Six watches that are (virtually) impossible to find

Image
Six watches that are (virtually) impossible to find - Chronext
2 minutes read
You can find anything on the internet. Anything, and literally everything. So when you’re looking for rare, or exceedingly rare, watches, you might as well go straight to the top: Philipp Man, CEO of Chronext, introduces his personal selection

Imagine a shop window filled with 7000 watches, and no sales assistant to be seen. You have an hour to find the watch of your dreams. Mission impossible? Absolutely. Even for a seasoned collector. But Philipp Man isn’t just a seasoned collector, he’s also the cofounder and CEO of Chronext, which means he’s the architect of one of the most talked-about sites for second-hand watches. We asked him to take a deep dive into his own site, and find us the pearls. Let’s go!

What is Chronext’s most expensive watch?
At the moment, the most expensive watch we have available is a Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” Flying Tourbillon by Audemars Piguet, for around 390,000 euros. That’s an exception. In theory, at Chronext, anything over 100,000 euros is sourced by our teams, and added to our stock only at the specific request of our clients!

Six pièces (presque) introuvables

Which watch do you consider to be the best investment at the moment?
This won’t come as much of a surprise, but I’d choose the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Its value has gone up 200% in the last four years alone. Without a doubt, there’s no better investment.

Is there a watch that’s still flying under the radar, but which you think deserves a higher profile?
Personally, I’d consider the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Ref. 15407ST by Audemars Piguet. This is an extremely sophisticated timepiece, a perfect example of the watchmaking craft, and it has no equivalent on the market today. They’re really hard to find. It’s not a limited edition, strictly speaking, but I’m pretty sure Audemars Piguet makes no more than about a hundred each year.

Which watch is the most high-profile, the one that disappears virtually as soon as it appears on the site, the most popular option on your search engine?
The watch with the most searches, and the quickest to sell, is the Rolex Datejust. It’s a timepiece with a long history and, consequently, a huge number of variations, which means it suits a wide variety of collectors.

Six watches that are (virtually) impossible to find

What is the oldest watch on the site?
A few months ago we had an extremely rare pocket watch, a Patek Philippe Gondolo from 1905. It sold very quickly. That was a truly unique watch! It’s highly unlikely we’ll see another one like it. Nevertheless, our vintage section does sometimes offer some amazing finds.

Finally, which timepiece would you buy?
I don’t know what my next watch will be! But I can tell you the watch I fell for most recently: a Lange 1 in white gold by A. Lange & Söhne. It’s a magnificent watch, a classic dress watch but with its own unique flavour. The off-centre hours display, and the big date that is a signature of A. Lange & Söhne, make it a truly exceptional piece.

Six watches that are (virtually) impossible to find

 

Featured brands