The speedmaster market has been suffering for some while from naive investor buyers.
Or to put it another way, an inexperienced buyer over paying for a watch that appears to tick the boxes in the belief he can easily and quickly sell it on for a profit. For a while this was true.
What many fail to grasp is that the difference between a $8,000 Ed white and a $22,000 Ed white is often hidden from these less experienced buyers, and as long as these miss-appraised low quality watches circulate between other less experienced buyers then these $8,000 watches start to creep up and up, but look who buys them, not experienced collectors.
I am sure this is true for all watches, and collectibles.
I am pleased to see a lot of low quality speedmasters return to realistic levels - these watches still make great pieces to own at the right level.
We also have to remember that 10 years ago, eBay had five or six privately owned speedmasters per week. As in not from collectors.
this has all changed, and for a while everyone wanted to make $1,000 off every crappy speedmaster they bought, and thought every straight lug was worth 20k even with crappy lume and dinged bezel.
then the lovely dealers weighed in and offered prepared watches, often to Rolex Refugees priced away from their county, and everyone looks at these less attractive speedmasters and then began to ask what’s the fuss about speedmasters? They don’t look very nice.
the right 145.012-67 can get $18,000 - an admittedly astronomical price - all day long with no waiting. Another one, with issues in the dial bezel and appearance, may not get a bid at $7,000. It may not even get a bid at 5,000.
As ever, quality holds its value.
There are more buyers for a fine watch than the basket cases offered all around at the moment.
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