Precious metal watches of mid/low range brands

[KBM]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking for a dress watch that doesn't break the bank lately, and stumbled upon Tissot's Visodate collection, which I think is very nice. One of their models particularly caught my attention, but I later learned it is made in 18ct. rose gold.

This is the watch:



It seems to retail for around 5k. Although I found the watch beautiful, I couldn't help but wonder if it is worth to consider a precious metal piece from a brand like Tissot, considered entry level in the Swatch Group. What I mean is, taking the brand image and positioning in to consideration, would one expect the quality/level of finishing on the watch to be worthy of the fact it is a gold piece? In other words, even if it is 18ct. gold, how would you feel paying 5k for a Tissot?

I like the brand very much and don't mean this to be a bashing thread at all, but I am used to seeing Tissot as a $ 500 brand, and at this price range I am unsure of the value.

Thanks for your input!

Best,

Kauê

[McLovin]

Personally, I'd rather get a steel Zenith or JLC for about the same price. Or if gold is the important factor, maybe a vintage Datejust with leather band. The Tissot looks nice, but I know I'd be thinking to flip it before too long.

[slcbbrown]

It's an odd reality that some brands don't carry the reputation to sell precious metal watches very well. Even with some higher priced brands, you are buying gold more than the watch. You have picked a good looking watch but expect to take a beating if you expect to resell.

Once you're in the $5,000 range, IMO, you'd be much better off to buy a used Rolex in 18k.

[capote]

Vintage Rolex or JLC would be my bet

[FeelingTheBlues]

I think I would probably go with a Jaeger-Lecoultre at this price but that's just me, this Tissot is a beautiful watch and I remember seeing a similar timepiece in the Baume & Mercier brand (which was absolutely gorgeous, might I add) but I wouldn't pay retail for it. Having said that, I must say I'm a pre-owned buyer myself so I might be biased.

If you really like this look on a watch I think you could have a very good deal if you ask some gray dealers or take a look online. I found this one a few months ago on Ebay and without wanting to talk about prices I pay much less than the price of the timepiece you're showing.

...And yes, it is made of 18kt yellow gold (the case, that is, as the clasp is plated).

[KBM]

Thank you all for the replies. It seems to be general consensus that, at least at this price point, there are other brands which represent higher value for the watch. This was my initial feeling as well. I may just have to start hunting for a pre-owned gold DJ with champagne dial after all.

Cheers!

[FeelingTheBlues]

Originally Posted by kauebm

Thank you all for the replies. It seems to be general consensus that, at least at this price point, there are other brands which represent higher value for the watch. This was my initial feeling as well. I may just have to start hunting for a pre-owned gold DJ with champagne dial after all.

Cheers!

Higher value perhaps but don't forget that there are many more reasons to buy a watch, you don't always need to make it an investment of some sort. What I would especially recommend you is, should you try to avoid losing too much money if you had to flip it, to try to buy one on the grey market. This way, you'll be able to have a watch you truly like at a very good price.

Don't forget that the first thing that you should ask yourself is if you like it or not.

[KBM]

Originally Posted by FeelingTheBlues

Higher value perhaps but don't forget that there are many more reasons to buy a watch, you don't always need to make it an investment of some sort. What I would especially recommend you is, should you try to avoid losing too much money if you had to flip it, to try to buy one on the grey market. This way, you'll be able to have a watch you truly like at a very good price.

Don't forget that the first thing that you should ask yourself is if you like it or not.

Thanks, Carl, but let me try to explain myself better: I have seen here at TRF, time and time again, people asking for advice on wether they would lose too much money on certain acquisitions and whatnot. That is not the way I look at watches, as they are not an investment of any kind for me (maybe an investment on my pleasure, but thats another story).

When I wrote my initial feeling was that "at that price point other watches represented better value", I did not mean monetary value, but horological value, which is what I really care about. In other words, I have a feeling that, for that specific Tissot watch (which I do find beautiful), the price tag reflects almost exclusively the fact that the case is built in gold, rather than the quality of the movement/finishing/history of the watch. Combined, these elements seem to be present in a much stronger sense in other watches at that same price point, albeit in SS, maybe.

Thus, in the end, it is not a matter of being afraid to lose a lot of money if I later decide to flip the watch, but rather being afraid of paying 5k on a watch that is "not worth it" from a horological perspective.