The Best Luxury Watches at Various Price Points

New guy here. You don’t know me, but maybe you’ll get to know a bit about me by my watch picks below. I’ve compiled a list of the best luxury watches at various price points, starting from under $10,000 and finishing with the over-$100,000 segment.

Under $10,000: Rolex Explorer

Rolex Explorer. Yeah, it’s that simple. A Rolex, all the Rolex you need, minus the baggage you don’t. I’m not even going to try and sell this one (I’ve actually bought one myself), as its aesthetic appeal is self-explanatory. The Explorer, traditionally 36mm, is now offered in a 40mm size which replaced a 39mm variant. All of them are available for under $10,000 (even the two-tone Explorer 36 if you buy pre-owned) and they’re all viable choices (short of the 39mm Mark I, with its unloved short hands).

Market price for the current steel Explorer 36 (ref. 124270) should be close to retail at around $7,500, making it my favorite pick at this price point. An honorable mention goes out to the Cartier Santos – with a thinner case, a more thoughtful bracelet (OEM Strap and deployant clasp included), and an even longer and more authentic history. The Santos made wristwatch history as the first wristwatch marketed to men, while the Explorer’s epic Mt. Everest backstory turned out to be a bit of a Rolex myth. Still, it’s a perfect GADA watch.

$10,000-$20,000: Omega Speedmaster Ed White

For a luxury watch in the $10,000-$20,000 price range, I’m thinking the Omega Speedmaster 321 “Ed White.” No, it’s not a Speedy Pro – it’s better. I would say it’s even cooler than the almighty Rolex Daytona. Market price for the 311.30.40.30.0, though a bit higher than MSRP, still comes in under $20,000, and in my somewhat humble opinion, that’s a good value. Even though that’s roughly triple would a typical Speedy Pro would cost, the 321 movement in the Ed White is on another level.

Compare it, say, to a Vacheron Constantin Overseas–you can find pre-owned time-and-date models in this price range–and I can’t help but feel the Ed White is the one to get. Although the two watches differ substantially, I think it illustrates how compelling an offering the 321 is, even compared to the solid value proposition of the VC Overseas. For chronographs of this caliber from top luxury watch brands, the asking price is often substantially higher.

$20,000-$30,000: Cartier Santos Skeleton

For a luxury watch at the 20-something-thousand price point, we must consider the Cartier Santos Skeleton. And I’m not just suggesting this because I feel I wronged the Santos in the first bracket. This offering gets you a fully, handsomely (albeit industrially) skeletonized movement in a full-fledged integrated bracelet sports watch (including 100M WR and, in some versions, lumed-hands). This watch hardly has any competition, considering its style and price. Oddly, most skeleton watches are either in a cheaper or more expensive price bracket.

My love for legendary late watch designer Gerald Genta designs knows no bounds, but the current skeletonized offering from the brand he founded (the Maestro 8.0 Squellete from Gerald Charles), has a retail price twice that of the Santos Skeleton. I suspect those sell quite slowly, and for well under MSRP, while Santos Skeletons are consistently strong sellers. Market price for a Cartier WHSA0026 (lumed hands) comes in only slightly below retail, at around $25,000, depending on condition.

An honorable mention for a luxury watch in this price range goes to the Ulysse Nardin El Toro Perpetual Calendar GMT–if you can find a good one, that is. In fact, this is the price point where you start to find lots of highly complicated watches from random underrated luxury watch brands. If you want a tourbillon or perpetual calendar–and you’re willing to consider brands like Blancpain and Franck Muller–there’s plenty to dig into under $30,000 on the pre-owned market. But I’m still choosing the Cartier Santos Skeleton.

$30,000-$40,000: Breguet 5327

This one almost feels like a bit of a cheat. I’m of the opinion that modern Breguet offers some of the best values in watchmaking. And while my admiration spans from the clean and ever-so-elegant time-and-date 5177 (in the newly released platinum, please) to the mesmerizing Tradition collection, my vote for ultimate value in the $30,000-$40,000 luxury watch market is the Breguet Classique Perpetual Calendar 5327.

This is one of the most original and captivating calendar designs ever, perhaps surpassed only by Breguet’s own 5447 QP Minute Repeater. But that comes with a significant increase in watch thickness and price, of course. The 5327 and 7327 (its replacement, with a less pronounced guilloche dial) have perfect dimensions, and the small central month indicator is an interesting but functional design element. And I haven’t even begun to describe the movement finishing, which I would personally rank above Patek. Market price for this outstanding piece of haute horlogerie varies quite a bit, but you should be able to find one for half of its retail price of about $75,000.

$40,000-$50,000: Moritz Grossmann

$40,000-$50,000 is easily enough money for a brand new gold Rolex Day-Date (my own preference being 36mm in a white metal), or you can even get a previous-generation 36mm platinum model (ref. 118206) for significantly less. A Day-Date is a fine choice, but when you get above $40,000, you can start considering high-end independent luxury watchmakers like Laurent Ferrier and Czapek.

Personally, given this budget, I’d go for a Moritz Grossmann: Either a custom Arabic 37 from the factory, or a pre-loved Backpage. Good stuff either way.

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A blue-dialed Credor Eichi II would be another “inside baseball” choice. I think all these options would be good value buys in this price range, even if some of them take a bit of a hit at resale. Rare pieces like Eastern Arabic Moritz Grossmann watches should hold their value well enough, though.

Keep in mind that condition has a massive effect on pre-owned watch prices, especially in the upper echelons. When it comes to secondhand watches, several factors can easily cause a watch to move up or down a bracket–box, papers, polishing and refinishing, provenance–and it’s usually the best practice to buy the best example you can find and afford.

