Steel vs Gold Aquanauts

[roeezion]

Recently got into a debate with a friend of mine on the market prices and what the future may hold for steel vs gold aquanauts. No one can know for sure but wanted to hear your opinions. Buying the steel aquanaut be it the 5167a or 5164a at approx double retail, would you say this is a safe buy in terms of holding value or potentially appreciating? Or would you say that buying a 5167r or 5164r at a much closer price to retail in comparison to the steel pieces is the safer bet in terms of holding value or appreciating?

My friend made the point that due to the demand of the steel pieces that going with the steel is the way to go and they should hold (being that i can buy at a good price.) Or would you say that because of that massive gap from MSRP to market prices that it is questionable what the future will hold and that actually the smaller gap between MSRP and market prices on the gold pieces is the safer bet?

Let me know your opinions!

[jeorge]

But a watch to enjoy wearing nothing else !

[srvrf]

I understand these posts but in reality no one knows. Ask people like me how many of us foresaw this current market when we passed on readily available pre-owned 5980s for under $40k USD. Or me selling my two steel Daytonas for around $9-10k each. You just don’t know what the market will be like in a year, five years, or whenever. So like everyone says, but what you love.


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[S``]

Originally Posted by srvrf

I understand these posts but in reality no one knows. Ask people like me how many of us foresaw this current market when we passed on readily available pre-owned 5980s for under $40k USD. Or me selling my two steel Daytonas for around $9-10k each. You just don’t know what the market will be like in a year, five years, or whenever. So like everyone says, but what you love.

This

One thing that is most likely to happen is... Future price hikes on the list price

[PJ S]

I would have to go with what seems common sense for when the music stops.
Gold is always worth more, even from an intrinsic standpoint. So in the event that the reference remains in production when that happens, the gold model will lose correspondingly less than the steel one, which has the potential to halve in value.

[Codik]

Investing in watches is about the same as investing in putting it all on red. No one knows.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by roeezion

Recently got into a debate with a friend of mine on the market prices and what the future may hold

Let me know your opinions!

I like my 5711

[Vipes]

Originally Posted by srvrf

I understand these posts but in reality no one knows. Ask people like me how many of us foresaw this current market when we passed on readily available pre-owned 5980s for under $40k USD. Or me selling my two steel Daytonas for around $9-10k each. You just don’t know what the market will be like in a year, five years, or whenever. So like everyone says, but what you love.


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Good advice. I wouldn’t buy any current production steel Pateks that have a high premium.

[GreenLantern]

I want to see more WG Aquanauts with complications.

[The Argonaut]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I want to see more WG Aquanauts with complications.

Perhaps Baselworld will provide the answer.

[Calatrava r]

I would not buy a watch on what I think is the "safer bet". You really should buy what you like and will wear, otherwise, why bother at all. When watches are no longer cool, the values on all this stuff will tank big time. There really is a lot of the current models out there. Modern production is in overdrive. They are not rare as the pre-1960 stuff is nor sought after by the true collectors who buy the ultra rare and unique watches.

[rockdrock]

Originally Posted by jeorge

But a watch to enjoy wearing nothing else !

This++. I was stuck in that conundrum a year ago. Did a lot of watchsoul searching and found my sweet spot to buy the things I love. Finance is important and I am willing to take 20% depreciation on my watches. But this thing where everyone wants the watches that will go up 100% is ridiculous, plus you really miss in exploring horology. With that perspective, I bought the 5168g blue dial (at retail) and love the white gold out of it! I know, I know that a lot of people have an issue that it is too big at 42mm. For me, it is perfect and wear it very often.


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[Muxi]

In today’s environment, it is hard to differentiate whether a watch is hyped because everybody wants it, or the other way around.

I notice though that my choices for my collection are very model-specific and not open to substitution. Does that mean one or the other, I can’t really say for sure but I would like to think I am not swayed by the hype.

[roeezion]

Thanks for the replies guys! Just wanted to create a discussion to see alternative opinions and what you guys think.

[cascavel]

If you like and can wear gold watches, they are the obvious value.

[cascavel]

Originally Posted by srvrf

I understand these posts but in reality no one knows. Ask people like me how many of us foresaw this current market when we passed on readily available pre-owned 5980s for under $40k USD. Or me selling my two steel Daytonas for around $9-10k each. You just don’t know what the market will be like in a year, five years, or whenever. So like everyone says, but what you love.


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If the "W" in your avatar stands for Wisconsin and the little thing next to it is a Badger it might explain how we both made the same mistakes on the same watches, although I only sold one Daytona but for even less, $8K.
I loved the 5980a white dial but was holding out for low $30s. It never made it.

[S``]

Originally Posted by cascavel

If the "W" in your avatar stands for Wisconsin and the little thing next to it is a Badger it might explain how we both made the same mistakes on the same watches, although I only sold one Daytona but for even less, $8K.
I loved the 5980a white dial but was holding out for low $30s. It never made it.

Must be the B10 connections... I too, thought a 5980a at 38k was asking too much in the gray... Considering ADs were begging and giving out discounts for these