Pre-Owned Picks — Lange, Breguet, AP, Omega, and Swatch

Our preferred pre-owned picks for week 6

February 07, 2020

comments 0

This week we have a bit of an awkward line-up for Pre-Owned Picks. We have three watches from high-end brands A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, and Breguet. On the other end of the spectrum, but nevertheless interesting, we have a Swatch. Last but not least, a Speedmaster that didn’t sell at first but is highly in demand today.

Last week we solely focused on dive watches, as that seems to be one of the most popular styles or categories of watches. However, there’s more out there and with this week’s selection, we hope to prove this. There’s only one divers’ watch, from Audemars Piguet, and although it is up to the task, you can wonder which percentage would take this watch (with a 5-figure price tag) into saltwater. I also picked two dress watches from brands that I deeply respect and admire: A. Lange & Söhne and Breguet.

Every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world — watches that we love ourselves, or think they will be interesting to you. So to be clear, we picked the watches, Chrono24 only sent us the images without their watermark and in a proper resolution.

Pre-Owned Picks Of Week 6

This week’s Pre-Owned Picks will also show once more how crazy the market actually is. A Speedmaster that used to go for around €3,500 in 2003 (and struggled at that price!) now has a higher market value today than the two gold(!) dress watches from these Haute Horlogerie brands. Sometimes it is just difficult to understand this. On the other hand, this is how the market works and the market is always right. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow the market. In fact, it is just a solid reminder to buy what you like! I also include the cheapest watch we had so far in this series, a €189 “vintage” Swatch Jelly Fish from 1985. Without further ado, let’s start with the two gold dress watches from Lange and Breguet.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia 219.032 (€10,650)

This Saxonia is an amazing dress watch and has that dress watch size of 35mm. So it is definitely not for everyone, and the Lange 1 in 38.5mm would probably be my personal choice due to its size, but what a beauty this is. If 35mm suits you — and I do think that the issue with smaller sized watches is mainly between your (and my) ears — this Saxonia in 18K red gold is just awesome. If you take the price tag of this pre-owned Saxonia reference 219.023 into consideration, it is almost a no-brainer if you’re ready to spend this kind of money on a dress watch. This 35mm Saxonia was introduced in 2015 and this particular offer is a watch from 2016. It comes with box, papers and everything’s basically there, for €10,650. Click here for the offer on this A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia.

Breguet Classique 5157 (€8,800)

Last year Bert and I went to Breguet to visit their manufacture. I was simply stunned by the things they do over there. You can read all about it in this article on Fratello. A few years ago I thought this watch is for those who wear red pants and horn glasses (and drive a Volvo station wagon).

Boy. Either I was wrong, or I just got older. Whichever it is, I can’t deny it: I love this watch. The guilloché dial is a piece of art, and being on the turning wheel myself at Breguet, I realize how difficult this effect is to achieve. I also love the fact that this watch only has two hands. Who needs a seconds hand for a dress watch? With a price of €8,800, it is just mind-blowing. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a crazy amount of money for most of you (and myself included), but compare it to a Patek Calatrava and this price is just a steal. This watch doesn’t come with the appropriate Breguet box or papers, but at this price point, it’s very forgiving. Stunning. Click here for the offer on this Breguet Classique.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15703ST (€14,200)

The Royal Oak is a regular in the pre-owned picks, but it isn’t within everyone’s budget. If you like the Royal Oak but don’t want to shell out 30K for a ‘Jumbo’ (15202), what about this sportier version of the Royal Oak? It is a Royal Oak Offshore Diver that we’ve covered here quite some moons ago (in this article on Fratello). With the steep increase of the (pre-owned) prices on the 15300, 15400, and 15202 references, I would have expected the price of the Offshores to follow suit, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

This Diver is one of my favorite Offshores, and the price is quite steady it seems. It is being offered with the original papers, but not the original box. However, those can be sourced from eBay or Chrono24 as well (I believe they are all the same, but my newest AP was from 2010, so not sure what the brand did afterward). This Diver is powered by the in-house caliber 3120, which could also be found in the normal Royal Oak models (except the Jumbo). This pre-owned Diver dates back to 2014. Click here for the offer on this AP Royal Oak Offshore Diver.

Omega Speedmaster Professional ‘Snoopy’ (€11,588)

When this watch came out in 2003, there wasn’t much interest in it. The story wasn’t clear to everyone, and from what I’ve heard, most of them either got sold to women who were charmed by their favorite beagle or people who actually had a link to the Silver Snoopy Award from NASA or actually received one of the flown NASA lapel pins. Unfortunately, I wasn’t game either, and only in 2013, I purchased my (NOS) Snoopy for a much higher price than the original retail. But, given today’s price point of these watches, I am still very happy with what I paid. I do wear the watch (I wear all of my watches), so the NOS thing doesn’t fly anymore. This Speedmaster Snoopy from 2003 comes with all the goodies, and it might be a good purchase this year (50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission) if you turn 50 or have a weak spot for the Apollo 13 mission. It is limited to 5,441 pieces. You can debate exactly how limited that really is, but these are high in demand and there are not that many for sale. Click here for the offer on this Speedmaster Snoopy.

Swatch Jelly Fish GK100 (€189)

This is the odd one out of this week’s pre-owned picks. Somehow, I love the Jelly Fish model that Swatch made in the 1980s. It is so classic and so very much Swatch in the 1980s. In 1990 Swatch even did a Jelly Fish Chronometer edition (reference GK124). It is a collector’s edition and especially if you have the original packaging (closed), prices are insane. But for €189 you can own a cool near mint Swatch (never worn) Jelly Fish and be the cool kid (again). I actually didn’t know that our partner Chrono24 had so many Swatch watches in their offers, but they have and some very interesting editions are being offered. This is my favorite though, the Jelly Fish. It would look good in my box full of Swatches that I’ve been buying since 1990. Click here for the offer on this Swatch Jelly Fish.

As always, with pre-owned watches, make sure to do your (own) research. Also, feel free to make an offer on these watches (remember, these are merely asking prices), and don’t be afraid to discuss the warranty the seller can provide. Chrono24 offers its Trusted Checkout system, so you have proper buyer protection (more here). But it never hurts to be surer than sure. Always do your homework. Spending adequate time on a purchase can help minimize frustrations further down the line.

Happy Hunting!