One brand that is very well known in the world of watches and luxury is Rolex. In fact, most web searches will show Rolex at the top or very high in the top watch brands. The luxury watchmaker has more than 115 years since its founding as Wilsdorf and Davis. Since the name and brand change to Rolex in 1908 there have been many challenges in the world that the company has worked through — two world wars, waves of economic model changes, at least two global pandemics, a move into digital watches, and a never-ending list of competitors that want more market share.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates collectibles as an alternative asset class. It is undeniable that collectors with a passion to own certain items frequently have to square off against investors who just want to make a profit off the same exact asset. That does not mean that every collectible should be considered in the same light as a traditional investment. There are no assurances that any investments, particularly collectibles, will see an increase in value over time.

Rolex is definitely a leader in the luxury watch category. The company makes an effort to keep the value of its watches high by avoiding mass production and by keeping its distribution in control. There are always some buyers who may say any watch or any luxury good is overpriced, including Rolex. Other buyers are absolute brand loyalists who would say that Rolex has the best name and reputation in its class.

But what about other luxury watch brands which compete against Rolex and have lower price points? Should watch collectors treat some of those as investments or should they simply consider owning them for joy and pleasure without regard to future value?

A base Rolex will cost $5,100 or more. At the authorized Deutsch Houston Galleria watch store, the cost was last seen at $5,900 for the Oyster Perpetual 41 for men and $5,200 for a Oyster Perpetual 31 for ladies. A smaller Oyster Perpetual 28 was available for $5,100 for ladies. While there are competing sites offering other online prices, the primary focus of this report will be mostly on brand new watches.

Using a base of more than $5,000 for the Rolex (above) does not count any taxes. It does not count any service expenses, repairs, insurance over the life of a watch, nor shipping costs.

The comparisons and values found in other watch brands offer many high-end and attractive watches. Some will be considered relative bargains to some buyers, but some of them will be considered inferior. As with all things to be worn, the real value is simply whatever an owner thinks about it and is willing to pay at any given point.

All in all, this ended up being more than 10 different luxury watches that can be purchased for less than the price of a Rolex. The list of luxury watches is in fact far larger than this, and an effort was made to stick with luxury brands that are more easily recognized. There are many more brands which could have been included and it could take weeks to evaluate luxury watches under the $5,100+ base price of a Rolex. This is at least a start.

Omega offers several watches that fall below the asking price of the base Rolex model. The OmegaWatches site lists 13 variations of the De Ville Prestige label watches at prices of $3,750 to $3,850 per watch. The Omega Seamaster 300M Diver Watch was priced at $4,400 and was followed closely by the Omega Speedmaster Racing Chronograph watch for $4,700. There was also a price of $4,900 for the Seamaster Railmaster Watch modeled after the original Railmaster watch from 1957.

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph offers diverse options. Colors and personalized preferences make the watch less standardized, but the value is within the budget of their prices. A price tag of $3,249 at chrono24.com is the price of a new Carrera Calibre 16 Chronograph with an automatic blue dial. Options can take this style of Tag Heuer beyond $4,000. More to see:

The Tag Heuer Formula 1 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Special Edition 2020 can be had for $1,800 at www.watchesofswitzerland.com. Their website also offers a Connected Golf Edition 45mm Mens Watch for $2,550.

The Jared store site offers six variations of its Aquaracer Professional watch models ranging from $2,800 to $4,200 per watch in pre-sale.

Hamilton watches are bountiful at prices well under the $5,000 entry point. The quality of an older U.S. watch-making company dating back to 1892 is the history behind Hamilton. They have multiple best-sellers that are listed for under $1,000. Here are some of the Hamilton watches up at the higher price points:

• A Scuba Auto style new watch can be bought direct from Hamilton for under $1,000.
• The American Classic Intra-Matic Chronograph H with a 40mm face is $2,045.
• The Jazzmaster Face 2 Face II Auto Chrono sells for $3,995.
• The Ventura S Auto sells for $3,895.

Breitling is a brand that has watches for men and women that offer a similar look and feel of certain Rolex models, and Breitling has many watches which have their own entire look and feel. The company has also used Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron in their ad campaigns. There were 7 different Endurance Pro models were prices from $3,150 to $4,375 in their best sellers, but the prices also jump up much higher. Here are some:

• Breitling’s Navitimer Automatic class had 8 models from $4,400 to $5,000 each.
• There were 6 Superocean Heritage models priced from $4,380 to $4,950 each.
• There was 12 Superocean Automatic lines from $3,600 to $4,850 each.

Other watches also come in well under the Rolex brand in price. The prices featured below, as any of the prices mentioned herein, are of course subject to change.

Tudor’s Black Bay Bronze can be purchased for $4,150 and Tudor has several new releases priced within the $1,700 to $2,300 range.

Panerai is a luxury brand that has many watches at significantly higher price points than have been discussed. There is one model called the Panerai Radiomir Black Seal Base Logo that can be purchased for $4,500.

Gucci is a brand that is better known for fashion items, but it crossed over into watches. Many of those can be purchased at price points of $1,000 to $2,150 and there are some lower-priced options for under $1,000 if there are cares about the strap being leather or metal.

While the focus was intended to be on new watches, there is a vast opportunity for buyers to purchase watches on other sites as well. Any second market sales need to come with caveat emptor warnings, and it is imperative for any watch buyer to consider how a watch appears, whether or not they have had mechanical damage, and specifically the source (seller) that is selling the watch.

Chrono24.com is another watch destination for buyers and sellers alike. They most recently had 500,000 watch offerings from 122 countries on their homepage, and they also listed more than 400,000 watches being covered by their Chrono24 Buyer Protection.

The website TheWatchbox.com also had 56 pre-owned Rolex watches for those who want the name but without the retail price. They had 22 listings under the $5,000 in pre-owned Oyster Perpetual listings.

eBay is of course the world’s top auction auction house, and it has made many efforts to carry luxury watch listings. Those offerings include thousands of offerings from Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe and countless other luxury watches. eBay’s offerings can also be filtered down to authorized sellers, new or pre-owned, by price and geographically.

The RealReal is a site that advertises itself as the Authenticated Luxury Consignment seller and at the time this article was being researched it offered a used Patek Philippe Calatrava Watch for $5,000 but this in fairness should be considered to be “used and abused” non-working condition that was even more worn than its 1960s age with discoloration and condensation. For a watch that sells new for six figures and a watch that is listed as valued at $19,500, this might seem like a valuable project — or it could be a rabbit hole with vast costs to make repairs.

Links to certain sites have not been included in these offerings because prices change and links within larger sites routinely are changed or get dropped after a certain period of time.

There are some additional considerations about watches and brands when it comes to collecting and investing in new watches. Lower-priced watches that are produced in far greater quantities are generally unlikely to appreciate in time. Watches with high annual production rates also tend to be less desirable for collectors versus those with limited production.

Most watch aficionados should buy watches to wear and enjoy rather than buying them because they may appreciate in value over time. If there are no guaranteed gains in stocks or bonds, there are definitely no guaranteed gains in watches and other collectibles. And just like all collectibles over time, those in poor condition are generally not worth anywhere close to those kept in “Like New” condition.

There is one steady reminder about luxury watches. The person buying them might not care about the resale value rising. His or her heirs still inherited something that may have significant value.