What are the best luxury watches for new collectors?
Not everyone can afford a Patek Philippe or an Audemars Piguet royal oak, but many luxury watchmakers offer more affordable alternatives.
This article will help you to start your luxury watch collection, from iconic vintage models to cool and stylish diving watches suitable for all occasions.
The Best Luxury Watches For New Collectors
We’ve covered the designs and movements from the leading luxury watch brands to help you kick start your watch collecting journey in style.
Here’s our list of the 10 best luxury watches for new collectors:
10. Nomos Orion 38 – $2,500
No self-respecting luxury watch collection is complete without a dress watch, and luxury watch brand Nomos produces a wide selection of dress watches to choose from.
Their Orion 38 dress watch is a stunning example of their commitment to the Bauhaus style, delivering simple yet clean lines and an all-around uncluttered aesthetic.
Nomos is based in Glashütte, the home of high-end German watchmaking, and the Orion 38 features the brand’s iconic Alpha Caliber movement.
It comes with a super-slim case that measures just 8.9mm, with a luxurious Horween Shell Cordovan strap to keep it secure on your wrist.
This slim and sleek aesthetic carries over to the hands, which are stick-thin and complemented by thin baton indices.
There’s no date here, making it even more refined, while the small seconds complication offers a beautiful and discreet finishing touch.
If you’re looking for a gorgeous hand-wound dress watch that oozes class and style, the Nomos Orion 38 is a great addition to your luxury watch collection.
9. Tudor Black Bay GMT – $3,700
Tudor has established itself as the go-to brand for watch lovers who can’t afford to fork out for a Rolex, but still want a quality watch that reflects Rolex’s approach to design.
The Tudor Black Bay GMT is one such watch, bringing a true GMT movement and aesthetic at a fraction of the price of a Rolex GMT Master II.
While the Tudor Black Bay GMT doesn’t feature any of the most expensive precious metals you can buy, it’s incredibly well-made, using a classy aluminum bezel with a red and blue pattern.
As such, it resembles the iconic Pepsi GMTs released in the past and includes the matte black dial that brings great contrast to the red and blue colors on the bezel.
The hour hand on the Tudor Black Bay GMT is independently adjustable, so you can update your local time to match any new time zones you enter.
A more affordable alternative to the iconic watch from Rolex, the Tudor Black Bay GMT is a truly luxury timepiece from one of the best luxury watch brands available.
8. Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch – $5,000
Moving into the more expensive luxury watches with the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, a manual-wind chronograph watch that offers a truly historic experience.
The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch was the first watch worn on the moon, making owning one of these a high priority for many watch collectors.
It features a 42mm stainless steel case and stainless steel bracelet, with a folding buckle to ensure it stays firmly on your wrist.
There is a broad range of functions on offer here, including a chronograph and tachymeter in addition to the hour, minute, and second hands.
Well known for being incredibly reliable and comfortable to wear, the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch uses a coaxial master chronometer movement which adds to its vintage appeal.
Despite all the information displayed, it’s also a highly legible luxury watch, and the tachymeter bezel is smooth and responsive.
While an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch will set you back several thousand dollars, Omega announced the release of a much more affordable Speedmaster in 2022 for collectors on a tight budget.
7. Grand Seiko SBGA427 – $5,000
A great luxury watch collection requires a watch for every occasion, and the Grand Seiko SBGA427 is an ideal “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” watch worthy of your consideration.
Suitable for both formal and casual occasions, the Grand Seiko SBGA427 is an excellent addition to the brand’s Heritage Collection that won’t go out of style.
With a stainless steel bracelet and bezel, it offers 100m water resistance and is built around Seiko’s revolutionary hybrid Spring Drive movement.
This gives the Grand Seiko SBGA427 the accuracy of quartz timepieces while maintaining the decorative aspects of the best automatic watches.
The watch is finished with Seiko’s Zaratsu polish, and the hands and indices are sharp and clearly defined, making this a legible and functional watch.
It’s a visually gorgeous, subtly textured luxury watch that brings accuracy and style together which watch enthusiasts highly recommend.
6. Omega Seamaster 300 – $6,800
Returning once again to luxury watch brand Omega for the Seamaster 300, an excellent diver watch representing the fine watchmaking we’ve come to expect from Omega.
Diver watches have been around for several decades, and the Omega Seamaster 300 keeps the classic design with its vintage Super-LumiNova lume design.
The retro style continues throughout all the design elements, from the thin dive bezel and broad arrow handset to the absence of crown guards to keep the overall profile slimmer.
It also comes with a beautifully polished ceramic bezel with a Liquidmetal diving scale, as well as a META-certified caliber 8400 movements.
While the overall appeal of the Omega Seamaster 300 comes from its appreciation for the best vintage watches, it also delivers modern technology through its magnetic resistance to 15,000 gausses.
Tapered lugs, a wonderfully engineered screw-in crown, and a helium escape valve also bring a degree of excellence you won’t find on cheaper alternatives.
Buying an Omega Seamaster 300 will set you back several thousand dollars, although the price tag is considerably less than some of the most expensive watches you can buy.
