If you haven’t got the watch you wanted for Christmas, or just fancy picking up a bargain, then there are plenty of Sale wristwatches around right now. In fact many brands started their online sales early because of the endless lockdowns, but here are some interesting offers we spotted online today. For the sake of clarity, we aren’t covering Michael Kors, Armani, Hugo Boss, Daniel Wellington or a ton of other fashion brands – why? Because they mostly they aren’t really collectable.
So what did we spot?
CW Sellors are a specialist watch retailer and their Sale has some interesting items amongst stuff like Bell + Ross, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc, Bremont and Raymond Weil. Now you can buy any of those brands if you love the watch and they are beautifully built of course. But if you’re looking to get more than about 25% of the retail price back when it’s trade-in time, then think again. You can love a RW Freelancer, or a Bell + Ross BR diver but you will see many of thse watches gathering dust in watch dealerships or pawnbroker’s windows. So buy it because you want to wear it every day and the retailer has knocked a grand off the RRP!
TAG HEUER Formula 1 Automatic
Only a £150 discount on this automatic Calibre 6 powered TAG but it’s solid value at £1350. You get a decent 38 hour power reserve, date window, superlume and of course a sapphire crystal. It isn’t cutting edge, but neither is this a watch that you have to apologise for, or explain who the brand is to your mates – everyone knows TAG. That also means that if you look after it then you can PX it at 100s of outlets in five years time. Handy.
TUTIMA SAXON ONE M
It’s a leftfield choice and you may end up losing a bundle on the Tutima name, as not many people know about it – or that it’s been revived. Using movements made in-house at Glashutte, the modern Tutima watches are really back home where they were being manufactured before the Cold War happened and the Iron Curtain came down. So it’s a quality, well built automatic, with a 38 hour reserve, day/date dial and available in a maroon dial option, which is something different. With a over 500 quid off the RRP this is worth considering at £1190 because we are now into entry level Swiss watch territory. At that money, this Tutima is worth the gamble.
BREITLING AVIATOR CHRONOGRAPH
How does almost two grand off the price of a Breitling grab you? Yeah, that made you spray your coffee all over that back issue of QP magazine didn’t it? This is another great deal at CW Sellors site and it’s a Breitling with a dial that isn’t too busy with 200 numbers, plus has those classic 70s style chrono pushers. This one is £4361, which compares to a £6200 price tag at Mappin & Webb.
BULOVA GENTS STEEL AUTOMATIC
This classic gents Bulova automatic is everyday value. Owned by Citizen the Bulova brand obviously shares some movement tech and that’s no bad thing we say. This one looks like a run-out model, basically last year’s stock but you’re getting a watch that retailed for £400-£500 new for £185. Not bad at all. This deal is at H Samuel by the way and the Archive Oceanographer retro 70s model is also available for £249.
IWC PORTUGIESIER YACHT CLUB
Goldsmiths have reductions on some TAG, Omega and IWC models, and those brands DO have some re-sale kudos. OK, you may not want the words Yacht Club on your watch dial, it is a bit Sleeping With The Enemy we admit, but this beefy, 44mm case chrono has a bold, striking style that’s obviously IWC, which is a good thing. It also has an in-house movement, (see-thru caseback) which almost justifies the 10K price tag. But with a price of £8063 it looks a bit more tempting if you’re still on the Rolex waiting list and want something right now, that is genuinely prestige. The IWC Pilot’s Top Gun model is £7570 on the Goldsmiths site too by the way.