Richard Mille Value/Investment Question

Assuming I could get my hands on one of the 30 RM012's out there (and I think Marcus in London can), is the watch likely to appreciate, hold steady, or tank in value (like a car often does). I am fairly new to watches, but aftr about a year of research, I am thinking about dropping the $475K as a nice wedding present to myself when we get married in London.

 

My questions are:

(1) From everything I read the RMs are worth it; is this true?

(2) If I wear the watch (which I would DEFINITELY want to at this price), will it hurt resale and if so, how much?

(3) Is there a RM watch that is identical to the RM012 but in Titanium instead of platinum?

 

If I can find it titanium (which would likely be about 1/3 the price, I don't care if it decreases in value. I just don't want to drop the price of my upcoming new Lambo on something that won't be worth crap after I wear it.

 

Please scuse my watch ignorance and I appreciate any advice given.

Assuming I could get my hands on one of the 30 RM012's out there (and I think Marcus in London can), is the watch likely to appreciate, hold steady, or tank in value (like a car often does). I am fairly new to watches, but aftr about a year of research, I am thinking about dropping the $475K as a nice wedding present to myself when we get married in London.

 

My questions are:

(1) From everything I read the RMs are worth it; is this true?

(2) If I wear the watch (which I would DEFINITELY want to at this price), will it hurt resale and if so, how much?

(3) Is there a RM watch that is identical to the RM012 but in Titanium instead of platinum?

 

If I can find it titanium (which would likely be about 1/3 the price, I don't care if it decreases in value. I just don't want to drop the price of my upcoming new Lambo on something that won't be worth crap after I wear it.

 

Please scuse my watch ignorance and I appreciate any advice given.

 

That's one hell of gift to yourself I'd be worried that someone's going to cut my hand off.

 

Hopefully Gil or Aram will chime in and help you with your questions..

Since you are new to the watch world you should try and educate yourself a little bit before taking the plunge on such an expensive timepiece.A good site to go on is www.the purists.com

Also take a look at the auction results of christies and antiquorium.That will give you an idea of which watches do well with the collectors.

The 1st rule with a watch imo if you are going to wear it is you gotta love it.I own a large variety of timepieces and i love every piece that i still own.I have to admit i have bought some watches on the spur of the moment and i have been disappointed at times when the watch arrives and the end result was that i sold the watch as it didn't do it for me anymore.

When purchasing a watch i follow a certain guideline that works for me.Any watch that is worth more than 20k retail should have some sort of investment value.Anything less than that is just a fashion accessory and i couldn't care less if it appreciates or not.

But again,if i don't love the way it looks and feels i will not buy it.

 

There is no guarantee or rule that a certain watch will hold it's value or appreciate.The market place can very very weird at times and even when you sometimes think you a no brainer purchase on your hands you can end up being disappointed.

But there are patterns that can help you making a wise decision.

On top of the totem pole is Patek.It is by far the most prestigeous brand and it's limited editions do extremely well at auctions and with collectors worlwide.That does not mean that any Patek watch is going to appreciate in the short or long term nor does it make them a blue chip investment.Some models(calibers) do extremely while other ones depreciate just like any other watch.

As a rule the more complicated a timepiece the more expensive it becomes .What i mean by complication is:Chronograph,perpetual calendar,split second chronograph,tourbillon,minute repeater just to name a few.

Some of the complications like a minute repeater and a tourbillon are so labour extensive that a watch manufacturer can only produce a limited number of pieces in a calendar year as they are the work of one master watchmaker that can take up to 6 months to finish 1 piece.That is reflected in the price of the watch and tourbillons and minute repeaters from a prestigeous brand such as Patek or AP can command very high premiums at auctions.

I can go on and on for pages but i believe it is best for you to take your time and do some research and i am sure you will come up with a wise decision.

 

I almost forgot,as far as RM is concerned the product is exquisite and the quality of finish and craftsmanship second to none.IMO they are overpriced as the brand does not have the same pedigree as Patek or AP or Vacheron but my opinion means nothing in some cases as i have seen select RM pieces do extremely well at auctions much to my disbelief.