5. Bell & Ross BR 03-92 – $3,700
While many of the best luxury watches are inspired by classic watches of yesteryear, some are created with an eye on the present day.
One such luxury watch is the BR 03-92 from Bell & Ross, which eschews the restrained and classic appearance of its competitors in favor of something a little more daring.
Bell & Ross is a French-owned, Swiss-made luxury watch brand known for designing instrument watches that take their inspiration from the cockpit of fighter jets.
They launched a new range of vintage-style watches in 2022, making the aviation-inspired company a firm competitor with the likes of Rolex and Omega.
The BR 03-92 is a huge, square watch in a jet black matte ceramic case, which houses a round dial featuring high visibility hands and indices in bright white.
The black and white contrast makes this a striking timepiece made all the more impressive due to its oversized design, and delivering an all-around conspicuous appearance.
A far cry from subtle and discreet dress watches, if you want a luxury watch that is guaranteed to get some attention, the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 will deliver the goods.
4. IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII – $4,250
A less common but nevertheless still appealing approach to watch design is the pilot’s watch, which luxury watch brands such as Bremont and Breitling excel at producing.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII serves up a slice of quintessential pilot’s watches for under $5,000, making it around the same price as some of the most expensive luxury pens you can buy.
Its design reflects the pilot watches of the 1940s, when the style first came to prominence during the Second World War.
This means the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII watch is as durable and reliable as it is great to look at, with a caliber 30110 (ETA base) movement and water resistance of up to 60 meters.
The case measures 40mm and features a soft iron dial and inner case that is resistant to magnets, with a black dial and sapphire crystal cover.
It’s a deceptively simple watch, with terrific legibility and a clear, clean aesthetic, and a discrete date window to help keep the face neat.
IWC are responsible for some truly amazing watches, and their Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII mechanical watch is a worthy addition to anyone’s vintage luxury collection.
3. IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph – $8,450
Another classic watch from IWC is their Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph, which is a self-winding automatic chronograph made from bold black and white elements.
The Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph features a 44mm black ceramic case, with a jet black dial on a black leather strap that locks through its stainless steel deployant buckle.
In addition to hours, minutes, and seconds, there’s also a chronograph and date, making it a functional as well as a great-looking timepiece.
You’ll struggle to find a new version of this watch, but if you scour the pre-owned watches on eBay and other second-hand watch sellers, you can find these for a little over $8,000.
With a price comparable to a few nights’ stay in one of the most expensive hotels in the world, the Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph watch is a unique watch for those who aren’t afraid to explore the pre-owned market.
There’s also a double chronograph version of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph which adds an additional chronograph dial for even more accurate information.
2. Tudor Pelagos – $3,650
Tudor continues to knock it out of the park with their high-end watches, with the Tudor Pelagos serving up a classy dive watch on par with the more expensive alternatives from Rolex.
It’s a self-winding automatic watch that comes with a 42mm titanium case, and a gorgeous vibrant blue ceramic bezel that surrounds a blue dial.
The bracelet and folding buckle are also made from titanium, making the Tudor Pelagos a robust and extremely wearable luxury timepiece.
The hours, minutes, second, and date window are all bright white for extra clarity and legibility, while the crown is protected with its own guard.
It’s slightly thicker than some of the other Submariner-inspired watches you can buy, but it’ll still slide under shift cuffs with ease.
Tudor continues to make the news, announcing a new partnership with the Swiss Olympic cycling legend Fabian Cancellara in the spring of 2022.
1. Rolex Submariner No-Date – $11,000
No list of the best luxury watch manufacturers would be complete without featuring Rolex, and their Submariner No-Date gives watch collectors an affordable entry to this iconic luxury brand.
You’ll struggle to find a brand-new Submariner No-Date watch, as new Rolex watches are notoriously difficult to acquire and often mean sitting on waiting lists for years on end.
Head over to the pre-owned market, however, and you won’t need Kanye West’s net worth to invest in a Submariner No-Date; these can be found for around $11,000.
The Rolex Submariner No-Date features a 40mm case in stainless steel, with a stainless steel Oyster bracelet featuring a folding buckle.
The dial itself is black, displaying white second, minute, and hour hands which really pop out and make it an easy-to-read watch in most light conditions.
Originally released in 1999, the Rolex Submariner No-Date sports a unidirectional black anodized aluminum bezel, and comes with a dive depth rating of 300m.
Rolex is regarded as one of the best watch brands for a reason, and the Rolex Submariner is among the very best dive watches you can find.
Summary
That concludes this guide to the best luxury watches for new collectors, and we hope you find a watch here that matches your personal style.
We’ll update this list in the future to make sure it reflects the most accurate prices you can expect to pay, whether they’re brand new or pre-owned.
Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best luxury watches for new collectors:
- Rolex Submariner No-Date – $11,000
- Tudor Pelagos – $3,650
- IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Chronograph – $8,450
- IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII – $4,250
- Bell & Ross BR 03-92 – $3,700
- Omega Seamaster 300 – $6,800
- Grand Seiko SBGA427 – $5,000
- Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch – $5,000
- Tudor Black Bay GMT – $3,700
- Nomos Orion 38 – $2,500
