This Helbros was a good example of watching market trends-
I bought mine in late 2019 for $250
It was grimy, but cleaned up well enough. I would put the condition at a 6/10, the bezel keeping it from being a sold 8 as the dial and hands are excellent. (Service was done but not counting that as part of "value").
@Scarecrow Boat got his for $450 not a month ago, his I would rate at an 8, his bezel is better than mine and dial/hands about equal (he also has has a service but again-looking at purchase price to compare against others that haven't been).
The one we just saw go for $450 I would rate at a 5, ding for wrong rotor (possible movement swap) bezel was similar to mine for condition but sun faded- dial/hands looked excellent.
By looking at that very small sample (normally I would review as many sold listing and compare condition and actually sold-for price), I would say these are trending up quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if we see ones like SB's selling close to $600 within the next few months- unless the market tanks...which I don't see happening on watches like this.
These types of watches have sat low on the market for decades (use to be able to get these for $100 5 years ago) and as the top end of the market becomes stratospheric for prices these start climbing as focus moves downstream (I assume like many of us on this thread who just can't stomach $10k+ for a vintage watch).
If the watch bubble market collapses, we will see the upper middle fall- the best of the best will always be in demand and although the market may shrink- the hard-core collectors will still be buying. Sub-par examples of $$$$ watches will recede, but the newly discovered "bargains" like these watches still hold, if not still climb as they now have a following and they remain affordable to a broader audience.
The cheapies will always be cheapies- the fun is identifying which ones will break from the pack.