I had a lenghty conversation with an auction house in London regarding the RM pieces and their opinion was that RM is doing extremely well with the collectors and seems to be holding its value better than most brands on the market.

I find that hard to believe but one cannot argue with hard facts and auction results unless there is shill bidding involved.

 

In any case good luck and if you do decide to go ahead with that specific watch you will own a true masterpiece.

 

Since you are new to the watch world you should try and educate yourself a little bit before taking the plunge on such an expensive timepiece.A good site to go on is www.the purists.com

Also take a look at the auction results of christies and antiquorium.That will give you an idea of which watches do well with the collectors.

The 1st rule with a watch imo if you are going to wear it is you gotta love it.I own a large variety of timepieces and i love every piece that i still own.I have to admit i have bought some watches on the spur of the moment and i have been disappointed at times when the watch arrives and the end result was that i sold the watch as it didn't do it for me anymore.

When purchasing a watch i follow a certain guideline that works for me.Any watch that is worth more than 20k retail should have some sort of investment value.Anything less than that is just a fashion accessory and i couldn't care less if it appreciates or not.

But again,if i don't love the way it looks and feels i will not buy it.

 

There is no guarantee or rule that a certain watch will hold it's value or appreciate.The market place can very very weird at times and even when you sometimes think you a no brainer purchase on your hands you can end up being disappointed.

But there are patterns that can help you making a wise decision.

On top of the totem pole is Patek.It is by far the most prestigeous brand and it's limited editions do extremely well at auctions and with collectors worlwide.That does not mean that any Patek watch is going to appreciate in the short or long term nor does it make them a blue chip investment.Some models(calibers) do extremely while other ones depreciate just like any other watch.

As a rule the more complicated a timepiece the more expensive it becomes .What i mean by complication is:Chronograph,perpetual calendar,split second chronograph,tourbillon,minute repeater just to name a few.

Some of the complications like a minute repeater and a tourbillon are so labour extensive that a watch manufacturer can only produce a limited number of pieces in a calendar year as they are the work of one master watchmaker that can take up to 6 months to finish 1 piece.That is reflected in the price of the watch and tourbillons and minute repeaters from a prestigeous brand such as Patek or AP can command very high premiums at auctions.

I can go on and on for pages but i believe it is best for you to take your time and do some research and i am sure you will come up with a wise decision.

 

I almost forgot,as far as RM is concerned the product is exquisite and the quality of finish and craftsmanship second to none.IMO they are overpriced as the brand does not have the same pedigree as Patek or AP or Vacheron but my opinion means nothing in some cases as i have seen select RM pieces do extremely well at auctions much to my disbelief.

I had a lenghty conversation with an auction house in London regarding the RM pieces and their opinion was that RM is doing extremely well with the collectors and seems to be holding its value better than most brands on the market.

I find that hard to believe but one cannot argue with hard facts and auction results unless there is shill bidding involved.

 

In any case good luck and if you do decide to go ahead with that specific watch you will own a true masterpiece.

 

Excellent reply. I will add that Rolex and Patek are the top two in terms of secondary market value. As for Mille, why don't you consider getting an Audemars Piguet? They make the RM anyway and they have a history.

If any of us knew for sure what these watches would be worth in the future we'd dump all of our stocks and put all of our money into watches. There was a time when Swatch watches were hot and the limited models were getting crazy money. As someone who owns over 400 of them I can tell you that most of them now only have value as a paperweight. If you take the time to learn about your purchase and really love it, you won't want to sell it.

 

Thanks guys for the amazing details in your replies. I agree, that spending time researching is the best thing to do; I try to do that with all of my "big" purchases. I really want to try on a RM as I have never seen one in person not living in any of the big market cities. When I get married in London, it will be my first chance to do so, and I greatly look forward to it. From a looks standpoint, the RM012 is my favorite of all-time, with some Pateks and APs coming in close seconds. I will definitely take some time this October looking over all of my options.

