IWC is a highly respected watch brand known for its luxurious and well-crafted timepieces. They come at a high price, though, which begs the question: do IWC watches hold their value?
IWC watches have a reputation for holding their value relatively well. Typically, luxury watches depreciate pretty heavily, but IWC watches tend to either maintain their retail value or depreciate ever so slightly. Some models even go up in value over time.
Despite common belief, luxury watches don’t always hold their value. Most luxury watches depreciate pretty heavily the moment you walk out of the store. Not IWC, though. In this article, we’ll go over all the details of why IWC watches retain their value so well compared to other luxury watch brands.
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Do IWC Watches Hold Their Value?
IWC watches typically hold their value quite well. Of course, it depends on the model, as not all IWC models will hold their value. Still, on average, an IWC watch will either hold its retail value, depreciate only slightly (much less than the market average), or appreciate over time.
Contrary to popular belief, watches aren’t always a good investment. They’re much like cars; the moment you walk out of the store, they have already depreciated heavily.
However, there are some exceptions, and in the case of watches, IWC is such an exception. Now, just because your watch is made by IWC isn’t necessarily a guarantee that the watch will retain its value, but it is more likely that it will.
Where most watches depreciate by about 50% in just the first three years, IWC watches hover around the retail value. Take the IWC Pilot, for example. It goes for a retail price of about $3600. After a year, its value is about $3500, and after 20 years, it’s about $3750.
As you can see, the watch holds its value exceptionally well. But the keyword here is ‘hold’. It doesn’t depreciate, but it doesn’t appreciate either.
More examples of IWC watches that have shown to hold their value are:
- IWC Da Vinci
- IWC Ingenieur
- IWC Aquatimer
- IWC Pilot’s
But why do IWC watches hold their value so well while other luxury watches from brands like Cartier and Tudor don’t?
IWC watches keep their value so well because there is a very limited supply of them. IWC used to produce tons of watches, but it heavily scaled back its production rates. This strengthens the luxury feel by making IWC watches more exclusive and rare.
With that said, it is important to reiterate that not every IWC watch is guaranteed to hold its value. Just take a look at the IWC Portofino. With a retail price of about $17000, the watch depreciated to a value of $15000 after three years. After ten years? The watch is only worth about $7000.
And that’s despite the fact that this watch was both released and discontinued in 2008, meaning that the supply of IWC Portofino watches couldn’t possibly be that large to warrant such a decline in value.
It all depends on how sought-after a particular watch is. That’s why old and vintage watches go for such extreme prices. There is such a limited supply that people are willing to pay a lot more than they maybe should. It’s economics 101; the price skyrockets when the supply is low and the demand is high.
The Materials Used To Make The Watch Also Carry Value
IWC is by every definition a luxury watch brand, and luxury watch brands are known to incorporate luxurious and expensive materials.
Unlike watch brands that mass-produce fashion watches with a gold plating, luxury watches use actual gold. IWC, like most luxury watch brands, uses 18-carat gold. It also isn’t uncommon to find materials like platinum, titanium, and even diamonds incorporated in the design.
Not only do these materials look great, but they also carry value. Gold is valuable, so a watch that incorporates actual gold will always hold some value. These materials are almost like a safety net, guaranteeing that the watch will at least always hold some value.
Should You Buy A Used IWC Watch?
Buying a used IWC watch will allow you to buy the watch after it has gone through its depreciation. However, this only makes sense if the watch has actually depreciated over time. Some IWC watches appreciate in value, which would make them more expensive.
Buying a second-hand luxury watch is an excellent idea if you’re looking to save some money. Most luxury watches depreciate over time, so buying the watch after it has depreciated will allow you to save a good chunk of money.
However, the watch does actually need to depreciate for this to work. If we look back at the IWC Pilot’s, you’ll see that they don’t depreciate at all. In fact, they actually appreciated over time. Buying one second-hand wouldn’t really make sense, as you can get a brand new one for the exact same price.
But if we look at the IWC Portofino, you can see that it has depreciated more than 50%. Buying one of these second-hand watches for $7000 will practically save you $10.000.
Is An IWC Watch A Good Investment?
IWC watches are known to hold their value; however, they typically don’t appreciate all that much. This means that the watch will hold its original value but most likely will not yield a profit. IWC watches are a great investment in yourself; the brand produces high-quality and luxurious watches.
While IWC watches are much better at holding their value when compared to other luxury watch brands, they don’t typically appreciate all that much. Of course, there are always exceptions, and generally speaking, really old, discontinued, and vintage watches will appreciate over time, but the average IWC watch model typically won’t yield that great of a return.
And for the watches that do appreciate over time, it would take years before the watch appreciates substantially. You’re typically looking at a waiting period of at least ten years.
If we’re purely looking at this from a monetary perspective, investing in an IWC watch may not be the best way to go. However, an IWC watch is a fantastic investment in yourself.
IWC has continuously proved to manufacture high-quality watches. They’re a well-known luxury brand with a gorgeous collection of watches. If you have the money for an IWC watch, it’s a fantastic investment in yourself!