$50,000-$60,000: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chrono

With a $50,000-$60,000 luxury watch budget, I’d go for a used A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph. For me, it’s the best way to get a legendary Lange chronograph movement–I’d be more than happy to do without the Datograph’s Big Date so as to accommodate the more compact and discreet case dimensions. The 1815 is 39.5mm wide and a very manageable 11mm thick.

You could also get Patek Philippe’s 5320G Perpetual Calendar in this price tier, and it’s a great watch with a beautifully balanced dial. But to me it doesn’t outshine the 1815 Chrono.

All I’ll say is that, in my eyes, the choice is clear, and perhaps this movement photo will help explain why:

I like vintage watches, but I rather avoided them while creating this list, mostly because each vintage piece tends to be unique, and condition plays such a factor that they are generally less suited for demarking “price tiers.” But I will quickly note that decent 4-digit vintage Rolex Daytonas (like ref. 6239) can be had for about $55,000 in average condition–just not ones with Paul Newman dials.

$60,000-$70,000: MB&F Legacy Machine 101

$60,000-$70,000 can get you a Patek Philippe 5326G Annual Calendar Travel Time on the secondary market…but it can also get you a blue MB&F Legacy Machine 101. Get the Legacy Machine if you can. Nothing wrong with the Patek, but the MB&F is just so much more…More. A sizeable faction of ultra-high-end watch buyers are starting to favor aggressively styled hyperwatches over, say, Patek Grand Complications.

I realize I’m giving Patek Phillipe a hard time here, and I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with a recent Thierry Stern interview. But while I adore the basic 5226G Calatrava, for instance, I couldn’t bring myself to mention it with a straight face alongside a similarly priced Breguet Perpetual Calendar. Nor would I seriously consider a 5320G over a Lange Chronograph. Maybe I should have suggested a 5159G instead of a Moritz Grossmann, but I’ll talk about Patek more later.

I’m a passionate watch collector, and though I write about and sometimes even deal with watches, I’m actually a history teacher by profession (which may somewhat explain my affinity for vintage timepieces), currently pursuing an M.A. in the history of timekeeping and mechanical watches. Ask if you have any questions.

$70,000-$80,000: Moser x MB&F Endeavor Tourbillon

If you have 80 grand to spend on a watch, and you can find an H. Moser & Cie. x MB&F Endeavor Tourbillon, I highly suggest picking it up. Even if you’ve grown weary of watchmaker “collabs,” this one seems like a match made in heaven, and I want one.

The MB&F Endeavor Tourbillon combines Moser’s signature fumé dials with MB&F’s three-dimensional movement design. It features a one-minute flying tourbillon with a cylindrical hairspring visible at 12 o’clock, and a 40° tilted sapphire subdial for hours and minutes at 6 o’clock. Due to its high domed crystal, it appears larger than its 42mm diameter would suggest. It also has a left-hand crown, making it one of the best destro watches on the market in my opinion.

I know I recommended a somewhat similar MB&F in the previous bracket, but it just so happens I believe them to be the most interesting watches available at these price points. As you’ve surely heard by now, watches make for poor investments. None of the watches here were chosen for their investment value, but rather, I do believe they all have some form lasting innate appeal.

80,000$-90,000$: F.P. Journe Octa Lune

Some good examples of pre-owned F.P. Journe Octa Lune models are available with a budget of $80,000-$90,000. Salmon dials and Havana dials are within reach, but mother-of-pearl dials (if you can even find one) are rather unlikely at this price point. Consider that the market price for most Octa Lune models–whether it’s an older one with an off-center seconds hand or a newer one with central seconds–is not that different than what you’re paying for a simple three-hand Chronomètre Bleu. To me the Octa Lune certainly seems like the better buy.

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Another neat option could be Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda Micro-Rotor in full platinum. No one would know what it is, and even those who would wouldn’t realize they’re looking at platinum. I’m a fan of stealth wealth watches, and this is truly one of the rare (near) six-figure watches that you don’t have to worry about getting your arm chopped off for. You can also swim with it, though its heft might drown you.

Watch collecting, especially mechanical haute horlogerie, is undoubtedly an anachronistic, irrational, emotional, and rather romantic thing. Thus, speaking of monetary value when discussing luxury timepieces is always absurd, at least to some degree. And though you can’t put a price on happiness, I think this list goes to show that you can be happy at different price points. And in terms of craftsmanship, artistry, tradition, heritage, ingenuity, exclusivity and desirability – well, you get what you pay for.

$90,000-$100,000

In today’s luxury watch market, with a $90,000-$100,000 budget, I wouldn’t buy anything. Seriously, I’d save/invest the money, as this is probably the toughest bracket yet. These days, $100k can get you into the discontinued 5711, a white gold Aquanaut, a white gold Royal Oak (albeit a 15510, not a 16202, which would have been seriously tempting), or a platinum Daytona.

I have thus far deliberately tried to avoid hype watches or almost any watch that goes for more than retail (short of the Ed White, really). I could recommend Patek’s Perpetual 5236P, with its historic dial layout, innovative and thoughtful movement architecture, and relatively reasonable secondary market price. But that just brings me back to the Breguet 5327 I’d get for $40k, and both my head and my heart tell me that this Patek ain’t got nothing on that.

Over $100,000: Patek Philippe 2499

When luxury watch prices reach over $100,000, subjectivity increases. The options in this bracket truly are endless. A Dufour, A Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe, Journe’s FFC – any number of money-is-no-object offerings from the most expensive watch brands would be worthy choices. What do you prioritize? Complications, history, aesthetics? I know what I would choose, and it just so happens to make up for all the Pateks I snubbed earlier: I’d go with Eric Clapton’s own Patek Philippe 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph. And that’s enough said, I think.

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