Hi All,
I consider myself a newbie, so I really did try to find if this was already a topic but I couldn't find it.
Anyway: I as wondering: purely from a value development point of view: what would be expected to hold its value better: a Vintage Speedy (say: a 1969 145012) or a recent "Ltd edition" (say: a ST2 Ultraman)

Just for the record, i consider any watch to be worn and enjoyed, not to be stowed away just for speculation, but i was curious to hear opinions of the experts and experienced...

Thanks
Roland

 

It really is impossible to say. They are both safe bets compared to most watches to hold their value. The possibility of one of them jumping ahead more than the other I would say favours the ST2, but the Alaska took an age to gain the popularity and premium it has now, and other Ltd editions have not garnered the same attention.

 

i would say vintage is the safer bet to hold value IMO

 

Consider the buying power of one dollar the day you buy it, and the buying power of a dollar at some future point when you are deciding whether your purchase was a good investment, or not. Chances are, even if you sell something for twice what you paid, you may have lost money. In terms of the buying power of a dollar.

 

+1

Price and value appreciation are too often confused. Just because the price has gone up doesn’t mean the watch is more valuable. When people ask, “is this watch a good investment” they’ve already fallen into this trap.

 

Well... ST2 is currently at 9k... the ST1 hit that price and higher... and is arguably the more collectible watch and has gone down below that.

Depends on time frames your looking at too. 10 years down the road? Who knows.

Safe bets are late 60’s early 70’s Seiko in good condition and contemporarily good looking, and I think Zenith Primes are seriously undervalued right now. These are safe 3 year bets.

 

I agree - I never cared much for "investment", but when I look at the pieces in my collection, it'd definitely the Seiko sports models from that era that gained the most in relative terms... by far. Turtles, Willards, Pogues and the likes. Looking at a decent condition Willard, it might actually beat Speedy price increases over the last 3 years.

 

Although not exactly to the question (which was how a Vintage Speedy compares to a "new" Ltd Edition in holding its value) you make a good point here, hadn't looked at it this way.

 

Vintage watches generally become valuable because of their relative scarcity (ie they have been out of production for some time but are still considered desirable). Limited editions are designed to be produced in small numbers to enhance their value. My view is that vintage watches are a safer bet in holding their value because the market in limited editions is more fickle, indeed many have only become "desirable" long after they were released while others have struggled to hold their value after the initial excitement. Whether either type of watch is actually worth what people are prepared to pay for it is a completely separate debate.

 

I agree, vintage watches are naturally limited as some break down; become lost or just disappear while limited editions are purposefully limited to ensure value.

Although we have seen in quite a few cases this isn't the case, such as with the moon to mars Speedy pro. Others have taken time such as the Alaska project speedy to gain value while others such as the silver snoopy shot up in value quickly.

It's a safer bet with the vintage watches, such as Ed White, since you never know how the market will react to a new limited edition.

As always however you need to do your research and get lucky.

 

Thanks to all for considerations. Makes my life miserable (not to be taken literately as I long for a ST2 Ultraman, yet i dearly love my "68 Transitional", but i can't afford to have them both Against better knowledge, I hoped for maybe some "push" to tip me over in one direction but rightfully so there is no comparison really. Just that I love Speedy's appearently, new and vintage...
Again thanks to OF