The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Do Breitling watches hold any value whatsoever?

I had a Rolex GMT II that I sold after 10 years of ownership and the watch appreciated nicely. I bought my Airwolf in 2007 for $4,000+ and I can't seem
to give it away and it's in a like new condition. So, I'm just wondering, I guess Breitling watches really hold no value in the used marketplace?

Initial depreciation is in the order of 30-40% the minute you walk out the dealer. This is why, unless money is no object, you should never buy a new Breitling from the AD (And flip it right away).

Your Airwolf is a 9 year old watch, and if it is serviced and in good condition, you can get anywhere from $1700-$2000 out in the street.

There is a glut of used Rolexes so I think that the vaunted resale value will take a hit sooner or later.

Moral of the story: buy a watch because you love it and will wear it. Don't buy watches thinking you are going to make money when flipping them or as investments. There are better places to put your hard earned money.


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Also, very few people have the appreciation let alone the desire to spend over $500 for a Quartz watch no matter how good it is. A watch like the Airwolf is for someone that appreciates the piece for what it is. But generally speaking, the market audience for expensive second hand Quartz pieces is very limited in my opinion.

Also the Airwolf lives in the shadow of its far more
Popular predecessor, the B1. Many collectors going after this type of watch prefer the case and dial aesthetic of the B1 over the Airwolf. The Airwolf was rather a short lived and not terribly popular model. It was made from 2007 to 2011. The B1 had a longer production run from 1998-2006.

I think the Airwolf is the better watch (Own one my self soon to be departed to a new home) but most Breitling aficionados prefer the older B1 since it has a more useful countdown bezel vs the compass bezel of the 'Wolf.

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Rolex also has a history of in-house manufacture and a solid base of collecting afficionados. Also, Rolex prices rise very substantially and regularly so appreciation of used watches tends to keep pace with the cost of new. When I bought my SD, the date sub was, I think, £400 pounds less. I then bought a date sub two years later and it cost $600 more than the SD. I didn't buy my Rolexes as an investment, but they're the only watches I have that won't have lost me money if I was forced to sell them.

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Regards

Steve

I personally like Breitling as a brand a lot more than Rolex

Sure Rolex may hold value better, but the price difference IMO is insane and the only watch they make that i would buy (if i had 10s of $1000s of dollars lying around) is the DSSD, due to the serious dive watch design and size, every other watch they make is manly woman/womanly man size;

I think if you get a good deal to begin with you aren't going to lose a lot of money on a Breitling

But in the end, buy what you like for as good a price as you can, if you enjoy it and keep it for a long time, the money aspect shouldn't matter much/at all

Design and reliability all aside(since they can be subjective). Let's compare in monetary terms. For example, in-house chronograph vs in-house chronograph(stainless steel). A Rolex 4130 (Daytona) easily costs a few grand more than a Breitling B01. The B01 has date complication while the 4130 does not. Both have similar power reserve. In monetary terms, the B01 seems better value for money since it costs way lesser(a few thousand grand) with more complication(date). However when it comes to resale the Breitling takes at least a 30% to 40% hit and loses a few thousand grand, whereas the Rolex will likely sell close to the purchase price and lose way lesser. So during purchase you save a few thousand on Breitling as compared to Rolex but during resale you lose a few thousand lesser for Rolex as compared to Breitling. If you are getting a 2nd hand B01 vs a 2nd hand Rolex 4130, that's even more value for money on the B01 as you will see yourself spending about only half of what you will spend on the Rolex.

Both are mass production companies, but the difference is Rolex controls the production of their popular pieces, therefore resulting in demand over supply, which indirectly boosts their resale. What do you think will happen if Rolex floods the market with SS Daytonas and anyone who wants a Daytona can easily get one?

Overall, you save more on a Breitling during purchase but you lose lesser on a Rolex during resale, so ultimately in monetary terms, they make no difference IMHO. In fact if you are buying a watch and intend to keep it forever, Breitling makes a better value for money(monetary terms) except for the "paper loss" that you know your watch will worth lesser even though you have no intentions of selling it.

When it comes to design and reliability, my subjective opinion is that both are reliable. Breitling pays plenty of attention to the details of their design, always trying to optimize the legibility and functions of their pieces, while retaining the iconic elements of the specific model, whereas Rolex just simply touches up only a little here and there everytime, as if telling people that their pieces are timeless and they will not change a proven design. Every company has their directions so it's a matter of what appeals more to you.

To summarize, just buy what you like and not get swayed by the mass opinion or situation. You don't really "lose out" on a Breitling

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Breitling Chronomat 01 Limited Edition
Breitling Navitimer 01 46mm

Im not sure youre comparing apples with apples here.

First, youre comparing a mechanical GMTII with a huge following to a quartz watch (albeit Breitling).

Secondly, i dont think your GMTII appreciated in real terms - its a matter of inflation and an quasi indexing occuring as a consequence pure passage of time and the fact Rolex increases its prices once to twice per year.

Actually, im currently looking for a DJII 116334 on Rhodium dial with diamond hour markers (a current model). Youll pick one up at an AD for for about $12k. Preowned, theyre listing for $7.9k to $8.9k.


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Put it on EBay or Chrono24 and you can probably sell it for closer to what you want.

These watches are all about finding a buyer that is looking for one and appreciates them for what they are.


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