watch with a great history.”

   

And if you’re in the market for something new, then Duggan recommends Rolex’s stablemate, Tudor. “When I saw the Black Bays in Basel in 2012, I thought they were vintage,” he says. “I really believe they are the best value watch on the market. The Black Bay has made Tudor very cool – and getting David Beckham as an ambassador was a total coup.”