Are Luxury Watches A Good Investment In India 2026?

Nearly 28% of Indian luxury watch buyers now view their timepiece explicitly as an investment asset. That number has doubled in four years. The question is no longer whether watches are investments — it’s which ones are worth buying.

The Short Answer

Yes — but only for the right watches. Not every luxury watch holds or appreciates in value. Most fashion watches (Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, Diesel) depreciate the moment you buy them. The watches that genuinely hold value share three things: heritage brand with decades of watchmaking history, mechanical automatic movement (not quartz), and limited production relative to demand.

Which Watches Hold Value In India

Rolex — The Safest Bet

Rolex leads India’s secondary market with the deepest buyer network in the country. Certain models have not just held value — they have appreciated significantly. The Submariner, GMT-Master II “Pepsi,” and Daytona Cosmograph are the three Rolex models with the strongest resale performance in India.

Data point: a Rolex Submariner (no date, ref. 124060) bought in India at ₹7.2 lakh in 2022 was trading on grey markets at ₹8.5–9.5 lakh in 2025. That’s a 18–32% gain in three years from a watch you could wear every day.

Rule: Focus on core Rolex models — Submariner, Datejust, GMT-Master II. Limited editions and new complications tend to carry a premium on launch and then normalise.

Omega — Strong Heritage, Proven Resale

Omega holds value well, particularly the Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional and Seamaster 300. For serious horological enthusiasts, Omega represents the height of modern Swiss precision — famous for NASA moon landings and the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games. That heritage story drives collector demand which sustains resale prices.

The Co-Axial Master Chronometer movement — Omega’s proprietary caliber — is independently certified to withstand magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss. Buyers who understand this pay a premium on resale.

Rule: Buy the Speedmaster Professional Manual Wind or Seamaster 300. Avoid the fashion-adjacent Omega De Ville range for investment purposes.

Patek Philippe & Audemars Piguet — The Top Tier

Together with Rolex, these two make up what collectors call the “holy trinity” of watch investment. Patek Philippe makes only around 70,000 watches a year across its entire range, so scarcity is built in. Steel sports references like the Nautilus traded at several times their retail price on the secondary market at the 2022 peak — and then corrected sharply, which is the lesson: even the best brands move in cycles.

Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, designed by Gérald Genta in 1972, created the luxury steel sports watch category and remains the brand’s value anchor. Most AP buyers in India purchase through boutique allocation, and the core Royal Oak references hold value far better than the brand’s more experimental pieces.

Rule: These are long-horizon holds for buyers who can afford to wait out a down cycle. Buy core references, keep full box and papers, and expect a 5–10 year view, not a quick flip.

The New Contenders: Grand Seiko & Richard Mille

Grand Seiko offers hand-finishing that rivals Swiss maisons, plus its unique Spring Drive movement, at a fraction of the price. It won’t appreciate like a Rolex, but resale is improving as awareness grows among Indian collectors. Richard Mille sits at the other extreme — ultra-light technical materials, tiny production and prices that start in crores. Resale has been strong, but the buyer pool is extremely small, which makes it a high-risk, high-liquidity-cost asset.

Tissot — Not Investment Grade, But Holds Better Than Fashion Brands

Tissot delivers authentic, high-grade Swiss watchmaking at a highly accessible entry point. The PRX won’t appreciate, but it depreciates far less than a fashion watch. A ₹48,000 Tissot PRX will resell at ₹30,000–₹35,000 after two years. A ₹15,000 Emporio Armani will fetch ₹3,000–₹4,000. The difference matters.

Rule: Tissot is a “slow depreciation” investment — not a return-positive one, but far better capital preservation than fashion watches.

What Loses Value Immediately

The EFTA-India Trade Treaty Factor

The landmark EFTA-India trade treaty is systematically reducing import duties on authentic Swiss watchmaking.

This is the single most significant structural change in India’s watch market in 2026. As import duties reduce, genuine Swiss watches will become more accessible — which means current grey-market premiums on Rolex and Omega should compress over time.

What this means for buyers: If you’ve been waiting to buy an original Swiss watch, 2026–2028 is the window. Authorised dealer prices will fall as duty comes down.

The First Copy Watch Perspective

First copy watches are not investments in the traditional sense — they don’t appreciate. But they serve a different financial logic entirely.

A 7AAA first copy Rolex Submariner at ₹2,000 gives you the same wrist presence as a ₹7 lakh original for 0.03% of the cost. That’s not an investment — it’s efficient consumption. The buyer spends ₹2,000, wears the watch for two years, and reinvests the savings elsewhere.

The smartest approach many Indian buyers take: wear first copy watches now, build savings, buy genuine Rolex or Omega when the budget is there. The first copy fills the gap without the financial commitment.

The Golden Rules For Watch Investment India 2026

Rule 1: Buy from an authorised dealer only. Factory-condition watches with full papers hold value far better than grey-market pieces. A Rolex without box and papers loses 20–25% of its resale value immediately.

Rule 2: Focus on heritage models. The Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Submariner, and Rado DiaStar have proven resale markets in India. A new, unproven model is a speculative purchase.

Rule 3: Avoid hype purchases. The watch that is impossible to get today may be widely available and discounted in two years. The Rolex hype peak of 2021–2022 has normalised significantly.

Rule 4: Service your watch. A well-maintained watch at full service history commands a significant premium on resale. Service Rolex every 10 years, Omega every 5–8 years.

Rule 5: Don’t mistake insurance for investment. A first copy watch is practical hedging. A genuine Rolex is the actual investment. Know which one you’re buying and why.

How To Research A Watch Before You Buy

Never pay based on the dealer’s word alone. Platforms like Chrono24 and WatchCharts publish real transaction and asking-price history for most references, so you can see whether a model is trending up, flat or falling before you commit.

Condition and documentation matter more than most buyers expect. A watch with its original box, warranty card and service history routinely sells for 20–30% more than the identical watch without them. Keep every document, and service only at the brand’s authorised service centre — an unauthorised service can wipe out the provenance premium.

Finally, verify authenticity on any pre-owned purchase. Ask for the serial number, check it against the papers, and have the watch inspected by an authorised dealer or an independent watchmaker before money changes hands.

FAQ

Q: Which watch brand has the best resale value in India?

Rolex has the deepest secondary market in India — the widest network of buyers and the most consistent pricing. Omega follows as the second-strongest. Both require full box and papers to command top resale prices.

Q: Is Tissot PRX a good investment in India?

Not in the appreciation sense — it won’t go up in value. But it holds value far better than fashion watches. A used Tissot PRX commands 60–70% of its original price in India, which is significantly better than most watches in its price bracket.

Q: Should I buy first copy or genuine for investment?

Buy genuine only for investment purposes. First copy watches are consumption purchases — they deliver style value, not financial return. If investment is the goal, buy authorised genuine Rolex, Omega or Longines with full papers and box.