Knowledge Base

Luxury Watch Buying Guides

Everything you need to know before buying a luxury watch — from understanding market dynamics to choosing the right model for your wrist and budget.

Browse All Guides

Understanding the WVS Value Score

What each factor measures, how weights are determined, and how to use the score in your buying decision. A Value Score above 85 signals exceptional long-term value — here's why.

Cost of Ownership: The Metric That Matters

Why the purchase price is misleading and how our cost-of-ownership model reveals the true annual expense. Some $15,000 watches cost less per year to own than $3,000 watches.

New vs Pre-Owned: A Data-Driven Guide

When to buy new from an authorized dealer and when the secondary market offers better value. We analyze the depreciation curves across brands to identify the optimal buying window for each category.

Dive Watches: The Complete Buyer's Guide

From the Rolex Submariner to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, we rank every dive watch in our database by Value Score and explain what specifications actually matter for daily wear versus professional diving.

Chronographs: Complexity, Value & Selection

Understanding integrated vs modular movements, column wheel vs cam-actuated, and why chronograph complications affect value retention differently across brands.

Dress Watches: When Less Is More

The art of restraint in watchmaking. Why the thinnest, simplest watches from Patek Philippe, Cartier, and A. Lange & Söhne command the highest respect — and which offer the best value.

First Luxury Watch: Where to Start

Our recommended entry points across every major brand, optimized for Value Score and wearability. Building a collection that holds value from watch one.

How to Verify Authenticity

Protecting yourself when buying on the secondary market: what to check, which platforms offer buyer protection, and red flags that indicate a counterfeit or misrepresented watch.