 

I also agree, that with the right purchase, selling will never be an issue as I will have the watch I want. I think it is my ignorance to the watch market that has kept me in the more run-of-the-mill market. I have two Corums, had two Breitlings (now just the Bentley 6.75), and have two Locmans. Basically kept my purchases under $10,000 a watch so if I didn't like it or what have you, I wouldn't take a bath on them even though I have enjoyed them all.

 

I think what prompted me to look for the "great one" was the fact I was going to buy it to commemorate my marriage and have it as a true momento of the occasion from London as I designed my own wedding ring more than a year ago.

 

I will continue to do some reasearch, but I do know that I am looking for the following so any advice is MUCH appreciated.

 

LOVE:

-Tourbillon

-Stainless, WG, Platinum

-HUGE faces (49mm and up)

-Diamonds (on certain models) but must have contrasting strap not metal

-Heavy, chunky feel

DON'T LIKE:

-Gold, Rose Gold

-Small or thin faces

-Brown leather straps

 

Once again, THANKS!

Thanks guys for the amazing details in your replies. I agree, that spending time researching is the best thing to do; I try to do that with all of my "big" purchases. I really want to try on a RM as I have never seen one in person not living in any of the big market cities. When I get married in London, it will be my first chance to do so, and I greatly look forward to it. From a looks standpoint, the RM012 is my favorite of all-time, with some Pateks and APs coming in close seconds. I will definitely take some time this October looking over all of my options.

 

I also agree, that with the right purchase, selling will never be an issue as I will have the watch I want. I think it is my ignorance to the watch market that has kept me in the more run-of-the-mill market. I have two Corums, had two Breitlings (now just the Bentley 6.75), and have two Locmans. Basically kept my purchases under $10,000 a watch so if I didn't like it or what have you, I wouldn't take a bath on them even though I have enjoyed them all.

 

I think what prompted me to look for the "great one" was the fact I was going to buy it to commemorate my marriage and have it as a true momento of the occasion from London as I designed my own wedding ring more than a year ago.

 

I will continue to do some reasearch, but I do know that I am looking for the following so any advice is MUCH appreciated.

 

LOVE:

-Tourbillon

-Stainless, WG, Platinum

-HUGE faces (49mm and up)

-Diamonds (on certain models) but must have contrasting strap not metal

-Heavy, chunky feel

DON'T LIKE:

-Gold, Rose Gold

-Small or thin faces

-Brown leather straps

 

Once again, THANKS!

 

 

Based on what you described the RM is not the right watch for you.It is not overly big or heavy,certainly not 49mm although it fits the wrist very nicely and looks great

I believe you will love the AP RO TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH.It is i think 45mm,it comes in stainless steel with a white face and stainless steel bracelet.You want heavy and with the RO you have heavy.The tourbillon looks great and i love the face as it is not overly busy and clutterred.

I came close to buying one a few months ago but i passed as i have too many ROO.I would not hesitate to pick one up however as it is a very classy watch and not overly flashy.I believe they can be bought for around 100k.

 

Best

 

Aram

Based on what you described the RM is not the right watch for you.It is not overly big or heavy,certainly not 49mm although it fits the wrist very nicely and looks great

I believe you will love the AP RO TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH.It is i think 45mm,it comes in stainless steel with a white face and stainless steel bracelet.You want heavy and with the RO you have heavy.The tourbillon looks great and i love the face as it is not overly busy and clutterred.

I came close to buying one a few months ago but i passed as i have too many ROO.I would not hesitate to pick one up however as it is a very classy watch and not overly flashy.I believe they can be bought for around 100k.

 

Best

 

Aram

 

Thanks a lot Aram!

 

I will go do some research now! You just saved me $375K!!!!

Aram, whenever you feel like getting rid of an AP, let me know!

Aram, whenever you feel like getting rid of an AP, let me know!

 

 

Flash the cash and i might consider moving a piece